I haven't driven the earlier cars, so I am not in a position to compare, but I can say that I am totally satisfied with the ride quality of my 2018 XTS Luxury. I am glad that any future suspension repairs will be simple and affordable because my car has no Magnetic Ride Control or air leveling system.

 

Over several months I think I drove a '14, '15, 17, and '18 which I bought. Its a Luxury ex-Hertz w/33k. (1 model year old at less than half MSRP and all remaining warranty)

After researching repair costs and "Lurking" here as well, I decided no MRC. The Hertz was no MRC, no rear air suspension, non-enhanced instrument panel, no glass roof, and the 19" wheels. It does have Park Assist and the standard Luxury Trim. Essentially, just what I wanted.

I have also owned DeVille's and DTS but haven't owned a Cadillac for 8 years until I bought the XTS. IMO the XTS is no DeVille in its ride but "so far" (5 Mo) seems to be a great car. (subject to change at any time)

A couple months after purchasing and following discussions here, I went to my local Cadillac lot and drove an MRC equipped XTS for about 20 mins on the same highway I drive with my Non-MRC XTS (2 and 4 lane, curvy and sometimes rough). Without the benefit of a long term evaluation of the MRC, I could not tell any real difference in ride between my car and the MRC vehicle over that same stretch of highway. I have concluded that MRC's ride benefits are marginal for "normal" daily driving while repair costs are significant at $400 per corner with an average life of 40-60k mi. In addition, the rear air suspension compressor/sensors seem to be problematic (read expensive) as well. It is my opinion as previously posted, MRC is more suited to Sport, Racing, and Off-Road applications of which I do neither and even though I live in Kentucky, I'm not "Haulin' Shine" so the load leveling is also unnecessary. Of course, your evaluation is what matters!

FYI - I have also concluded that those who own MRC equipped vehicles will NEVER admit that an old fashioned mechanical suspension is just as good as the "Expensive" MagneRide for daily driving. Some have even pulled out the "Big Boys Toys" trope in defense of expensive repairs! That's my opinion and of course everyone has one!

As I posted before, I may keep the XTS long enough that its shocks need replaced and if so, I'll Just Smile!

 

FYI - I have also concluded that those who own MRC equipped vehicles will NEVER admit that an old fashioned mechanical suspension is just as good as the "Expensive" MagneRide for daily driving. Some have even pulled out the "Big Boys Toys" trope in defense of expensive repairs! That's my opinion and of course everyone has one!

MRC is an objectively better suspension. It's able to react to road conditions...which means you have a better suited suspension to a wider range of conditions. That's a better suspension, period.

The real problem with this argument is, as with pretty much any car-related debate, is that we enthusiasts get lost in theory. We forget about what really matters - the end result. It's just like the OHV vs. DOHC debated. DOHC is a "higher tech" solution than OHV. It's commonly accepted as the "newer" design (even though it's technically older than OHV), so DOHC guys like to rag on OHV guys using these points. The problem however is that the "newer, higher tech" solution doesn't actually deliver any significant gains over the "antiquated" technology in practical use. OHV has a better power to weight ratio than DOHC, which in turn equates to better fuel mileage. It's also cheaper and simpler to maintain. Those are the things that really matter in practice. This is very similar to the MRC discussion. MRC is an objectively better suspension, technically speaking. But is it objectively better in practice? No. It has definite advantages in a small number of situations but other than that it's a matter of what the driver prefers. It also has drawbacks that we all know well - complexity and cost. So much so that it starts to approach the status of "tech for tech's sake".

So that's why there's such a heated debate over it.

I have it but only because I got lucky and found a premium that was cheaper than any of the luxury's I could find. If I were to build the car to my specs, I would not have added it.

