I Drove a 2006 DTS for Three Days

[FSTephenMasek]

I rented a 2006 DTS (not the base version) and drove it for three days, and enough distance to use most of a full tank of gasoline: 1) Even though I am 6' 1", I had to lean halfway or more out the door to grab the handle in the armrest to close it. 2) The front seating area is so wide that I had to place my arms out as if doing the chicken dance to rest my left arm on the armrest in the door and my right arm on the center armrest / console cover. 3) The switches for the trip computer are way off on the upper left side of the dash, where they are hard to reach and see. 4) The switches in the armrest are surrounded by cheap hard plastic - the Malibu and 2006 Tahoe with their nice fake wood have the DTS beat. 5) The heated and cooled seats work well. 6) The front and rear proximity sensors work well. 7) The trunk is OK, but since the seat back does not fold, and since there are various projections on the sides, the car can not carry cargo nearly as well as a Ford Five Hundred or Lincoln Town Car 8) It is obviously a front wheel drive vehicle, and does exhibit some torque steer, both things which nobody paying $50,000 plus should accept 9) The steering wheel rim diameter is too small, and it is not padded enough. The steering wheel in the Malibu is far nicer, since it has a larger diameter padded rim. 10) It is reasonably quiet. 11) As big as the car is, the storage pockets in the doors do not include bottle holders, and do not tilt open. 12) The center console has a small upper storage space and a surprisingly small main storage space. I expect that the Lucerne will be less expensive, but otherwise share the same shortcomings. Edited September 21, 2005 by FSTephenMasek

[Guest Josh]

With all do respect to the torque steer comment, this is the Cadillac DTS. It's target age I feel will certainly not be looking to push this vehicle into 60 in a 25mph corner. That's what the CTS is for. This car is not a race car, it's an "older person" car. I surely don't want grandpa to be able to take a turn at 60mph in the grocery store parking lot. Hell ours doesnt even get the remote these days!

[the_yellow_dart]

I have to lean out of my Cobalt to grab the door when it's all the way out, and I'm 6'.

[FSTephenMasek]

With all do respect to the torque steer comment, this is the Cadillac DTS. It's target age I feel will certainly not be looking to push this vehicle into 60 in a 25mph corner.

That's what the CTS is for. This car is not a race car, it's an "older person" car. I surely don't want grandpa to be able to take a turn at 60mph in the grocery store parking lot. Hell ours doesnt even get the remote these days!

[post="17602"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

You do not seem to understand torque steer. Old or young, it will be felt anytime the car accelerates at a moderate or better rate, straight line or corner. Old people also merge onto freeways and so forth. It would not be felt driving a a steady speed (too fast or not) in a corner.

[turbo200]

do you have any other impressions regarding the drive or interior. btw next time please take pictures :)

[97regalGS]

You do not seem to understand torque steer.  Old or young, it will be felt anytime the car accelerates at a moderate or better rate, straight line or corner.  Old people also merge onto freeways and so forth.  It would not be felt driving a a steady speed (too fast or not) in a corner.

[post="17654"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

are u suggesting that the torque steer in the DTS is significantly greater than any other FWD car?

[FSTephenMasek]

The torque steer is something which should not be there at all, especially given the price of the DTS. It might be OK for a $25,000, or maybe even $35,000 car, but not a $55,000 car. Sorry guys - there are so many photos on the web that I never thought of taking more. The exterior looks good, and moving the license plate to the rear bumper and doing away with the gaudy "monument to the license plate" is a big improvement. The interior is OK, but nothing special. The seats are OK, but I certainly did not detect any special pillow effect. The seats in my 1988 Pontiac Bonneville SSE were far better. The view out the side windows is OK, but the view out the front window is restricted, as if the roof was too low. I did not want to drive with the seat all of the way down, but I had it close to all of the way down. I suspect that the cornering lamps on cars without the front proximity sensors will be broken many times. Edited September 21, 2005 by FSTephenMasek

[mkaresh]

My father and I both pushed one of these pretty hard, and didn't detect a significant amount of torque steer. We thought it a huge improvement in this area over the DeVille.

