[Michael 514]

In another thread, I was asked what comforts/ergonomics I miss in my 2004 CTS. Well here is a quick list of things that came to mind. I'm in a class now!

In a nutshell, here is what I miss on the 2004:

1 - I really miss the cool volume wheel on the steering wheel. Loved it. A pleasure to increase or decrease the volume super fast, or extremely slow.

2 - I miss the macro buttons on the steering wheel. I even had one button that turns off the Traction Control. I loved doing 180's and stuff in those Montreal winters! I loved having four programmable buttons

3 - I reallly miss the side mirror going down when I reverse. The 2008 feature is just not usable because it goes SO low. Lots of complaints about this in many threads, so I just turned it off. Too bad. I loved it.

4 - More than anything, I do miss my exit seat position!!!! Boy, did I love this feature! With the 08, it appears that the seat exit position is alllll the way down and allll the way back. USELESS! I think my dad's 1987 Park avenue did that. We ended up never using it. Why GM screwed this in the 2008 is beyond me. The functionality contradicts the manual.

5 - I REALLLY got used to the seat moving to my position as soon as I put the key in. With the 08, if I shift into drive and my seat/steering wheel is in the wrong position, too late! If I remember to press button #1, it does nothing. I have to go into Park. This feature was GREAT in the 2004.

6 - I think most people agree the seats aren't that comfortable in the 08/09. You sit on them, not in them. They are okay, but in my humble opinion, they don't yell out, "Cadillac!"

7 - Flame me all you want, but I loved the fact that the car displayed my name or my girlfriend's name when I got into the car with either of our keyfob's. Everyone made a comment when it said, "Mike's Caddy" or "Welcome, Michael" (homage to Knight Rider). My girlfriend's said, "Michael's Babe"!

8 - I do miss a digital clock. Maybe there is a way to get it, but I haven't seen it yet.

9 - Also, I think that the visibility isn't as great on this car. Those A pillars are pretty large, it's a bit tough to see about the back window, and I find the left and right mirrors to be quite small. Everyone who drives is notices it.

10 - That ridiculous pause/hesitation when you accelerate. When I first drove the car, I thought it was defective, or very low on gas. That was after my first 10 minutes behind the wheel, trying to pass someone on my first test drive! Imagine my surprise to hear people on this forum say that it's by design. And remember.. I am not comparing this car to a Porsche; Ford; Chrysler; BMW; etc. I am comparing my 2008 to my 2004!


So, yeah, those are the first ten things off the top of my head.

Some of those abovementioned 2004-2007 features and creature comforts were quite enjoyable in my 2004 CTS. Of course, the 2008 is a wicked car in a whole new league, but damn, would I love if those 10 features came back!!!

And guys, I hope you don't flame me and call me a nitpicker. The ONLY company/brand that got me used to those cool features was none other than GM's Cadillac division. THEY are the ones that put a jog dial and 4 programmable buttons on the steering wheel; a programmable exit position; a seat that goes to my position when I put the key in; mirrors that don't descend to the pavement when I go into reverse, and all the other examples I listed here.

I gave the 2004 to my girlfriend, and moved up to a 2008 for me. What can I say? I really miss much of the 2004!!

I wonder if anyone else agrees...... Just please don't call me a whiner. Thes are the 10 things I would mention in a focus group if I was asked.

 

[yatesd]

Out of that list the only thing that bothers me is the mirrors. Since the rearward visibility isn't that great, I wish the mirrors were the same as those in the previous generation. I also wish the mirrors were autodimming. Oh well...

In regards to the 2004-2007 design I was always interested in the car based on reviews and my general satisfaction with GM products. However, I just couldn't stand the interior and the exterior was just "alright" looking. Of course, this is IMHO and this stuff is subjective.

 

[Musicman]

Michael:

I have to agree on the volume thumb wheel, having the seat move into place by inserting the key and the comfort of the seats in the 04.
The power, silky six speed auto trans and the handling of the 08 makes up for any inconvenience on the 08.

 

[Michael 514]

Fully agree with both posts so far. Although I did love the exterior of the 2003-2007's!
When those first Led Zeppelin commercials came out, and I first got a glimpse of the new front ends... WOW... Love at first sight!
But the interiors were too plasticy for a Caddy.

The front end of the 2008's just blows me away. I can stare at it for minutes, and wish I could personally congratulate the design team. Job well-done.

And yes, of course I'd take my 08 over my 04...! But boy I miss a few of those things!

 

[concorso]

The new CTS was is a seriously all around improved car. I considered the same move to a 2010. I found that performance was the one area where the CTS really didnt improve that much tho and as this is the only area that really influences my decision, I chose not to move ahead. Its only marginally faster with an extra 50 hp, and I think the extra weight is hurting it in this regard.
But for people who want an all around car, with good performance and good looks with a good badge at a decent price, then this is probably the best car for you. The last CTS was a good alternative to the BMW and MB equivalents. The CTS is a better vehicle all around tho.

 

[C "T" ess]

Great idea, whenever you miss those features, swap cars with your gf until you are ready to switch back. As a whole I enjoy my 08 much more than my 06. There are always things I would prefer or change but overall I bought my second CTS because it was a CTS.

 

[gi02sl]

Never had an older CTS, but after reading the list I tend to believe I would agree with most of it (not too concerned about the personalized message thing).

 

[70eldo]

Maybe Cadillac planned an update on the functions, but that never came through due to the 'situation'?

