First and last drive of a cadillac

[rickQ]

I thought I may as well put down my first impressions.

I have relocated to NY for a month, so as I am in the USA the obvious car rental choice for a visitor to these shore is a Cadillac, first off I was surprised how ugly it was (but thats very subjective) and once on the road it was OK in a straight line, but once I hit 85MPH and a corner it gets scary, it has the road holding of a barge, it became so slushy at speed I thought there was a problem with the tires, a quick check showed they were all OK.
Despite being huge on the outside it was small internally, and the seats very uncomfortable.
And whats with the digital dash? it is so 80s
I have driven a whole range of cars before, having owned toyotas, masserati, BMW, Jags etc. in the past and all I can say it was a huge disapointment.

Sorry guys but I really wanted to like it, and its a real shame, it has the history, a product name to die for but all I can say is no wonder no one outside of the states buys them.

[D148L0]

What year, model?

[Night Wolf]

I am guessing a newer base model DeVille?

I bet if he drove a DTS, the steering, and handling thing would have been much more to his liking...

[rickQ]

Originally Posted by D148L0

What year, model?

It was a deVille I dont know the year but it only had 4000 miles on the clock so I can assume its a 2005 model,

I know everyone will say ahhh but it was a base model thats why it was crap
That a bit of a cop out, a base model BMW 316 will obviously not be a powerfull as top range BWM 3 series, but they will all have a certain quality feel that runs through the whole range. I have comfortably crossed europe in a BMW 318 sitting on the autobahns at 100mph plus.

Same with the Jag a base model Jag XJ 3.2 straight six, will pretty much be the same as the XJ V12, without the performance and fuel consumption,

Talking of fuel, the only thing that made me smile that day was tanking the car up, in the UK it cost me US$160 to tank the range rover up.

[Night Wolf]

well, the thing is, unlike the BMW and Jag that you described....

the difference between the base DeVille and the DTS are very great....

they are aimed at 2 completly different markets.... the base DeVille is really aimed for older people... it has the bench seat, colum shifter, more chrome outside, hood ornament, digital dash, very soft, boat-like ride, not really designed to be stable and cruise about 80 or 90mph etc....

the DeVille DTS changes all that... for starters it has the more sleek look outside, the bucket seats, floor shift, analog gauges etc.... a more stiff ride with sporty tires and is alot more stable at high speeds... ask anyone that has, or has driven both and they will tell you... 2 very different cars...

think of it as... base DeVille = Lincoln Town Car and DeVille DTS = BMW 5 series or similar.

and, IMO it is foolish to say, for *any* car company that you will never driver or own one of their cars because of *one* particular car from them....

Honeslty, it would be like me trying to off-road a Honda CR-V, then saying all Hondas are junk because it dosn't compare to my buddys Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and I will never drive or own a Honda product.... 2 different markets, 2 different intended roles....

[Night Wolf]

Adding more to the BMW.... the 318, while a complete dog, and a joke (IMO) is NOT the market of a base DeVille.... it still has the sporty handling feel of the BMW etc.... and BMW takes a different approach... when comparing, say a 318 to a 330.... what is the biggest difference? the enigne.... bigger engine = faster... that is what you will notice the most... that is *NOT* the case when comparing the base model DeVille to a DeVille DTS......

Rent a DeVille DTS if you can, then see what you think.... keep in mind a DeVille is still a full size luxury car and will not be as nimble and sporty as a 330 etc... maybe for that you should have tired a Seville STS or even a CTS....

[Ralph]

Originally Posted by rickQ

no wonder no one outside of the states buys them.

Well Canada buys about half of them.

I think one of the reasons they don't sell well in Europe is because most people there cannot afford gas for a huge V8 engine and the BLS won't fool many. I think it will be seen as a fancy Saab in Europe and will fail miserably.

However, after driving my Dad's 2003 DTS I can tell you that car will handle with some of the best of them. Firm, good control yet not too jarring or harsh a ride. VERY good noise insulation and where I can hear my exhaust rumble on my low mileage 1991, I cannot hear anything on the DTS except the 300 hp Northstar screaming when you lay into it.

Either way I'm happy with Cadillac and what they've accomplished in the past few years. Remember, when you are used to driving other vehicles, a different one takes some getting used to. I noticed this even between my past cars.