 

Thank you ktriebol and Woodoggie for your responses. I agree completely that the simpler underpinnings add to the piece of mind of cost for future suspension repairs and suspension maintenance.That was my first thought as well when I read about the changes. I wonder if Cadillac's intention was to iron out the only remaining issues that gave potential buyers hesitation on what has proven to be an unusually trouble free and reliable luxury vehicle. Maybe it was also a strategy to make the last few model years of the XTS even more attractive to their livery clients. Or maybe it was just a way to save money and fatten the margin's.

I have to say I'm still on the quest for specific information on how they improved the ride quality on the final refresh. I remember reading that as a selling point in their literature for the cars. I've read thicker glass for a quieter cabin, improvement in the seat padding, and then there's the obvious improvement of ditching the brickstone's. Maybe that's all it was. Or maybe deleting MRC actually soften'd the ride a bit on the base models...

 

Obviously they saved money by going to standard shocks. Most buyers wouldn't know the difference. That said, here is a line from Alex Luft of GM Authority on the new CT5's lack of standard mag ride, and I agree. I own a '13 XTS and '15 Impala LTZ. “MRC tends to be on the sporty side of damping technologies, even in the baseline “tour/touring” mode. In fact, if luxury is ALL that one is looking for, a passive damper can do the job perfectly. What matters is how that passive damper is tuned.” The rest of the article: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/10...019/10/regular-cadillac-ct5-only-available-with-passive-dampers/#comment-850911

 

here is a line from Alex Luft of GM Authority on the new CT5's lack of standard mag ride, and I agree. I own a '13 XTS and '15 Impala LTZ. “MRC tends to be on the sporty side of damping technologies, even in the baseline “tour/touring” mode.

Didn't read the article, but makes my point and the fact that MRC is not included on the base and upper trims on the CT5 confirms it!

 

Thanks for the link to the article rockit. That CT5 is a sharp looking car, but I bet its damping is tuned on the sporty side even without MRC. I wonder what tires they'll put on it from the factory.

 

IMO, standard suspension is fine on the XTS if you do not have 20" wheels.
If you have 20" wheels it is not. This applies whether you have a XTS, LaCrosse or Impala.

 

There is a pretty lengthy debate in the comments section of the article that is a pretty interesting read. It outlines Cadillac's strategy with the new sedan lineup from the perspective of a market researcher and it also basically confirms that proper damper tuning on non MRC cars can (and usually will) provide a softer ride quality, and that MRC is really aimed more at performance and handling.

 

MRC is certainly a neat piece of kit and I wouldn't mind having it, but the current age and mileage of 2016 and 2017 XTS's in the marketplace means the near-term maintenance expenses for the MRC are a considerable factor in making a purchase. Paying the extra few thousand to move up to the newest model year and simpler suspension set-up seems to be the pragmatic decision.

My problem is smart and responsible have never been strengths of mine when making a car purchase. I should get the 2019 for 26K that will have significant bumper to bumper warranty coverage remaining, all the merits listed in this thread, and will get good mileage on regular gas. But my car jones really wants to plunk that same 26K down on a 2016 Vsport platinum for all the wrong reasons haha.

Thanks for all the great info in this thread guys. I've enjoyed your posts. Here's another question if you don't mind indulging me some more. What are your thoughts and preferences when it comes to the styling changes between the model years?

 

Thanks for all the great info in this thread guys. I've enjoyed your posts. Here's another question if you don't mind indulging me some more. What are your thoughts and preferences when it comes to the styling changes between the model years?

Sometimes facelifts work and sometimes they just change the look for the sake of change. When I saw my '13 white diamond Platinum on the lot, it was love at first sight. I love the stately grille shape with wreath and crest, the headlights, the retro fin like tail lamps, the trunk mounted license plate location, the 2" longer rake to the front end, even the angle of the exhaust outlets. Every line seems to have a purpose. If I was shopping for one today, I might go with the refresh, but only because it's newer.

 

IMO the 18-19 refresh is the way to go, I started looking and had settled on the 16/17 and found the 18 at essentially the same price (2k dif.). Hopefully the CUE 3.0 has better reliability and maybe GM "fixed" some problems inherent in earlier years. Time will tell though. Since the XTS ends this model year, and if you buy the '19 you will always have the newest model!