I am moving on to the 2010, but I will miss some of those features of my 06 too.

 

[artscadillac]

I have a 2007 CTS and I agree with you about missing those features. It seems as if new designers missed those features or didn't think they were popular for some reason. The macro buttons were a great idea and were Dumb to be removed.

Regarding programable seats, I don't use that option, but maybe you program 08/09 differently.

The 08+ seats seem about the same as 07-, but the 08+ seats should be better than they are.
The 03-07 name display is interesting and should have stayed.
I do not like the new 08+ clock.

The 08+ visibility is not so good. A lot of improvements were made for 08+, but it's sad to lose some useful features.

I am having serious trouble pulling the trigger on a 09/10, because of features like these and because my 07 Sport corners and stops a lot better

 

[marktanner]

The FE3 corners and stops significantly better than the FE2, IMO. Of the 2010s that I have seen, they only had FE1s and FE3s, but no FE2s at all. The FE3 is now on 19" wheels, with Continental SportContact 3 tires in 245/45 ZR 19 size, vs Michelin PS2 235/50 ZR 18s on the '08-09s. Don't know about the tuning this year, but the brakes are the same for FE3, so the bigger footprint will improve that too. I was surprised to see so many FE3 cars here, and no FE2. I can't comment on the looks of the new 18s, either, because there are no pictures, and no cars yet.

 

[reciprocity]

Many of the missing features that bug me (things that were in the previous generation car like radio presets for each driver, EQ settings for each preset, editable names for driver 1 and 2, etc.) appear due to switching to a Windows-based system. I'd guess that GM went with a ready-made MS solution to save money developing their existing software, but I really wish they'd developed their own solution that worked more reliably and was more complete. Overall, I'm satisfied with the MS solution (enough so that I bought my car despite it), but there are a lot of "little things" that really shouldn't have disappeared from the first generation CTS. The MS solution definitely lacks a lot of the polish I'd expect in a system geared toward use in a Cadillac.

 

[Rick Neighbors]

Don't understand the memory seat thing.

Ours works off the remote key access. Seat goes to position 2 for me when I hit the remote unlock.

Will have to check the ignition reset, not sure about that.

I just wish that who ever wrote the owners manual had written it in english first, and not translated it from Klingon! :bonkers:

Rick

 

[Poopie D]

What I miss:

-Softer seats...and ones that made me feel that I sat higher up in the car. I feel too low sometimes in my 09.

- Less creaks...My 09 plastics creak like crazy, especially the door handle which drives me nuts when I close my door. The armrest in my 05 creaked really bad though

- I dislike the 6speed auto trans. Seems to shift too much in around town stop and go driving. Give me a 4 speed auto any day.

- Prefer digital clock in car...analog on wrist!

- Side view is a little on the plain side. Front and rear look awesome..but prefer the front of my old V.


All in all though, I love so much more about the new generation over the old. Favorite features:

- Keyless go

- Bluetooth

- Harddrive

- Cooled seats

- AWD

- Interior Design

I won't be going back to my 05...thats for sure!

 

[elo_mcfeelo]

Among all of these missing or wish to have features for 08 vs 07 is a digital Fuel Gage that will show how much fuel and mileage left till the last drop of gasoline in the fuel tank, and a front sensor considering the front bumper is lower than most parking cubs.

 

[Z71]

What I miss:

-Softer seats...and ones that made me feel that I sat higher up in the car. I feel too low sometimes in my 09.

Seats can be raised or lowered with button.

- Less creaks...My 09 plastics creak like crazy, especially the door handle which drives me nuts when I close my door. The armrest in my 05 creaked really bad though

No creaks in my car in 7,100 miles

- I dislike the 6speed auto trans. Seems to shift too much in around town stop and go driving. Give me a 4 speed auto any day.

Me to

- Prefer digital clock in car...analog on wrist!

Me To

- Side view is a little on the plain side. Front and rear look awesome..but prefer the front of my old V.

No complaints here

All in all though, I love so much more about the new generation over the old. Favorite features:

- Keyless go

- Bluetooth

- Harddrive

- Cooled seats

- AWD

- Interior Design

I won't be going back to my 05...thats for sure!

Ditto except for hard drive and blue tooth, have no need for those

Mike
2009 CTS4 in Blue Diamond w/Titanium interior, every option (exc. DI engine) bought from dealer stock Jan 20, 2009 $5500 below invoice

 

[bkiersz]

Only one I disagree with is the clock. Analog is classy.

I still think that my audio system was better in my 2007.

 

[woodyp]

I agree with the previous poster about the clock. I like the analog clock, it gives an added touch of class IMO and makes it look less pedestrian than your typical digital clock you will fine in almost every car on the planet.

 

[928S]

What is the life expectancy of a clock permanently mounted in an automobile?
Well, in my experience . . .

Analog - about 3 to 5 years, typically dies soon after warranty expiration.
Digital - infinity.

Only time will tell . . . hey, no pun intended . . . lol

 

[tr's-cts]

I think I would enjoy that #1. Not an owner of a previous CTS, I really don't have much to compare to except the 300M I had. Need I say more?

 

[liquidlounge]

I never had the earlier model, but when I see them I think the exterior looks pretty good, but not nearly as neat as the new one. The interior is a different story though, the old one is the reason I probably never looked seriously at one in the first place. The interior in the new one is just a stunner! The old one just looks like another older GM car.