If you really want problems like electronics issues right now, buy an overrated Mercedes Benz and see how many trips you make for repairs.

[rickQ]

Being on a cadillac forum I supposed my moaning has a bit of a pissing in the wind feel about it.

But in all honesty, maybe the expectation was too high. Bit like the movies when there is so much hype around a film it always end up a bit disapointing.

You are right, no point trashing a whole car maker because of one car and I aggree about the mercs, last month I was driving a 320S in Hong Kong and ahead I saw poor sod in another merc on the hard shoulder, as I passed him my dash lit up like a christmas tree, my car just died on me, so I pulled up just in front of him. The funny thing is, the guy came running up to me to thank me for stopping to help him!!

Lack of sales overseas, yes could partially be blamed on the engine sizes, but there are plenty of 6 litre V12 mercs, BMW and jags out there, and the 6.3 litre range rover conversion has a number of fans. My theory is that there are not many straight roads out there..

While I know its not a cadillac, This weekend I have booked a Ford mustang that seems to be getting rave reviews overseas. This time I will approach the drive with a completely neutral view and try not to get to emotional about it.

And you guys here have it good here, not only is the fuel cheap, I was in Singapore and the cost of a standard Jag XJ6 3.2 is over US$200K, yeap nearly a quarter of a million dollars, and the rule over there is you have to scrap the car after 10 years. and before you can buy a new car you have to scrap an old one, so you have to bid silly money for a pile of junk.

Thanks for all your help and views

[Katshot]

I'd say your views are fairly consistent with what I'd expect from a European who drives a Cadillac for the first time. I'd suggest that maybe you should try a CTS. It would probably be more to your liking. Hell, a CTS-V would probably make you green with envy. The Deville is in every way an American road car. Totally different from the normal European road car. It's all up to what you're used to I think.

[Jesda]

Interesting review. As a middle American, I tend to dislike the firmness of european vehicles. Our roads are flat and straight. Drives are long. Potholes are big. Cost of living is low. Speed limits are unfortunately low (75mph).

All those factors make a large, quiet car with a big engine for passing the transportation of choice.

[turbojimmy]

Originally Posted by rickQ

I know everyone will say ahhh but it was a base model thats why it was crap
That a bit of a cop out,

I would have agreed with you a year ago, but since I got my DTS I have to say there is a HUGE difference between a base Deville and a DTS (my parents have a base Deville so I've compared the 2 side-by-side). I'm not saying you'd like it (I'd guess you probably would not), but there is a pretty big difference. There are tons of things your rental Deville didn't have that a DTS does:

The seats are firmer, the suspension is tighter, the car sits lower and you can really feel the extra 25 HP when passing on the highway (not so much around town tho).

The standard suspension is the CVRSS that adjusts the firmness of the shocks many times per second to adjust to road conditions. The system uses inputs from wheel speed sensors, steering wheel position, a yaw sensor and accelerometer to determine what is going on at any given point in time. It tightens the outboard shocks in tight turns to keep the car from rolling and also will tighten up the front or rear shocks to prevent diving or lurching during braking or acceleration.

The wood is real vs. fake in the base Deville, which gives it a higher quality feel inside (this is another thing I'd never have noticed until I compared the 2 side-by-side).

The instrumentation in the DTS is full analog nicely backlit with bright (but not too bright) fluorescent lights.

The DTS has bucket seats and a wood-trimmed console with a floor-shifter.

Like I said, you probably wouldn't like it because it is a car unique to the American market. But don't condemn the entire Deville lineup because of your rental car experience.

Jim

[Lord Cadillac]

The DTS is definitely more of a driver's car than a regular DeVille.. And Katshot is right. If you drove a CTS, you'd be pleasantly surprised. I drove a new STS and it felt exactly like a 5-Series.. These new Cadillacs feel nothing like a "Cadillac"...

[humtake]

"Being on a cadillac forum I supposed my moaning has a bit of a pissing in the wind feel about it."

actually, everyone has a different experience with different cars...so thats ok. what i find funny is u arent the first european ive heard who feels it is his duty to make sure americans know that european luxury cars are better.

no wonder americans dont listen to snooty europeans. :-)

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

How do the 00-04 devilles compare to the 91-93 devilles for driving experience?

[Rolex]

Thanks for the review