 

26K for a 1 year old XTS seems like a good price. I paid 32K for a 1 year old XTS (14). But, I did get the color and trim that I wanted. If the 19 is what you want, go for it. If it is not, you will probably not be happy and spend your time wishing you had something else.

 

The question I'm down to is will I regret not going for the top trim. I think Woodoggie is right and the 19 Lux is the way to go. It has everything the car needs and all the things it doesn't in regards to long term maintenance concerns, but that twin turbo motor puts the XTS in S Class Benz performance territory. I want to be smart like Woodoogie, but I watch entirely too many episodes of Top Gear and I can't shake that lust for the performance side of things. What has kept me out of the vsport models is the rim quality issues, but I wonder if they sorted that out by the 2016 model year...

Speaking about the twin turbo motor though, that introduces new potential maintenance issues with turbo chargers, timing chains and other parts in the motor that could give up north of 70k miles. I can't imagine that motor was engineered with long term trouble free maintenance in mind.

I guess it all boils down to the old car adage that you have to "pay to play".

 

I'm also ashamed to say it here, but the Lincoln Continental has also been on my radar. I test drove a Reserve trim on 19's and Michelin's and the ride quality is sublime as is the driver's seat they engineered for that car. I have to give the XTS the win on exterior style and overall interior quality though.

Wooddoggie you've got it right, it would be great to own the last of an era in the 19 XTS. The last truly traditionally inspired Cadillac car. I currently have a Town Car as my daily driver and I will be sad to see it go in on trade as I feel it is the last example of the great American sedan. A long trunk, a long hood, body on frame, a living room couch for a bench seat, and a V8 up front.

 

I'm also ashamed to say it here, but the Lincoln Continental has also been on my radar.

Don't. I came from Lincoln. Will never go back. Cadillac sure ain't perfect but I can't think of any area that I care about in which Lincoln is better.

 

I had the 94 Deville Concours (my first Cadillac) with the 270hp NorthStar,
I just looked up the curb weight '94 Deville @ 3985 lbs. '18 XTS @ 4021 lbs. according to Edmunds.
That I didn't expect, I thought the XTS would be couple hundred lighter.

 

I had the 94 Deville Concours (my first Cadillac) with the 270hp NorthStar,
I just looked up the curb weight '94 Deville @ 3985 lbs. '18 XTS @ 4021 lbs. according to Edmunds.
That I didn't expect, I thought the XTS would be couple hundred lighter.

It's a shame the NorthStar had to start its life with the head gasket issues, it never got the respect it deserved. It was an excellent engine once its issues were sorted, and I think it would have been a nice fit in the XTS

 

Hello everyone, my name is Matt. I've been lurking on this forum for years enjoying the discussions and benefiting from the knowledge.Thank you to you all.

Here's my ownership history with the brand: 76 Coupe Deville, 96 Fleetwood Brougham, 04 Deville, 07 DTS Luxury II, 06 STS-V. So you can see that aside from the STS-V deviation, the proper Cadillac ride is the biggest priority for me.

I've been looking long and hard at the XTS over the past few years. I've taken quite a few test drives with the most seat time being in the 16 model year. From what I have gleaned in my thorough reading of this part of the forum's, 2016 seems to be the sweetspot year for the XTS. I took a short test drive in the last refresh (luxery trim 2019). I couldn't really notice a whole lot of difference in the quietness and comfort of the ride quality between the MRC (in the 2016's) and the non MRC in the newer car. Both were 19 inch rims riding on Goodyears. I'm not really concerned with the handling aspects, I understand the MRC equipped cars will handle better, but it seems to be a gray area as to whether that system improves the comfort aspect of the ride.

