It has been quite some time since I was this disappointed in a test drive. Probably 20 years – or more.
The STS-V is not a bad car. Not nearly. But the driving dynamics do not justify the MSRP. Not nearly.
The interior is quite nice. Fit, finish, materials and ergonomics on the Black over Gray example I drove were acceptable. The seating is comfortable.
The issues for me were the drivetrain and the suspension.
First, the motor. I do not doubt the published acceleration numbers. But in about 10 miles of driving – from busy4 & 6 lane surface streets to just over 90 MPH on the Interstate, the engine just does not feel that powerful and the car does not feel as quick as the numbers would suggest. In 2nd and 3rd and 4th gear, the acceleration seemed quite ‘flat’.
The exhaust is very quiet – allowing the predominant noise at all times to be the supercharger whine. From outside (as the salesman was backing it in against the dealer’s showroom, there was a bit of burble – and the whine seemed less pronounced. But I would be (much) more concerned with what I hear while driving.
The 6 speed automatic trans. is (as stated most everywhere) a bit slow to respond – particularly on downshifts. I drove exclusively in Manumatic mode – as I almost always have in my current and past 3 sport sedans. It does not rev match on downshifts – making downshifts to 3rd or 2nd rather more jolting than I’d hoped. Upshifts are executed reasonably quickly and are well managed – but again the pause between request & shift is long enough to be annoying.
I found the Magnaride suspension to be rather irritatingly stiff & harsh over many surfaces. Again, surprisingly so. The handling seemed OK – I did not push it much, with the salesman holding a cup of coffee. But the ride did not impress me. I did check the tire pressures – 31 or 32 PSI in each.
Now, a bit of background, to help put this in some context. The last really high performance sedan I drove was the 2004 Jag S-Type R the general manager of the local dealership ‘forced’ me (of please, no) to take for 36 hours. At roughly the same time I test drove several other $50 – 60K Sport Sedans – Audi S4 and A6 V8s, etc. Prior to that I have driven a couple of Lincoln LS V8 Sports for a total of over 50,000 miles. (A Y2K and a 2003.) I currently am driving a 2005 Grand Prix GXP.
My GXP feels quicker than the V. I realize that it is not. Published numbers peg the GXP at low 14s in the Quarter. It sounds better than the V – to me. (Essentially no mechanical engine noise – and Pontiac engineered the exhaust to allow some of the heterodyne V8 beat through.) The (rather) old style 4 speed automatic with TAPShift manumatic control actually feels much better (to me) when it shifts up and down that the V. And the pauses before shift execution seem shorter. Weird. And the GXP’s ride (I drove it on most of the same test drive loop immediately after I left the dealership) is actually a better compromise between ride and handling. Again – for \ to me.
Odd. Very odd.
More to the point: Although in some respects one could argue that the S-Type R is not a direct competitor to this V, if those were my only 2 choices – I’d pick the Jag – in a heartbeat. The acceleration feel was better in the 400 HP Jag. The J-Gate is not a wonderful substitute for a true manumatic, but the trans. overall was superior to the V’s. The Jag’s ride was much better. Etc.
So. Just my $0.02 . . .
YMMV.
- Ray
Crossing the V off the shopping list . .
The STS-V is not a bad car. Not nearly. But the driving dynamics do not justify the MSRP. Not nearly.
The interior is quite nice. Fit, finish, materials and ergonomics on the Black over Gray example I drove were acceptable. The seating is comfortable.
The issues for me were the drivetrain and the suspension.
First, the motor. I do not doubt the published acceleration numbers. But in about 10 miles of driving – from busy4 & 6 lane surface streets to just over 90 MPH on the Interstate, the engine just does not feel that powerful and the car does not feel as quick as the numbers would suggest. In 2nd and 3rd and 4th gear, the acceleration seemed quite ‘flat’.
The exhaust is very quiet – allowing the predominant noise at all times to be the supercharger whine. From outside (as the salesman was backing it in against the dealer’s showroom, there was a bit of burble – and the whine seemed less pronounced. But I would be (much) more concerned with what I hear while driving.
The 6 speed automatic trans. is (as stated most everywhere) a bit slow to respond – particularly on downshifts. I drove exclusively in Manumatic mode – as I almost always have in my current and past 3 sport sedans. It does not rev match on downshifts – making downshifts to 3rd or 2nd rather more jolting than I’d hoped. Upshifts are executed reasonably quickly and are well managed – but again the pause between request & shift is long enough to be annoying.
I found the Magnaride suspension to be rather irritatingly stiff & harsh over many surfaces. Again, surprisingly so. The handling seemed OK – I did not push it much, with the salesman holding a cup of coffee. But the ride did not impress me. I did check the tire pressures – 31 or 32 PSI in each.
Now, a bit of background, to help put this in some context. The last really high performance sedan I drove was the 2004 Jag S-Type R the general manager of the local dealership ‘forced’ me (of please, no) to take for 36 hours. At roughly the same time I test drove several other $50 – 60K Sport Sedans – Audi S4 and A6 V8s, etc. Prior to that I have driven a couple of Lincoln LS V8 Sports for a total of over 50,000 miles. (A Y2K and a 2003.) I currently am driving a 2005 Grand Prix GXP.
My GXP feels quicker than the V. I realize that it is not. Published numbers peg the GXP at low 14s in the Quarter. It sounds better than the V – to me. (Essentially no mechanical engine noise – and Pontiac engineered the exhaust to allow some of the heterodyne V8 beat through.) The (rather) old style 4 speed automatic with TAPShift manumatic control actually feels much better (to me) when it shifts up and down that the V. And the pauses before shift execution seem shorter. Weird. And the GXP’s ride (I drove it on most of the same test drive loop immediately after I left the dealership) is actually a better compromise between ride and handling. Again – for \ to me.
Odd. Very odd.
More to the point: Although in some respects one could argue that the S-Type R is not a direct competitor to this V, if those were my only 2 choices – I’d pick the Jag – in a heartbeat. The acceleration feel was better in the 400 HP Jag. The J-Gate is not a wonderful substitute for a true manumatic, but the trans. overall was superior to the V’s. The Jag’s ride was much better. Etc.
So. Just my $0.02 . . .
YMMV.
- Ray
Crossing the V off the shopping list . .