I was also impressed by the tight fits between the IP trim and IP and between the IP and the door. GM has been bragging about these fits, and they deserve to. Later the same day we checked out an Infiniti M35, and its dash-to-door fit was nowhere close in terms of gap size or precision.

The rear seat, on the other hand, should be larger and more comfortable given the mission of the car. Seems this G-Body weakness survived the redesign.

My full review of this car can be read here: http://www.epinions.com/content_209422093956

[pow]

My father and I both pushed one of these pretty hard, and didn't detect a significant amount of torque steer. We thought it a huge improvement in this area over the DeVille.

I was also impressed by the tight fits between the IP trim and IP and between the IP and the door. GM has been bragging about these fits, and they deserve to. Later the same day we checked out an Infiniti M35, and its dash-to-door fit was nowhere close in terms of gap size or precision.

The rear seat, on the other hand, should be larger and more comfortable given the mission of the car. Seems this G-Body weakness survived the redesign.

My full review of this car can be read here: http://www.epinions.com/content_209422093956

[post="36325"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Great review!

[Dsuupr]

On the arm stretched when sitting thing, that's the idea of a big American car. The car is made for people that are wider than tall.

[johnnyb]

On the arm stretched when sitting thing, that's the idea of a big American car.  The car is made for people that are wider than tall.

[post="36685"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I understand if cars are more suited to American tastes, but that's a bit too much. Especially with all the excuses because this is 'an old man's car,' I really don't know too many fat 90 year olds...

GM: Fix the torque steer, fix the design and make it look good.

Or just scrap it, and make the Sixteen with 4 doors and a little smaller...

[Robert Hall]

On the arm stretched when sitting thing, that's the idea of a big American car.  The car is made for people that are wider than tall.

[post="36685"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Yes, you need at least a size 40 waist to be comfortable in such car seats, I think.. :) Edited November 1, 2005 by moltar

[samuel]

I rented a 2006 DTS (not the base version) and drove it for three days, and enough distance to use most of a full tank of gasoline:

1) Even though I am 6' 1", I had to lean halfway or more out the door to grab the handle in the armrest to close it.

2) The front seating area is so wide that I had to place my arms out as if doing the chicken dance to rest my left arm on the armrest in the door and my right arm on the center armrest / console cover.

3) The switches for the trip computer are way off on the upper left side of the dash, where they are hard to reach and see.

4) The switches in the armrest are surrounded by cheap hard plastic - the Malibu and 2006 Tahoe with their nice fake wood have the DTS beat.

5) The heated and cooled seats work well.

6) The front and rear proximity sensors work well.

7) The trunk is OK, but since the seat back does not fold, and since there are various projections on the sides, the car can not carry cargo nearly as well as a Ford Five Hundred or Lincoln Town Car

8) It is obviously a front wheel drive vehicle, and does exhibit some torque steer, both things which nobody paying $50,000 plus should accept

9) The steering wheel rim diameter is too small, and it is not padded enough. The steering wheel in the Malibu is far nicer, since it has a larger diameter padded rim.

10) It is reasonably quiet.

11) As big as the car is, the storage pockets in the doors do not include bottle holders, and do not tilt open.

12) The center console has a small upper storage space and a surprisingly small main storage space.

I expect that the Lucerne will be less expensive, but otherwise share the same shortcomings.

[post="17598"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Not a great review. Complaints about the door handle being too far away were pointless. The steering wheel diameter is fine. It is VERY quiet. A wide seating area is a good thing (maybe you have unnaturally short arms?). Basically, you seem to making up things to critique.

[samuel]

The torque steer is something which should not be there at all, especially given the price of the DTS.  It might be OK for a $25,000, or maybe even $35,000 car, but not a $55,000 car.

Sorry guys - there are so many photos on the web that I never thought of taking more.

