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14K views 82 replies 41 participants last post by  miscreant 
#1 ·
These are my feelings:

Overall, a big disappointment. Of the previous vehicles adopting the Art+Science theme, the XLR is the most successful and the SRX the least successful. To keep the momentum, Cadillac should have carried on with what they did with the show cars--give us different iterations or flavors of the overall design language. The STS clearly fails to take the language another step and doesn't even apply it as well as the CTS, the first vehicle out the door with the new look.

It's obvious to me that Lutz (or someone) watered down the look.

The headlight treatment is the weakest element. The lights taper from bottom to top, giving it a static feel that might have been ok on the SRX, which as an SUV needs to look solid and safe. The STS, however, needs to look nimble, rakish, fast, and luxurious. Something a biit narrower that canted inward and tapered from top to bottom, like the Sixteen's headlights, would have been much more distinctive.

The grill doesn't add much to the package--where are some of the lovely grills we saw on the show cars? It's far too small. This car will look even blander with a mesh V-series grill.

The body shape, at least what we've been able to see from the spy shots and the one official photo, neither attempts to apply the design language on a softer overall shape, nor carriers it in the opposite direction, progressing with the knife-edge direction it was first shown with. Instead, it looks tamped down and cheap. This looks like the product of one of GM's factories of old, not the product of fresh thinking.

The old Seville had its own presence, a certain elegance. The new STS looks bland and even a little narrow--it visually doesn't look much larger than the CTS, at least in these photos. There's nothing here to appeal to a BMW or Mercedes or even Lexus driver.

My bottom line: Huge missed opportunity at a very very important moment in the Cadillac comeback. No wonder they didn't show it at Detroit--they knew they blew it.
 
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#27 ·
I have seen the STS and these pictures do not do it justice. As usual, the initial pics released by GM are not from the best angle and really do not capture the overal effect of the vehicle's styling.

The rear of the car looks great, very powerful. Side profile looks long, sleek and dignified. The interior is beyond what I ever though GM could do. I can't wait to get the full scoop at New York.

When you guys see this car, you will believe!!

Cadillac is back!
 
#30 · (Edited)
I think I'm just going to also have to see one in person, I can't really tell from photos. It does look close to the CTS, except the Acura TL type rocker panal side flares along the bottom of the doors. (assuming that is the STS) I would still like to see more distinction between the models, but I guess we have no choice. I personally don't care if Mercedes, etc. has similar-looking clones among the models, I like a little more distinction and variety among a line. Why does Cadillac have to "jump in the river" if everyone else does? I like the styling of the CTS, ON the CTS. I don't really want to see a CTS-looking Deville either.
 
#31 ·
gothicaleigh said:
For comparison:




They definately hail from the same company, but clones? No, I don't think so. They are as similar to one another as two cars from any other manufacturer.
I still stand by my original comment. That car could fly as the next DTS,and quite well,but as a replacement for the Seville its sorely lacking. The current STS stands out from the crowd and is instantly recognizable as a Cadillac to be recokned with. Alot of people who KNOW what an STS is would have no clue what this thing is. Oh well... I can still hold out hope they will do something drastic with the DTS. Following the competition is most certainly not the best way to get ahead of them.
 
#32 ·
that car looks to much like the CTS. No other company takes thier lowest entry level car (sorry to all the CTS owners, no offense) and uses that to design the rest of the line!! does mercedes design the s class after the c class or bmw take design themes from the 3 series to the 7 serioes? NO!! They go the other way which is how it should be. now look at the A,B and C pillars and where the windows are on the 05 STS, they looks EXACTLY THE SAME as teh CTS, not to mention that crease that goes up near the top half of the doors. we are cadilalc enthuistats we kno the differnce btwn every cadillac model...but show those two pictures to the average person and they WILL NOT see the difference. i really liked the current STS way more than this new one, and i hope they wont make the DTS look like all the same. I mean i understand they are doin the art and science theme, but come one!! the front end off the 05 STS (grill and headlights) is IDENTICAL to the SRX.
 