I was hoping some of you fine folks could weigh-in with your opinions on how the deletion of magniride has effected the ride quality of the newer cars. I remember reading part of the update (2018-2019 cars) was focused on softening and quieting the ride a bit, but I haven't really been able to find any information on how Cadillac specifically did that. I'm leaning towards a 2016 or 2017 purchase right now, but the price difference isn't all that big between those cars and the 2018-2019, so its tempting to go for the car that will give me more warranty coverage.

Anyhow, thank you in advance for your help.

Best thing they changed is front seats. Second is MRC delete on lower trims which people usually buy. I still like rear air suspension because air springs are better than coil springs with damping, just more expensive to replace and maintain. MRC shocks start loosing oil very quick especially if the roads are bad and from.there the ride is downhill. I actually converted from MRC to regular shocks from the 2018 model after going through shocks like crazy specially in the rear.

 

Best thing they changed is front seats.

The appear the same to me in pictures. Is the side bolster foam less dense?

 

Bottom is where the biggest change is, wider and with smaller side bolsters, you can actually sit in that seat now. Try one if you have the chance, you will notice the difference right away.

 

I can definitely second this. I was in a 19 today at the dealer. The seat bottom feels thicker and softer and the bolstering more accepting

 

That would definitely be a needed improvement IMO.

 

Hello everyone, my name is Matt. I've been lurking on this forum for years enjoying the discussions and benefiting from the knowledge.Thank you to you all.

Here's my ownership history with the brand: 76 Coupe Deville, 96 Fleetwood Brougham, 04 Deville, 07 DTS Luxury II, 06 STS-V. So you can see that aside from the STS-V deviation, the proper Cadillac ride is the biggest priority for me.

I've been looking long and hard at the XTS over the past few years. I've taken quite a few test drives with the most seat time being in the 16 model year. From what I have gleaned in my thorough reading of this part of the forum's, 2016 seems to be the sweetspot year for the XTS. I took a short test drive in the last refresh (luxery trim 2019). I couldn't really notice a whole lot of difference in the quietness and comfort of the ride quality between the MRC (in the 2016's) and the non MRC in the newer car. Both were 19 inch rims riding on Goodyears. I'm not really concerned with the handling aspects, I understand the MRC equipped cars will handle better, but it seems to be a gray area as to whether that system improves the comfort aspect of the ride.

I was hoping some of you fine folks could weigh-in with your opinions on how the deletion of magniride has effected the ride quality of the newer cars. I remember reading part of the update (2018-2019 cars) was focused on softening and quieting the ride a bit, but I haven't really been able to find any information on how Cadillac specifically did that. I'm leaning towards a 2016 or 2017 purchase right now, but the price difference isn't all that big between those cars and the 2018-2019, so its tempting to go for the car that will give me more warranty coverage.

Anyhow, thank you in advance for your help.

I been looking and waiting for a XTS just to fall in my lap I have a STS V8 now

 

There are some great deals on 2019 XTS’s coming off rental fleets right now. 25-30k in my area. That’s a lot of car for the money

 

Hello everyone, my name is Matt. I've been lurking on this forum for years enjoying the discussions and benefiting from the knowledge.Thank you to you all.

Here's my ownership history with the brand: 76 Coupe Deville, 96 Fleetwood Brougham, 04 Deville, 07 DTS Luxury II, 06 STS-V. So you can see that aside from the STS-V deviation, the proper Cadillac ride is the biggest priority for me.

I've been looking long and hard at the XTS over the past few years. I've taken quite a few test drives with the most seat time being in the 16 model year. From what I have gleaned in my thorough reading of this part of the forum's, 2016 seems to be the sweetspot year for the XTS. I took a short test drive in the last refresh (luxery trim 2019). I couldn't really notice a whole lot of difference in the quietness and comfort of the ride quality between the MRC (in the 2016's) and the non MRC in the newer car. Both were 19 inch rims riding on Goodyears. I'm not really concerned with the handling aspects, I understand the MRC equipped cars will handle better, but it seems to be a gray area as to whether that system improves the comfort aspect of the ride.

