My 2008 FE3 CTS w/6 speed manual

[makfu]

The very first pictures of my 2008 Cadillac CTS with the FE3 package and 6-speed manual. This car is equipped with every available option, sans AWD, as that is not available with the FE3 package. These pictures were taken just after the car was delivered to the dealership and prior to prepping the car. I take delivery on Tuesday evening.

By the way, it is interesting to note that these most recent examples of the 08 CTS sport much tighter exterior panel gaps than I have seen on any vehicle. The front fascia to hood gap is practically non-existent, which was a long standing sore spot for the first generation CTS. I couldn’t locate a single misaligned panel or trim piece inside or out. One has the impression, visually, that a lot of effort went into building this car.

-Makfu

08 CTS FE3 with a 6 speed manual (finally)

[Northstar]

Congrats, it looks great!

[balthazar]

I was following one a few days ago- I really like how Cadillac made the rear running lights blade-thin and tapering to a point, without the cheap-ass, electronic-catalog look of a bare strip of LEDs.

What a dynamic set of wheels- commands your eye like nothing else new that comes to mind. This car is going to do fantastically well. Good fortune to your ownership experience, makfu.

[FAPTurbo]

Beautiful car, sir. With that seductive red, I'll bet you get lots of looks.

Congratulations.

[ZL-1]

I envy you! Congrats on the purchase, and I wish it will give you many miles of fun motoring!

[ocnblu]

Gorgeous car. Call me.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Enjoy your CTS, I'm getting one in 2010 hopefully in Black Cherry, if it's available. If not, I will make it available. :AH-HA_wink:

[Sixty8panther]

Dog-Damn I'm jelaous!!!!

That is one sharp Caddy. Congrats on getting a 6-speed MANUAL. Nice to see there's some REAL enthusiasts left out there.

[Z-06]

Good color. The CTS impresses me every day I see it.

WOW FE3 and 6-Speed. Tell me one thing, is the 6-speed "rubbery" as the rags say?

[SuperSport623]

that is a gorgeous car... have fun banging them gears

[regfootball]

funny how they carried over the shifter though. i think they could have come up with a new shifter.

[K.C.]

:drool: Congrats! It's beautiful! I hope to see more pics of it soon!

[Robert Hall]

Beautiful car...love that color combination.

[BigPontiac]

So, that's like a $46-47K CTS. Wow.

[makfu]

Good color. The CTS impresses me every day I see it.

WOW FE3 and 6-Speed. Tell me one thing, is the 6-speed "rubbery" as the rags say?

Heh, interesting you should mention that - It actually feels very much like the Getrag (or as I like to call it, the gutwrench) 5-speed in that it's very notchy. Either the linkage was changed or the journalists don't know the difference between notchy and rubbery. Rubbery would be the traditional feel of Tremeck 6 speed's (balky and difficult to find the detents) whereas the Asin-Warner 6 speed feels notchy (easy to find the detent, but a lot of resistance putting it in to gear). Both conditions are symptomatic of mechanical linkage transmissions, though having had a shifter cable break on a cable linkage transmission in the past, I will take mechanical linkage anyday.

That said, it is not the slickest shifting manual, but it gets the job done (and is just more fun than the manumatic, even if GM's 6 speed autobox is a marvel of an automatic, which it is). I might add, the auto "journalists" always heaped praise on the old 5-speed German built Getrag, but in truth it was, by any reasonable standard, an awful mess of a tranny (in both the CTS and the E39 BWM 5er). It was notchy, had terrible gear rattle and was generally a noisy mess. The Asin-Warner, while also notchy, makes hardly any noise and generally feels more "solid".

-Mak

08 CTS FE3 with a 6 on the floor.

[makfu]

So, that's like a $46-47K CTS. Wow.

Almost exactly 46 grand (before tax, title, etc.). And for this car, (given how massively difficult it is to actually get allocation for a manual) you pay sticker. As of right now, there are only about 60-80 of these cars in existence (LGR is producing about 20 a month starting in October). Getting this car was a real saga - if you order one like it, make sure you are ready to wait (and wait...). That said, there is something so wrong and yet so right about a Cadillac with a stick shift. For me at least, it makes the car.

-Mak

08 CTS FE3 with 6 on the floor.

[gm4life]

I love the stick! That is what makes the car, is DI or just VVT? Enjoy it you lucky a$$!