#33 ·
:rant2:Well I'm just going to be blatent and get right down to the point. This car will not sale well and u say how do I Know? well I'm the person this car is targeted to. I'm a 27 year old buisness man. A three time caddi owner 88 dev, 94 fleet, 03 sev. I 'm a cadillac enthusist, I can buy any one of the big 4/ merced, bmw, lex, cadi. Cadillac is my car of choice. My mother drove a cadillac, now she has a lexus Ls400, tell u any thing right there? I convinced three of my good friends to buy caddi's, escalades and eldog's and more......, all younger men I mind you, all under 30. One friend got rid of his older lexus Ls400 for an deville and the other got rid of his Range Rover for an escalade. But all that dosent matter, what does matter is without me they would have never even thought about caddy,I talked them in to lac.I always stuck by caddy. I told them before the art and sience crap that caddi's were starting to get faster and better with new suspensions and had just as much clout as benz (both car heritiges dating back to 1800's). But u know what I was wrong. I thought caddi was on there way back, With all the superbowl spots and stuff. I haved watched the whole lineup change for the new and good in the past three years and haved looked on with promise and pride, steadly waiting for the final touch to the new line up the flagship the masterpiece my favorite the sts. But this makes me absloutly sick. Back in 94 when I saw my first sts I couldn't believe my eye's, a caddi that looks like a performance sedan and drives like one too, I couldn't wait to get one. To good to be true next to my stiff driving 88 deville at the time. The sts just got better as time went on with all the computer gagets and looks too. It had a different look than all the other caddies, letting u know on site that this was a different type of cadillac vehical. Not like the typical caddies of the past, something on the class level of a lexus or benz. A top notch caddi that would change peoples opinion of that old big sloth sloppy bad breaks driving sedan style everyone had become use to. A caddy that could compete. I like all caddies but I have driven caddies for over ten years and many of them had tended to be alike. I still want to stick with caddy, but don't want to give up all the immenities of Lexus(toyota) bmw and benz and the prestige. So u see, me as a caddi lover, a person who has claimed cadillac there car of choice no matter what and want's to make a statement every time I touch the road Knows that the StS has to be different than that of the other caddies. If u dont want to offend the older traditional caddi drivers (with exstream new sytling) who are all pretty much dead now anyway let them have the deville and if they don't like it they can get a benz or a wack ass lincon town car(yuck).The sts must be different to attract that younger buyer that says I'll drive to the office in a caddy but I don't want to be up staged buy that co-worker that drives an E class benz or that lexus or infinity. This car has to stand out for it is supposed to be the the flagship right, with the exception of the XLR? Cadillac has to show the younger buyer, yes we will step out on that ledge and come dramatically different in at least one car for the younger liberial driver, while making sure not to piss off the older aging conservative driver. But Lets face it, the older buyers want something differnrent too. I see all the old gezers in lexus and benz now, not like it use to be when caddies were in all your upscale neigborhoods garages (1980's). People want something different, pirticulary the younger well to do. A lot of younger people in the 90 's had an old or almost dead type of perception of a caddy driver because lexus was fresh and new but that image has started to change for u see most of the new caddy drivers are young and don't know about cadillac's prestige and over 100 year old heritage. Most of the people that chosed to buy the cts in 02' were never caddy drivers before anyway, they were just amazed by the bold stand out style caddy had chosen. Cadillac has made a horrible mistake in making the sts a big cts. Knowone that makes 80,000 a year and up wants their sts mistakin for a entry level cts lux. The cts is a fine car for cts drivers but not for the very rich taste of sts drivers.The 05 has a very cheap look inside and out, all I have to do is look at the pictures and u can tell.I know, I have plenty of pictures of this car back and front, inside and out and have studied them for hours at a time. I perdict that only 20 percent of the people that chose the old 98-04 sts over other brands will do the same again and I also predict that the 05 StS will come in dead last for cadillac in sales . Most people that were to buy this car were already caddy drivers anyway and wanted to make a bold statement, not just to other lux cars but to other cadillac drivers as well. When most of your own customers don't like a product before it has hit the market thats not good. Benz can make some of their cars look the same because they have about 30 different types of benzes made every year, Caddy can not do that because their line up is small, 6 different cars because of their buget. And everyone knows the S class dosent look like the C class, and the little baby lexus i/S dosent look like the 430 Ls, a matter of fact the LS 430 dosent resemble any other lexus and thats why it sells well and will continue to sale. In my opinion the 05 sts is a flop and will be rejected by the type of critical caddy lover that would consider this over a lex, bwm or E benz because they will know that this is supposed to be the best sedan caddy can make, "please" and it's not even close, an overgrown cts. Caddy must of thought, well Im sure that the most picky and prestigest caddy drivers will be more than happy with a big entry level cts. Mr Kluts or luts (CEO GM) or whatever, youve got to be joking. If this car does sell even a little it will be because its new, eventuly once the caddy lovers see that such pee-ions in the luxury game like infinity are making cadillac look stupid, like lexus did in the 90's they will soon jump off the band wagon like I'm about to do. I just cannot believe they didn't use the concept design thats on the future car pictures page (the bigger bubbled up sts with the vertical lights going inward and big mesh grille, something like the caddy Imaij concept), now that's how I always emagined the new 05 body, not an over grown cheapish looking cts inside and out. I dont like it and aperently I'm not the only one that dosent and I will not be buying a new cadillac sedan till they redisign the sts or dts, 2008-9 mabey. I might get an escalade though. I have told the same friends that I convinced to get lacs and still have them, that basically the new sts caddy is not a contenter and is a big joke. I don't care for it and will not be owning a new caddy sedan for a while.This is bad, for without me my friends would not be in the lac's there in now. I'm afraid that this car will be looked over for cars that are not even in this bracket (chrystler 300c). I hate to say this but the new sts sucks ass and should have never been made, you'll see when they scrap this style real quick after poors sales. I feel like my team lost the world series.I take pride in the class of luxury I drive and I will not settle for an blowted up cts that cost ten grand more.
 