I was hoping some of you fine folks could weigh-in with your opinions on how the deletion of magniride has effected the ride quality of the newer cars. I remember reading part of the update (2018-2019 cars) was focused on softening and quieting the ride a bit, but I haven't really been able to find any information on how Cadillac specifically did that. I'm leaning towards a 2016 or 2017 purchase right now, but the price difference isn't all that big between those cars and the 2018-2019, so its tempting to go for the car that will give me more warranty coverage.

Anyhow, thank you in advance for your help.

My 18 ride can't hold a candle to my 11 DTS ride. Not even close.

 

Hello everyone, my name is Matt. I've been lurking on this forum for years enjoying the discussions and benefiting from the knowledge.Thank you to you all.

Here's my ownership history with the brand: 76 Coupe Deville, 96 Fleetwood Brougham, 04 Deville, 07 DTS Luxury II, 06 STS-V. So you can see that aside from the STS-V deviation, the proper Cadillac ride is the biggest priority for me.

I've been looking long and hard at the XTS over the past few years. I've taken quite a few test drives with the most seat time being in the 16 model year. From what I have gleaned in my thorough reading of this part of the forum's, 2016 seems to be the sweetspot year for the XTS. I took a short test drive in the last refresh (luxery trim 2019). I couldn't really notice a whole lot of difference in the quietness and comfort of the ride quality between the MRC (in the 2016's) and the non MRC in the newer car. Both were 19 inch rims riding on Goodyears. I'm not really concerned with the handling aspects, I understand the MRC equipped cars will handle better, but it seems to be a gray area as to whether that system improves the comfort aspect of the ride.

I was hoping some of you fine folks could weigh-in with your opinions on how the deletion of magniride has effected the ride quality of the newer cars. I remember reading part of the update (2018-2019 cars) was focused on softening and quieting the ride a bit, but I haven't really been able to find any information on how Cadillac specifically did that. I'm leaning towards a 2016 or 2017 purchase right now, but the price difference isn't all that big between those cars and the 2018-2019, so its tempting to go for the car that will give me more warranty coverage.

Anyhow, thank you in advance for your help.

Hello everyone, my name is Matt. I've been lurking on this forum for years enjoying the discussions and benefiting from the knowledge.Thank you to you all.

Here's my ownership history with the brand: 76 Coupe Deville, 96 Fleetwood Brougham, 04 Deville, 07 DTS Luxury II, 06 STS-V. So you can see that aside from the STS-V deviation, the proper Cadillac ride is the biggest priority for me.

I've been looking long and hard at the XTS over the past few years. I've taken quite a few test drives with the most seat time being in the 16 model year. From what I have gleaned in my thorough reading of this part of the forum's, 2016 seems to be the sweetspot year for the XTS. I took a short test drive in the last refresh (luxery trim 2019). I couldn't really notice a whole lot of difference in the quietness and comfort of the ride quality between the MRC (in the 2016's) and the non MRC in the newer car. Both were 19 inch rims riding on Goodyears. I'm not really concerned with the handling aspects, I understand the MRC equipped cars will handle better, but it seems to be a gray area as to whether that system improves the comfort aspect of the ride.

I was hoping some of you fine folks could weigh-in with your opinions on how the deletion of magniride has effected the ride quality of the newer cars. I remember reading part of the update (2018-2019 cars) was focused on softening and quieting the ride a bit, but I haven't really been able to find any information on how Cadillac specifically did that. I'm leaning towards a 2016 or 2017 purchase right now, but the price difference isn't all that big between those cars and the 2018-2019, so its tempting to go for the car that will give me more warranty coverage.

Anyhow, thank you in advance for your help.