[Z-06]

Heh, interesting you should mention that - It actually feels very much like the Getrag (or as I like to call it, the gutwrench) 5-speed in that it's very notchy. Either the linkage was changed or the journalists don't know the difference between notchy and rubbery. Rubbery would be the traditional feel of Tremeck 6 speed's (balky and difficult to find the detents) whereas the Asin-Warner 6 speed feels notchy (easy to find the detent, but a lot of resistance putting it in to gear). Both conditions are symptomatic of mechanical linkage transmissions, though having had a shifter cable break on a cable linkage transmission in the past, I will take mechanical linkage anyday.

That said, it is not the slickest shifting manual, but it gets the job done (and is just more fun than the manumatic, even if GM's 6 speed autobox is a marvel of an automatic, which it is). I might add, the auto "journalists" always heaped praise on the old 5-speed German built Getrag, but in truth it was, by any reasonable standard, an awful mess of a tranny (in both the CTS and the E39 BWM 5er). It was notchy, had terrible gear rattle and was generally a noisy mess. The Asin-Warner, while also notchy, makes hardly any noise and generally feels more "solid".

-Mak

08 CTS FE3 with a 6 on the floor.

I tried the CTS-V of my friend and also in the Autoshow in Motion, and I thought it was one of the best sticks in the industry. Notchy feeling is better definitely. I have driven a lot of sticks, and I rank the cars in following order of smoothness.

1. TSX/ S2000/ Accord V-6 (Previous Gen) 6-speed.

2. Porsche Boxter

3. CTS-V

4. C6-Z06 and Saab 9-3

5. BMW 3er (E46) and C5-Z06 (Tie)

Somehow, the Honda stick shift is a blast, I have never missed a gear in hard driving. Porsche Boxter was fun, but not as enticing. CTS-V although I had a limited driving experience, the feel was awesome, if I had driven more, may be it would have got at number 2. C6-Z06 again, limited driving experience and a very good shifter. Saab 9-3 Aero's stick was also fun slightly a long throw, but works splendidly. I owned the C5-Z06, it was a love and hate relationship. Partly I wished that I could replace it with the C6 because I hate the long throw and yet it was very good and never missed a gear. 3er I frankly cannot understand why rags hump them. Don't get me wrong, it is a very good shifter, but it is not scintillating.

I wish GM made one brilliant 6-speed and put it in all the vehicles they have. They can make it as a light duty and heavy duty to put it in low torque and high torque machines respectively.

[makfu]

I tried the CTS-V of my friend and also in the Autoshow in Motion, and I thought it was one of the best sticks in the industry. Notchy feeling is better definitely. I have driven a lot of sticks, and I rank the cars in following order of smoothness.

1. TSX/ S2000/ Accord V-6 (Previous Gen) 6-speed.

2. Porsche Boxter

3. CTS-V

4. C6-Z06 and Saab 9-3

5. BMW 3er (E46) and C5-Z06 (Tie)

Somehow, the Honda stick shift is a blast, I have never missed a gear in hard driving. Porsche Boxter was fun, but not as enticing. CTS-V although I had a limited driving experience, the feel was awesome, if I had driven more, may be it would have got at number 2. C6-Z06 again, limited driving experience and a very good shifter. Saab 9-3 Aero's stick was also fun slightly a long throw, but works splendidly. I owned the C5-Z06, it was a love and hate relationship. Partly I wished that I could replace it with the C6 because I hate the long throw and yet it was very good and never missed a gear. 3er I frankly cannot understand why rags hump them. Don't get me wrong, it is a very good shifter, but it is not scintillating.

I wish GM made one brilliant 6-speed and put it in all the vehicles they have. They can make it as a light duty and heavy duty to put it in low torque and high torque machines respectively.

Honda uses cable linkage last I checked and the shifting action of their tranny is super slick (best in the industry, IMHO).

-Mak

08 CTS FE3 with 6 on the floor.

[makfu]

I love the stick! That is what makes the car, is DI or just VVT? Enjoy it you lucky a$$!

When I say fully loaded sans AWD, I mean fully loaded

(Yeah, it's a DI V6)

-Mak

08 CTS FE3 with 6 on the floor.

Edited November 26, 2007 by makfu

[Intrepidation]

Congrats, that interior continues to amaze me..it's gorgious, and the exterior is quite stunning! Best of luck!

[RichW5]

Congrats!

That's one beautiful CTS and it's in the color I'd chose if I could get one today (I've had 4 red Caddy's). Unfortunately there's two more years to go on the Trailblazer payments, so a new CTS will have to wait.

All I can say is you have extremely good tase in cars.

[toesuf94]

One word: YUMMY!

Enjoy it, as it is beautiful. Keep us posted.

[BatmanGTO]

Congrats on the new ride, let us know how she rides...