#34 ·
lack master said:
This car will not sale well and u say how do I Know? well I'm the person this car is targeted to. I'm a 27 year old buisness man. .
Cadillac does not consider 27 yr olds as the target demographic for the STS, you would fit into their CTS category. Whether you personally fit into their category or not is another question(im 30yrs old and surely dont fit the demo for the LS430 i own), but the STS is designed for the 40-55 set.
 
#35 ·
"I feel like my team lost the world series.I take pride in the class of luxury I drive and I will not settle for an blowted up cts that cost ten grand more." By LackMaster


I disagree with you on this point. :tisk:

The STS and the CTS may share some visual cues (like the Benz's S, E and C seris do, or like the BMW's 7 and 5 series) but the STS is not a bloated, tarted-up CTS. Both cars are different and will offer different choices to their target segment.

The STS seems to be a fine car that will attract many Euro-sled buyers. The car's many features and technological advancements make it a very attractive and viable choice.

Will the STS be a big selling success for Caddy? Only time will tell.
 
#36 ·
Uhhh, I had lusted over the LS400 for several years. I bought a '95 in November in excellent condition. It was soft, had very light steering and was sluggish off the line, and it didn't have great headroom.

I now drive a '04 SRX and look forward to geting behind the wheel.
What does that say to you?

I personally never liked the FWD Caddies and felt they didn't compete against the other luxury offerings.
At least now they have a fighting chance.
 
#39 ·
ah yes caddyfan, if the CTS and the STS are both so different, why dose the STS offer an lower grade weak ass v6 now, Just like the same v6 in the CTS, oh I forgot that is the same DOHC v6 that is in the CTS. Cadillac never did that before? I don't care what anyone says they look just alike, an offer the same engine for both cars. I'm not falling for it.
 
#40 ·
I personally don't like the "futuristic" or "art and science" style that GM is going with for Cadillac or any of the other subsidiaries of GM. Take for example the Chevy SSR or whatever its called. ITS AWFUL. It looks like an El Camino and a VW Beetle hooked up and had a baby. YUCK! Not to sound too hateful, i do like some of the Concept Cadillac designs like the Sixteen and the Cien, but not ones like the Vizon or whatever its called.

It seems that GM has had trouble making good-looking cars since - geez like at least 20+ years? What happened to the Corvette Stingray and Buick Specials? Seems like GM just got lazy and started making ugly-ass K-cars. Even today, with the new look futuristic look, most GM cars are still awful. Cadillac is one of the few that didn't completely get dragged down with the rest of them. At least Caddys had style to them even if they were ugly on the outside.