Hi Matt,
I'm fairly new to this group myself. As far as prior caddys I had a 94 Deville( still my wife's favorite) 96 STS, 04 SRX(still have) and my most recent 13 XTS luxury.
I went from a 16 Chrys 300 to this. The 300 got totaled at 4100 miles, some guy tried to drive through it.
Decided I wasn't spending that much again just to get screwed by an insurance company. So I found a 48k mile salvage XTS for $6k.
After replacing the windshield, one tire and replacing the CUE screen have been pretty happy. It's got a couple dents in the top after something fell on it in a hurricane, but with a little touch up it looks real good at night and from about 10 feet away.
Bought it in August and so far so good. Drives and rides good, plenty of power, about 30 mpg on the hwy. Has the MRC, sunroof and the driver assist pkg. Functionally and mechanically perfect.
I had the local Cadillac dealer run the maintainence record for me, printed out everything from mile one. The prior owner had some minor warranty work done and replaced the air spring compressor, other than that seems to have been a good reliable car.
Good luck on your purchase, quite pleased with mine.

 

Hi Matt,
I'm fairly new to this group myself. As far as prior caddys I had a 94 Deville( still my wife's favorite) 96 STS, 04 SRX(still have) and my most recent 13 XTS luxury.
I went from a 16 Chrys 300 to this. The 300 got totaled at 4100 miles, some guy tried to drive through it.
Decided I wasn't spending that much again just to get screwed by an insurance company. So I found a 48k mile salvage XTS for $6k.
After replacing the windshield, one tire and replacing the CUE screen have been pretty happy. It's got a couple dents in the top after something fell on it in a hurricane, but with a little touch up it looks real good at night and from about 10 feet away.
Bought it in August and so far so good. Drives and rides good, plenty of power, about 30 mpg on the hwy. Has the MRC, sunroof and the driver assist pkg. Functionally and mechanically perfect.
I had the local Cadillac dealer run the maintainence record for me, printed out everything from mile one. The prior owner had some minor warranty work done and replaced the air spring compressor, other than that seems to have been a good reliable car.
Good luck on your purchase, quite pleased with mine.

Wow. I can imagine you’re very pleased. That is quite a bargain!

I’m sorry to hear you had a bad experience with your total loss pay out. I’ve totaled out a few cars myself and I’ve always gotten clean retail for the cars and sometimes more. I guess I’ve been lucky, but I can also say the adjuster has never liked me very much by the end of the process ;-)

 

I HAVE DRIVEN CADILLACS FOR YEARS WITH MRC AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS. I ALSO TRAVEL A LOT AND ALWAYS RENT LUXURY XTS'S WITHOUT MRC AND TO BE HONEST I CANNOT TELL ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE RIDE TO MINE. I WOULD NEVER BUY A NEW CADILLAC AND TAKE THAT BEATING, I ALWAYS BUY A USED LOADED ONE THAT IS ONE OR TWO YEARS OLD WITH A WARRANTY. IF THAT WARRANTY RUNS OUT,

I BUY THE BEST EXTENDED WARRANTY.

 

That is my dream garage!!

Max

 

Hello everyone, my name is Matt. I've been lurking on this forum for years enjoying the discussions and benefiting from the knowledge.Thank you to you all.

Here's my ownership history with the brand: 76 Coupe Deville, 96 Fleetwood Brougham, 04 Deville, 07 DTS Luxury II, 06 STS-V. So you can see that aside from the STS-V deviation, the proper Cadillac ride is the biggest priority for me.

I've been looking long and hard at the XTS over the past few years. I've taken quite a few test drives with the most seat time being in the 16 model year. From what I have gleaned in my thorough reading of this part of the forum's, 2016 seems to be the sweetspot year for the XTS. I took a short test drive in the last refresh (luxery trim 2019). I couldn't really notice a whole lot of difference in the quietness and comfort of the ride quality between the MRC (in the 2016's) and the non MRC in the newer car. Both were 19 inch rims riding on Goodyears. I'm not really concerned with the handling aspects, I understand the MRC equipped cars will handle better, but it seems to be a gray area as to whether that system improves the comfort aspect of the ride.