The exterior looks good, and moving the license plate to the rear bumper and doing away with the gaudy "monument to the license plate" is a big improvement.

The interior is OK, but nothing special.  The seats are OK, but I certainly did not detect any special pillow effect.  The seats in my 1988 Pontiac Bonneville SSE were far better.

The view out the side windows is OK, but the view out the front window is restricted, as if the roof was too low.  I did not want to drive with the seat all of the way down, but I had it close to all of the way down.

I suspect that the cornering lamps on cars without the front proximity sensors will be broken many times.

[post="17952"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

There is no reason to expect any more cornering light damage than with any other car. The view out front is fine. The seats in the Bonneville (yes, I have owned a Bonnie of similar vintage and I have driven the DTS) are nowhere near as good as the DTS. I am seriously wondering if you actually drove the DTS at all. If you did, then your review is as innaccurate and biased as any review I have ever read.

[daves87rs]

#1...nobody will pay 55k for a DTS...its called rebates.. :blink: :lol: You gotta keep in mind the DTS is for a different type of folk.. I drove one.... It rides smooth....thick...and has quite a bit of get up and go.....was quite fun to drive.... B) :booyah: It's not perfect....I had a few issues...But overall...I thought much, much, better than the Deville.. The DTS is a cozy highway cruiser....not a curvehugger.... That said, I don't think someone's Grandpa needs a car like that...would be very interesting....

[rueben44]

I sat in one of these cars and the door did not seem hard to close( I'm 5'6"). And it is very comfortable. Fit and finish shocked me because it was Audi level and so were the materials in the cabin. I don’t know what car the other posters drove but that is their opinion. It is on the same chassis as the old car so why the door and center console have seemed to have some what 2 feet additional gap I don’t know. Also it has pretty much the same power train as the old car which had almost no torque steer. Guess they step back with that to ha! Funny most reviews think the 303hp Impala has almost none but the Caddy does so some think. Though I will say it is impossible to turn the wheel of a FWD car and power it hard and not make the wheel slip and pull. Hello FWD!!! Now if you are going straight and you loose wheel grip and it does not pull right or left then that is controlled and is not bad. Oh and Lexus is the number on luxury car company in sales and they give you mush that is what most buyer want controlled mush. They also sell quite a few FWD models that is why they have the sales title and if you cut the ES's wheel and power it hard guess what happens. Edited November 21, 2005 by rueben44

[Flybrian]

I still think GM has handled torque steer management pretty well. I can easily engage wide-open throttle in my Aurora hands-off and track pretty darn straight. I can even do it in my dad's SSEi, though it makes alot more ruckus. Drive a Nissan to feel torque steer.

[RichW5]

My father and I both pushed one of these pretty hard, and didn't detect a significant amount of torque steer. We thought it a huge improvement in this area over the DeVille.

I was also impressed by the tight fits between the IP trim and IP and between the IP and the door. GM has been bragging about these fits, and they deserve to. Later the same day we checked out an Infiniti M35, and its dash-to-door fit was nowhere close in terms of gap size or precision.

The rear seat, on the other hand, should be larger and more comfortable given the mission of the car. Seems this G-Body weakness survived the redesign.

My full review of this car can be read here: http://www.epinions.com/content_209422093956

[post="36325"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Great Review - mkaresh!

In addition:

I've never had a torque steer problem with my FWD Caddy's, except when turning while applying WOT.

While the Deville (now the DTS) has stopped being my car of choice since 1994, it hasn't been bad car to drive when furnished, by my dealer, as a loaner. I expect that I'd like the DTS even more.

I understand that Cadillac is working on arm extentions for drivers that can't reach door handles or trip computer reset buttons. :lol:

Honestly, I sat in a performance DTS at my dealer last week (had the CTS in for an oil change) and it was really great. Fit and finish were equal to the best I've seen. The steering wheel was fine.

The DTS is built for an older driver or someone with a few bucks that doesn't want to drive Japanese. It serves it's intended owner really well!