But lets look at say....the Malibu Max. Who would buy one of those when you could get a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry? Most American-made cars (Chevy, Pontiac, and Ford specifically) LOOK REALLY CHEAP compared to their Asian counterparts. Lets just hope GM TRIES to make the STS so that it can compete against the competition.

And to end my awful post, heres an AWFUL PICTURE. It literally brought tears to my eyes:crying: when i saw it:

 
#41 ·
i like how the 05 STS looks personally. is it because i am a CTS driver? maybe. or is it because this design theme is so different than any other rounded off luxury car is screams attention from people looking at you on the road. i think it is that. most people in the world are afraid of change, and this is another example of it. like the previous thread said the corvette people did not like the C5 design when it first came out, and look at it now, still on top. give it a chance! see the STS in real life first, please!
 
#42 ·
lack master said:
ah yes caddyfan, if the CTS and the STS are both so different, why dose the STS offer an lower grade weak ass v6 now, Just like the same v6 in the CTS, oh I forgot that is the same DOHC v6 that is in the CTS. Cadillac never did that before? I don't care what anyone says they look just alike, an offer the same engine for both cars. I'm not falling for it.
They offer a V6 in the STS just like BMW offers the same 3 liter engine in both the 3 series and the 5 series.

The STS is a bigger car, has a more luxurious interior, and offers options not available in the CTS.

And what's "lower grade weak ass" about the V6? A 260 HP, all aluminum engine with continuously variable cam phasing and a variable intake manifold is lower grade?
 
#44 ·
The reactions to the new STS are interesting ... I believe it is a resonable interpretation of the new styling themes. I think it is much more elegant than other Cadillac models but is very definitely related in styling. Look at the MB, BMW and Audi model lines ... different but similar.

The new V6 looks like a very, very interesting powerplant. I've always been partial to V8's but I'm really impressed by the specs on the new V6. I plan on purchasing a new STS in the next few months; if the V6 were available with the AWD I would probably buy it.
 
#45 ·
different opinions on a new car as always. i personally love it, just put 4 tail pipes and it's set. some magazines describe it as a "blown-up CTS" in a negative way, those bribed monkeys never said anyting like that about bimmer (every car is a "blown-up" version of the lower class), as well as some mercs. i think caddy is splitting up in different directions, like a smart company should. they have the new sporty designs of the CTS, STS and SRX while keeping the original classic pimpin DeVille and Escalade (and maybe the already legendary Sixteen), i would love to see what they're going to do with those two next. and i can't wait for the 06 STS-V, from what i heard about it from the caddy rep on the NYC Auto Show it's going to be killer and superchared 460bhp N* powered (finally putting the engine to good use and giving caddy owners more bragging rights in the sport-lux class :devil:). but the 05 STS really shines on usefull features and interior design, which puts even the 7series to shame, and getting up to the s500 turf (while it need more leather in some parts that should have been leather to begin with :rant2: , u have to sit in it to really get the beauty. i was one of the few lucky regular folk to do that :p)
 
#46 ·
fallenstarseven said:
These are my feelings:

Overall, a big disappointment. Of the previous vehicles adopting the Art+Science theme, the XLR is the most successful and the SRX the least successful. To keep the momentum, Cadillac should have carried on with what they did with the show cars--give us different iterations or flavors of the overall design language. The STS clearly fails to take the language another step and doesn't even apply it as well as the CTS, the first vehicle out the door with the new look.

It's obvious to me that Lutz (or someone) watered down the look.

The headlight treatment is the weakest element. The lights taper from bottom to top, giving it a static feel that might have been ok on the SRX, which as an SUV needs to look solid and safe. The STS, however, needs to look nimble, rakish, fast, and luxurious. Something a biit narrower that canted inward and tapered from top to bottom, like the Sixteen's headlights, would have been much more distinctive.

The grill doesn't add much to the package--where are some of the lovely grills we saw on the show cars? It's far too small. This car will look even blander with a mesh V-series grill.

