2008 Cadillac STS 3.6l DI - Black Cherry

[Flybrian]

[Sixty8panther]

Love the DTS with a 1/4 roof. Shows you who buys those FWD dinosaurs.

Thank God we do not put canvas carriage tops on anything here. I've yet to see a

new Cadillac here with any cheesy dealer installed accessories. If a customer wants

it then we'll install it but not until the car is sold and it's a done deal.

The STS looks sharp, we have a Graystone Metallic STS Northstar.

[turbo200]

the grille is ill-suited to this car. The interior redo only addresses some concerns; tactile feel of the center stack switches and buttons were a letdown in the past, and they remain the same. this car is missing just a couple marks to be great.

[donpella]

Damn, I love Cadillacs. The Cadillacs in the past couldn't hold a torch the it's international competition, but the current Cadillacs are outstanding. Sure the interior in the STS is lacking a little, but hell, it's better than it used to be. Exterior is better with the new grill, it give the car a bolder feel, more inline with the new CTS. Now Cadillac needs to decide on a small RWD offering and a coupe.

[Z-06]

So basically it is a purple color, hidden in the incongruity of naming?

Interior could be better. But the DI is a gem in this car.

[Flybrian]

Speaking of the interior, to all the dash molestors out there, about 90% of everything is soft touch. - dash, door panels, most of the center console even.

I never had any problem with the switchgear. I don't see exactly how quality is divined by such miniscule proportions.

And, yes, the gem is the DI 3.6l.

[Sixty8panther]

You'd have to see it in the flesh. It's NOT Purple.

It really is a greaqt description... black cherry is very much the color.

Sounds better than eggplant, whish would also describe the color

pretty well I suppose.

[turbo200]

Speaking of the interior, to all the dash molestors out there, about 90% of everything is soft touch. - dash, door panels, most of the center console even.

I never had any problem with the switchgear. I don't see exactly how quality is divined by such miniscule proportions.

And, yes, the gem is the DI 3.6l.

how often do you use the radio controls? how often is your climate control manipulated? is the center console the "centerpiece" of your interior? can quality be apparent or deduced at every point of the interior? should an interior be consistent and thoughtfully designed, especially when the asking price is above $40,000 and all the way to $60,000?

if you answered yes or always to these questions then you understand the importance of a high quality center console.

Edited August 21, 2007 by turbo200

[balthazar]

>>"I don't see exactly how quality is divined by such miniscule proportions."<<

Some people are drivers, some people are diddlers.

Grille looks fantastic- much richer and more detailed than any of it's competition.

Interior should likewise reel many new buyers in.

Looking forward to a considerable reshuffling of the segment's marketshare numbers.

[turbo200]

>>"I don't see exactly how quality is divined by such miniscule proportions."<<

Some people are drivers, some people are diddlers.

Grille looks fantastic- much richer and more detailed than any of it's competition.

Interior should likewise reel many new buyers in.

Looking forward to a considerable reshuffling of the segment's marketshare numbers.

STS will lose most of it, CTS will gain considerably. the imports will continue on seemingly unstoppable rise. I guess you'll be looking foward for a considerable amount of time, or at least until Cadillac gets a large sedan that makes an impact.

[balthazar]

While you're at it, what's this week's Pick-6 numbers, t-200?

[Sixty8panther]

I agree about the grille esp. It is gorgeous.

[Flybrian]

how often do you use the radio controls? how often is your climate control manipulated? is the center console the "centerpiece" of your interior? can quality be apparent or deduced at every point of the interior? should an interior be consistent and thoughtfully designed, especially when the asking price is above $40,000 and all the way to $60,000?

if you answered yes or always to these questions then you understand the importance of a high quality center console.

I don't 'feel' the gulf of disparity between a Mercedes/Lexus and Cadillac in the new radio controls is what I mean. I use steering wheel buttons mostly, anyway, and GM has IMO been superior in easy-to-use satellite controls. I also put ergonomics far above the 'click' quality and would rather have a slightly more ratchety feel that's easy to deal with than butter-soft buttons that are hopelessly tiny and clustered in impossible groups.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Hey Fly, it looks almost the same color as my Grand Prix GXP (Purple Haze), do you know if it's the same paint code?

[rueben44]

After sitting in several previous STS's I can say they feel and look better in real life than they do in pictures. I love the new interior and could live with it without major issue. However I hate how watered down the Art and Science looks on the STS. I mean I really dislike it and that is the only thing that would or has kept me out of one.