I was hoping some of you fine folks could weigh-in with your opinions on how the deletion of magniride has effected the ride quality of the newer cars. I remember reading part of the update (2018-2019 cars) was focused on softening and quieting the ride a bit, but I haven't really been able to find any information on how Cadillac specifically did that. I'm leaning towards a 2016 or 2017 purchase right now, but the price difference isn't all that big between those cars and the 2018-2019, so its tempting to go for the car that will give me more warranty coverage.

Anyhow, thank you in advance for your help.

I saw that your first Cadillac was a 76 Coupe Deville. Mine was a 75 Sedan Deville. How did you like your 76?

Max

 

Loved it. It was my chance to step back to an era when American sedans were designed with only one duty in mind - Riding in complete comfort in a straight line.

I owned it for a few years about 6 years ago, back when I had a sincere car flipping problem. It eventually went for funds to get a 96 Fleetwood. I have to say the 76’s driving dynamics could be scary at times while on the road with modern cars. It wasn’t good at corners (or any departure from straight sailing), and it did not stop particularly well. But on the open highway, it was a supreme machine. It had a Rochester quadrojet carb, and if you stood on the gas at highway speed, an extra jet in the carb would open and give a nice kick in the seat. This is probably silly and minor, but I also loved the headlight dimmer switch under my left foot on the floor. Class.

Interestingly, moving on to the 96 Fleetwood and 20 years advancement in auto engineering, gave me a car with pretty much the exact same merits. From exterior design, to the pillowy ride, all the way down to the torque rich V8. The 96 Fleetwood was a proper Cadillac car.

I feel like if I ever have the opportunity to drive my dream Cadillac (a late 60’s coupe deville), ill have complete first hand experience with “the Cadillac boulevard ride”. Not sure if you’ve seen that new Tarantino movie, but the Coupe Deville Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio cruise around in, for me, is the de-facto Cadillac car. If anyone reading this has experience with those late 60’s cars, I’d love to read some reminiscing.

 

The '66 in the movie had about as clean a look as there ever was, except for maybe the '61 Continental, blasphemy, I know. As big as a boxcar without looking bloated. And before those massive middle 70's bumpers with the plastic fillers that cracked on the first parking bump. The painted headlight bezels and vertical bar in the tails were a subtle but significant improvement IMO from 1965.

 

1 had a 66 Coupe DeVille,white w/black vinyl top and black leather interior and all the available amenities .I would really like to find another like it,have found a few but they were too far gone for me to mess with .that was the only car i ever got a ticket with for 108 mph. crossing Ariz in '69. One of the three coast to coast high velocity runs it made while we were stationed @ Norton AFB. Wife had to sell it while i was back in , Nam for 2nd time

 

I've owned 11 Cadillacs. My first Cadillac was a 1962 Sedan De Ville silver blue with blue cloth interior, had automatic radio signal tuning which consisted of a button on the floor that you pushed with your foot and it made the radio tuning bar move to the next preset channel on your AM/FM. High tech!
It had the auto high beam dimmer also. It was an orange eye that was on a raised in a holder on the dash, never worked well though.

My favorite Cadillacs was a 1965 Eldorado convertible. Light blue with white leather interior, there wasn't wood accents everything was brushed silver. It was beautiful. I bought it for $1,000.00 in about 1977 had it a month then sold it to my boss for $2000 thinking I had made a super deal, he had for about a year detailed it and sold it for $8,000 to a collector in Northen California... I've heard now they are worth $ 40-50K+...ugh to be young and dumb.

 

I've owned 11 Cadillacs. My first Cadillac was a 1962 Sedan De Ville silver blue with blue cloth interior, had automatic radio signal tuning which consisted of a button on the floor that you pushed with your foot and it made the radio tuning bar move to the next preset channel on your AM/FM. High tech!
It had the auto high beam dimmer also. It was an orange eye that was on a raised in a holder on the dash, never worked well though.