The body shape, at least what we've been able to see from the spy shots and the one official photo, neither attempts to apply the design language on a softer overall shape, nor carriers it in the opposite direction, progressing with the knife-edge direction it was first shown with. Instead, it looks tamped down and cheap. This looks like the product of one of GM's factories of old, not the product of fresh thinking.

The old Seville had its own presence, a certain elegance. The new STS looks bland and even a little narrow--it visually doesn't look much larger than the CTS, at least in these photos. There's nothing here to appeal to a BMW or Mercedes or even Lexus driver.

My bottom line: Huge missed opportunity at a very very important moment in the Cadillac comeback. No wonder they didn't show it at Detroit--they knew they blew it.
Spoken by a True Ford Enthusiast :rolleyes: If your going to drive a car Drive American not some Bull$hit park bench ridin piece of recycled Rice Burnin Lexus, i mean Toyota. You must be unemployed and hate your Ford escort wagon so bad you never wash it :drinker Have you ever heard the saying, Never Judge a Book by it's cover ?
The STS for 2005 will be one of Cadillacs Top selling cars, and even though you won't be driving one, Just seeing ones tail lights disappear should leave you with a lasting impression.
 
#47 ·
:helpless:

I been around Mercedes and BMW for a long time and the only thing that was inherently similar with the 3,5, 7, series and the C-, E-, and S-class were the front facial. The bodies were always different from each other, enough to tell the difference between them at first glance. I can easily look at the 5 series and know the difference between it and the 3 and 7 series. With Mercedes, the bodies never did resemble each other. The CLK and SLK may be similar in some ways, but their bodies never resembled each other to the point that it left other people confused with one another. And the E-class Mercedes has a personality all of it's own.

When I look at the CTS and the STS, the STS seems to be suffering from some sort of identity crisis. Either it appears like a rounded off CTS to some people, or it looks like a Deville to others. The STS, IMO, needs a more aggressive styling than what it received. I know I say this before, but I just can't help but to say it again, I was expecting the STS to look more along the lines of the Cien and Sixteen, or at least like the XLR and CTS. Just looking at it, as it is right now, says Lutz all over it. It's just not what I had expected. When I look at the '05 STS, I'm just left wondering, what is it's purpose in the lineup? :hmm: Is it the flagship? Is it the entry level to the DTS? When the '92 Seville first debuted, everyone raved at it's looks. To me, that's just what this STS should have done, grab hold of the world's attention with an iron fist.

I have to agree with Fallenstarseven here: The old Seville had it's very own presence and elegance. I think that when Lutz got involved, they lost that in the interpetation (like they did with the GTO......) with this new STS.

Maybe it is the photos being taken? But first impressions always seem to linger the longest. I want to like this car, but the body lines just won't let me right now.
 
#48 ·
i agree with the above post on the notion that the fronts on those cars (bmw, mercedes) might be similiar but the bodies are compelty differnt that from far away i can tell at first glance. according to some peoples posts on this forum, they had trouble tellin the STS was acutally an STS and not a CTS. THats exactly what we dont need. no one i kno confuses an s class for an e or for a c class or a 3 series bmw for a 5 or a 7, but i have a feeling MANY are goin to confuse the sts for a newer cts.
 
#49 ·
try telling apart an older 5series from a 7series from "far away", not too easy. of coarse u can do it with the new 5series because it's too ugly to be compared to the good looking 7. and you can defenately tell apart an STS from a CTS.

 
#51 ·
We as fans of Cadillac will know the difference, but drivers of other brands would not know well enough to tell the CTS and the STS apart at first glance. They'd have to pretty much be on top of the car to tell the difference. The only tell-tale sign difference in the CTS and the STS, are the lines in the CTS, which gives it a much sharper image overall. But if you didn't know that, you'd call the CTS a STS and vice versa.

Also, from being an owner of past Sevilles, I'd buy the CTS on looks alone. I'm not sold on the watered down looks of the new STS at all. If that was what Cadillac was aiming for, they succeeded. The STS made a name for itself as a luxuary sportscar. Nothing in this new interpetation of the STS suggests such a thing. Other past STS owners aren't exactly won over by the new car as well. If I'm nitpicking it, so be it. I just think they need to improve the looks of it, that's all.

Lutz must be german for lopped, because all the curves in this STS were lopped off for that "jelly bean" like image.
 
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