[jbartley]

these pictures still don't do it justice. I saw a new one at the dealership the other day. these changes make the car looks 100x better, and more expensive and classy. def like the new grille and vents.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

This car looks better than the first one. The grilles helps, the interior is the same, but addresses some issues. I think it is an improvement. For those that say we should get the SLS, I watched a car show yesterday I learned BMW does the same thing as Cadillac. They sell a stretched wheelbase BMW 5 Series in China. but they do not sell it anywhere else. As I was watching Top Gear writing this, I noticed the Germans over engineer, and the Japanese sell quality and not style. Where does that put Cadillac?

I just wish the STS sold more..

[K.C.]

I test drove one of these in early August. It was a base car, black, the only option was a sunroof. I really liked it, although I felt the suspension was too soft for the performance minded engine. I agree with Fly about the interior. It's mostly soft touch, and everything is within easy reach and is easy to understand. The new engine gives this car a completely new attitude, unfortunately the suspension tuning without the sport package will give you a fast car with a floaty suspension on certain road surfaces. I should have brought my camera to take pics when I took that test drive. The black car I drove listed for mid $44K.

[2chevs]

Is this Black Cherry color the same as that new color dark red hue on the Lambdas?

[Z-06]

Speaking of the interior, to all the dash molestors out there, about 90% of everything is soft touch. - dash, door panels, most of the center console even.

I never had any problem with the switchgear. I don't see exactly how quality is divined by such miniscule proportions.

And, yes, the gem is the DI 3.6l.

I honestly never think or care about "soft" or "hard" touch dash. When you have an impact during the accident all the touches are gonna touch the same.

It is just that the interior does not look cohesive like the Chinese model or the CTS. And yes I have had a loaner STS and I never found problems with the switchgears. I think they are just fine and quite intuitive.

[91z4me]

I wonder how close this "Black Cherry" color is to the 96 Impala SS's DCM, Dark Cherry Metallic.

[pow]

This is definitely a chunkier and more substantial car than the CTS. It might not be as technical as its little brother, but I can still see the appeal. It will be far less common than the CTS.

will there be a DI 4.6?

Edited August 21, 2007 by empowah

[Cadavillac]

That STS has HUD but not the special emblem in the grille that allows for the adaptive cruise control... is this new? Is there a non-adaptive cruise HUD unit available?

Edited August 21, 2007 by Cadavillac

[regfootball]

too bad the US spec interior sucks so bad. this would be a nice sleeper car otherwise for those who be able to pony up for dealer markups for the CTS

[Cory Wolfe]

Mmm... that is a gorgeous color.

[GM4ever]

Ewww more cheesy side vents. Thats really my only gripe for the newer cad's. Looks like something at autozone stuck on with 3m adhesive. The revised grill looks very nice and that color has promise and yes, we need the chinese interior.

[enzl]

The new CTS renders this car a moot point, as only CPO's & massive rebates make the STS an eventual decent buy.

More a commentary on the CTS' excellence, but the STS will remain a laggard.

Might it have been a better bet to leave the STS alone and pull ahead planned coupe, 'vert & wagon CTS'?

[!!!TED!!!]

Its a nice color, on a nice car. That new grille changes the look alot. The STS looks more premium now.

[RJB]

I don't 'feel' the gulf of disparity between a Mercedes/Lexus and Cadillac in the new radio controls is what I mean. I use steering wheel buttons mostly, anyway, and GM has IMO been superior in easy-to-use satellite controls. I also put ergonomics far above the 'click' quality and would rather have a slightly more ratchety feel that's easy to deal with than butter-soft buttons that are hopelessly tiny and clustered in impossible groups.

I agree!! And besides everyone always wants to tout Mercedes/Lexus/BMW for their controls. I disagree with these cars to an extent because they are some of the most unthoughtful layouts you have ever seen when you go and sit in one, or for that matter drive one. A Mercedes could keep a 4yr old entertained for hours on end with how many buttons they tried to stuff on their dashes!! The same with BMW's I-drive, it's disgusting, I'm surprised that there aren't more people in the ditch on the side of the road messing with this system. Lexus on the other hand I can't really bash them too much because they are the only one I don't have firsthand knowledge of.

The new revised STS is much better looking in person, especially the new Platinum edition it is very well done. And this car in the pictures makes me want a cherry coke with a little something extra in it!

[smk4565]

This car looks more proportional than the CTS, without the bulky high trunk and from the side looks a little more expensive than the CTS does. The tail lights and spoiler look cheap though, and the car is still to bland looking, the grille helps, but the rounded headlights and overall shape disappear into the crowd.