My favorite Cadillacs was a 1965 Eldorado convertible. Light blue with white leather interior, there wasn't wood accents everything was brushed silver. It was beautiful. I bought it for $1,000.00 in about 1977 had it a month then sold it to my boss for $2000 thinking I had made a super deal, he had for about a year detailed it and sold it for $8,000 to a collector in Northen California... I've heard now they are worth $ 40-50K+...ugh to be young and dumb.

Great posts to all my friends who’ve shared some reminiscing on their past Cadillac cars. I like where this thread is going. I hope you will all continue posting your fond memories of your time with the classics. I’ve enjoyed the reading.

I recently made my purchase. I’m now the proud owner of a 18 CPO XTS Lux in white with the tan and dark accents interior. The ride is lovely on the stock Goodyear Touring tires; I look forward to it improving even more when I get it on some Michelin Primacy’s.

I think this thread goes to show that the heritage of the Cadillac brand was well represented with the XTS. We all seem to share a like minded appreciation for “The Cadillac ride”, and I’m confident that down the road history will look back fondly on this model. Now that it’s gone, I can only hope Cadillac doesn’t forget what made their cars special and doesn’t completely forego the merits of “the great American sedan”.

Such merits live on with the CT6, but what happens after that? I’m sure it won’t be long before we’ll all be whirring around silently whilst sitting atop a brick patio of electric batteries. Hopefully we’ll be able to do so on plush seats and properly comfortable suspension dampening.

 

Hello everyone, my name is Matt. I've been lurking on this forum for years enjoying the discussions and benefiting from the knowledge.Thank you to you all.

I remember reading part of the update (2018-2019 cars) was focused on softening and quieting the ride a bit, but I haven't really been able to find any information on how Cadillac specifically did that. I'm leaning towards a 2016 or 2017 purchase right now, but the price difference isn't all that big between those cars and the 2018-2019, so its tempting to go for the car that will give me more warranty coverage.

Anyhow, thank you in advance for your help.

I seem to remember that they were going to have some new tires that would soften and quiet the ride. I have (2016 xts) 20" Bridgestone tires that came with the car and was thinking about changing them but I am finding no mater what tire you have they will all be noisy on a course pavement. I found since I moved from NY to down south the roads are much better here and the tires I have are OK.

 

My 18 XTS has Goodyear Eagle Touring, that was the switch. The Bridgestone run flats, aside from functioning while punctured, have no other positive merits as a tire. They are noisy and ride like shit.

I like the Goodyear Eagle Touring well enough, but I know when I get the car on some Michelin Primacy's, I will really have all the creamy ride the XTS has to offer.

Ken4 mentioned 20 inch rims. It's my opinion that 20 inch rims were the biggest mistake Cadillac made with this car. Maybe they thought they had engineered the ride to be comfortable enough that it could absorb the negative qualities of riding with no sidewall on the tires. To me, the difference is night and day. The car on 19's and non run-flats feels like a Cadillac should, on the 20's, it doesn't. If I had a car with 20's I would trade those rims in on some 19 inch factory Cadillac rims, and I would shod them with Michelin's or Continental's. That makes the car all it can be in the ride quality department. And all it can be is every bit as comfortable as the DTS, and much quieter.

 

I do not know if the Goodyear touring were the fix they were talking about when I read about it in 2017 or if they were going with a new design. There is no doubt that more side wall gives more spongy of a ride and corning. My 20" are not run flats and the car came with a spare. The tires are quiet on fine pavement but noisy on this Nova chip and recycled junk they are putting down these days. I know that there are better tires out there but are not worth my while to spend my money on because the roads down here a pretty good. They are doing a lot of repaving down here in my are and they are not using that coarse junk. I had 4 sets of those Goodyear eagle touring tires in the last few years and they are OK if you get a good set. I had 2 sets changed out before I got an acceptable set. I put a set of General ultimax made in France on my Buick and they are as good as any Michelin at half the price.I like my 20" wheels and magnetic ride and works well for me where I live. It is part of the Platinum package.