The interior is not up to par, too many big gaps, and the materials aren't nice enough. This car was doomed from day 1 when they went for a base price of $43,000, they had to cost cut too much. The Mercedes E-class base price is nearly $8000 higher, no wonder they have a richer looking car.

Cadillac has to get their lineup straightened out fast, this car and the DTS aren't going to make it past 2009, they are both losing sales and the DTS is over 30% fleet sales, image is shaky there. Once that happens, Cadillac has the CTS, BRX, Escalade and aging XLR, sounds like a slightly nicer version of Lincoln's MKZ, MKX, and Navigator lineup.

Audi, BMW, and Mercedes have a big product assault coming, Lexus has a sports car, and new RX350, Cadillac needs better stuff soon, I really don't want them to become the next Lincoln.

[gm4life]

Hey I love this car. I would get an STS with the performance package and the 3.6L in Cherry or White with cashmere leather. I am drooling. I would get a DTS first then an STS!

[jlbunting]

I saw one on the road here in CA about 1 week ago. At first I thought it was a CTS.

The changes made to the 2008 STS really do make it look a lot nicer.

[Bimmer325]

I've seen a few '08 STS's around and am generally unimpressed with the exterior updates.

The side vents look chintzy, and the new wheel design is unattractive IMO.

[silverss/sc]

After sitting in several previous STS's I can say they feel and look better in real life than they do in pictures. I love the new interior and could live with it without major issue. However I hate how watered down the Art and Science looks on the STS. I mean I really dislike it and that is the only thing that would or has kept me out of one.

Same thoughts . Its a nice , but not great . This body style is not that old , but its amazing how the new CTS makes it looks as such . The edgy new grill design , imo , is not meshing too well with the much softer STS styling . As far the interior goes , I used to think the STS's was quite nice . The new CTS really puts into perspective how boring and bland the STS interior is , even though the quality and materials look fantastic . The 1 new replacement for STS and the DTS could not come soon enuff imo .

[HarleyEarl]

The rearend and 3/4 view let this car down. Dull, dull, dull.

The interior door panel....snoozefest.

The DTS and STS are Cadillacs in name only.

The new CTS gives some glimmer of hope.

[Robert Hall]

That looks like the same color I saw a Lucerne in today...looked very sharp w/ cream interior and chrome wheels.

[ZL-1]

The new CTS renders this car a moot point, as only CPO's & massive rebates make the STS an eventual decent buy.

More a commentary on the CTS' excellence, but the STS will remain a laggard.

Might it have been a better bet to leave the STS alone and pull ahead planned coupe, 'vert & wagon CTS'?

The STS looks pretty irrelevant to me as well now that the '08 CTS is here, unless one has an urge for a non-V-Series V8 engine. And that can be taken care of easily if either the Northstar or the NG V8 engine can fit the engine bay.

I agree that completing the CTS range should be the priority while the NG DTS/STS is being worked on.

[enzl]

The STS looks pretty irrelevant to me as well now that the '08 CTS is here, unless one has an urge for a non-V-Series V8 engine. And that can be taken care of easily if either the Northstar or the NG V8 engine can fit the engine bay.

I agree that completing the CTS range should be the priority while the NG DTS/STS is being worked on.

The fact that the STS got this much attention probably puts the DTS/STS replacement as an '11 or '12 intro, which is kind of depressing, too.

The CTS (and derivatives) are Caddy's best chance to go international (assuming proper diesels) & capture entry level lux buyers here in the States. I'm sure someone at GM noticed that the 3-series is BMWs bread & butter and the A4 lead Audi's renaissance or that the G is a sales pacesetter for Infiniti---or maybe they haven't?

[ZL-1]

The fact that the STS got this much attention probably puts the DTS/STS replacement as an '11 or '12 intro, which is kind of depressing, too.

The CTS (and derivatives) are Caddy's best chance to go international (assuming proper diesels) & capture entry level lux buyers here in the States. I'm sure someone at GM noticed that the 3-series is BMWs bread & butter and the A4 lead Audi's renaissance or that the G is a sales pacesetter for Infiniti---or maybe they haven't?

Being outside the car industry, I have trouble understanding what GM wants to do. Sometimes I get the feeling GM doesn't know what to do either...

I do think a CTS range would be important in establishing Cadillac as credible internationally, but I understand that a range that would (for example) have a non-V-Series V8 engine would kill the STS. It's a tough thing to balance and I hope the next DTS/STS is substantially better than the '08 CTS so that Cadillac's product cycles have some logic. To me that logic would mean introducing the big leaps forward in the DTS/STS makeovers, and then having a trickle-down effect to the CTS and possibly to a smaller BTS, while also spreading innovation to other brands. It's having Cadillac as the pacesetter for GM and Cadillac's flagship as the pacesetter for Cadillac.

[sciguy_0504]

Like the grille and really like the color (it's different). The interior is a let down, though, especially compared to the Chinese STS (SLS?).

[The O.C.]

The fact that the STS got this much attention probably puts the DTS/STS replacement as an '11 or '12 intro, which is kind of depressing, too.

The CTS (and derivatives) are Caddy's best chance to go international (assuming proper diesels) & capture entry level lux buyers here in the States. I'm sure someone at GM noticed that the 3-series is BMWs bread & butter and the A4 lead Audi's renaissance or that the G is a sales pacesetter for Infiniti---or maybe they haven't?

While I was at the Caddy store getting serviced, I sat in a new STS....and I was totally disgusted....

The materials were certainly not what you could call "premium" and the woodgrain trim even had a rough, uneven fit around the center stack.

Who does GM think they are going to sell this car to?

In some ways, the STS is much worse than my CTS. Even with my CTS, I can point to the "avantgarde" styling of the interior with the "unique" dot-matrix trim to the soft-touch materials.....but the STS is just struggling to match the fit-and-finish, styling, and quality of most mainstream midsize sedans......

[Intrepidation]

While the small interior updates help...they don't help nearly enough. Even if the tactile feel of the switchgear is fine, the appearance looks awful. I mean, look at it...the center stack has very little detail work...it's almost all black-sh for the controls...I don't seen any nice chrome rings or trimmings around it. The Cobalt has more detail work than this on it's center stack. It's all about the details at this price...there should be no excuses. The SLS interior still crushes the STS'

The exterior looks better with real world photos although I still think the grill feels a bit out of place with the rest of the car. The fender vents are okay but lack thought or imagination like say what you'd find on a Jaguar. They don't feel like part of the car, they just look tacked on. the color is gorgeous though.

[91z4me]

Can anyone, at all, tell me WHY the US STS didn't get the Chinese SLS interior? I mean seriously. It isn't like the car is that much more expensive to manufacture w/ the Chinese interior that the STS couldn't have absorbed the price bump if one was needed. Was it that the GMNA guys didn't want to use 'foreign designed stuff' in their car?

[aldw]

Can anyone, at all, tell me WHY the US STS didn't get the Chinese SLS interior? I mean seriously. It isn't like the car is that much more expensive to manufacture w/ the Chinese interior that the STS couldn't have absorbed the price bump if one was needed. Was it that the GMNA guys didn't want to use 'foreign designed stuff' in their car?

Presumably GMNA thought it wasn't worth the extra cost to upgrade the interior, however bad it may have looked.

[turbo200]

on the subject of the range of CTS'; in person this car looks pretty massive. I look at it and think Cadillac's E-Class, but really it looks just a bit larger, the more dramatically uplifted beltline helps the rear doors especially look larger and add to the large feel of this car. Not saying it doesn't look nimble, but image-wise, it definitely looks like it belongs in the A4/5-series/E-class category. It definitely points to the need for a small Cadillac sedan. With the pricing where it is, a coupe that were to start around 37k even, and a wagon, would really help launch an assault. The problem is, they can't come too soon for Caddy. I would like some significant interior differences along the lines of CLK to C-class, that way the coupe and wagon's exclusivity and value are even that much higher. All the little differences help justify the price difference.

[regfootball]

on the subject of the range of CTS'; in person this car looks pretty massive. I look at it and think Cadillac's E-Class, but really it looks just a bit larger, the more dramatically uplifted beltline helps the rear doors especially look larger and add to the large feel of this car. Not saying it doesn't look nimble, but image-wise, it definitely looks like it belongs in the A4/5-series/E-class category. It definitely points to the need for a small Cadillac sedan. With the pricing where it is, a coupe that were to start around 37k even, and a wagon, would really help launch an assault. The problem is, they can't come too soon for Caddy. I would like some significant interior differences along the lines of CLK to C-class, that way the coupe and wagon's exclusivity and value are even that much higher. All the little differences help justify the price difference.

I saw my first new CTS this morning. oh yeah, it looks BIG.

and it doesn't come off that much different than the current CTS.

interior is tight seemingly, or 'intimate' if you choose that.

Caddy does need a new smaller model, if this is what the CTS is now.

By the way, Kate Walsh is doing a commerical for caddy. go to cadillac.com

smokin' redhead in a cadillac.....oh my that would spice up life.