2006 Cadillac DTS

[HarleyEarl]

He Drove, She Drove Cadillac DTS is a hit, miss By Paul & Anita Lienert 2006 Cadillac DTS Performance Sedan Type: Front-engine, front-wheel drive, five-passenger sedan. Price: Base, $50,490 (inc. $795 destination charge); as tested, $53,925. Engine: 4.6-liter V-8; 291-hp; 286 lb-ft torque. EPA fuel economy: 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway. Where built: Detroit Key competitors: BMW 7 Series, Buick Lucerne, Chrysler 300C, Infiniti Q45, Jaguar XJ8, Lexus LS 430, Lincoln Town Car, Mercedes-Benz S Class, Mercury Grand Marquis 12-month insurance cost, according to AAA Michigan*: $1,596 (Estimate. Rates may be higher or lower, depending on coverage and driving record.) Anita's Vehicle rating: 5 Likes: Good ride quality -- not floaty. You can order an optional front bench seat. Conservative, yet appealing cabin. Gobs of high-tech features. Remote start automatically adjusts cabin temp. Attractive gauges. Six standard air bags Dislikes: Special paint costs extra. Automatic transmission has only four speeds, when many luxury competitors offer six and seven. No adjustable pedals. Fuel economy isn't great. Paul's Vehicle rating: 3 Likes: Traditional domestic buyers will find DTS familiar and comfortable. Adequate power from 4.6L V-8. Enormous trunk. Performance model comes with additional high-tech safety features. Firm, but compliant ride. Dislikes: Oversized Detroit luxury car looks and feels like an anachronism next to most premium competitors from Europe and Asia. Fancy power massaging front seats surprisingly uncomfortable, lacking sufficient thigh and lumbar support. Brakes not progressive, requiring heavy application of pressure toward end of pedal travel. Interior lacks personality. Most Boomers used to driving luxury imports won't give this a second look. 1. Unacceptable, 2. Subpar, 3. Acceptable, 4. Above Average, 5. World Class We sampled the 2006 Cadillac DTS, which replaces the old DeVille, for a day last summer and then got back into it for a week in November for a much longer look. The front-wheel-drive DTS takes its name from the high-performance model in the old DeVille lineup, and carries over the basic mechanical architecture of its predecessor, with all-new sheet metal and a brand-new interior. We tested a top-of-the-line DTS Performance Sedan with a base price of $50,490, including a $795 destination charge. Our test car had several options, including a $1,795 DVD navigation system, 18-inch chrome wheels, and $350 power rear sunshade. Bottom line: $53,925. HE: For lots of older folks, the big Cadillac sedan formerly known as the DeVille is still a favorite. For many other consumers, the DTS may seem like little more than a hollow status symbol. Boomers in their forties and fifties who've driven German or Japanese luxury sedans will find it hard to relate to this Cadillac. It's still a classic oversized and overstuffed made-in-Detroit luxury car that looks and feels like an anachronism next to most premium competitors from Europe and Asia. SHE: I don't see how you can characterize the DTS like that when Cadillac made it a point to load this car up with lots of high-tech features, from adaptive remote start that automatically adjusts the temperature in the cabin - even when you're still in your house -- to new ultrasonic front park assist that helps you when you're parallel parking. Sheesh. The way you talk, it sounds like there's a standard walker in the trunk. But in reality, the Cadillac flagship sedan is updated. Conservative, yes, but a bit fresher, too. HE: There are plenty of cars on the market that offer more advanced technology, better performance, a smoother ride and more safety equipment for less money. It just seems like Cadillac is caught in that classic squeeze -- trying to broaden its appeal to younger buyers while trying not to alienate the traditionalists. The problem is that older market is rapidly dwindling. And Cadillac hasn't done enough to make the DTS more attractive to non-Cadillac owners. Take a good look. The cabin is certainly plush and roomy, but it lacks a distinctive personality. On the DTS Performance Sedan, you get the fancy massaging seats -- but we found them uncomfortable on longer journeys, and lacking sufficient thigh and lumbar support. I actually ached when I got out of the car after a 50-mile ride one evening. SHE: You sound like a candidate for BenGay. Granted, I would have been a bit happier had the DTS been equipped with something other than that four-speed automatic transmission when so many other competitors are offering six- and seven-speed automatics. That probably would have boosted the EPA fuel economy numbers above 17 mpg in city driving and 24 mpg on the highway.There are other puzzling omissions. The DTS had six standard air bags, but no adjustable pedals. But Cadillac still offers an optional front bench seat, which you can no longer get in cars like the Toyota Avalon. So it's not all grim news -- and for the audience, it may still be the perfect fit. HE: If you're over the age of 60 and used to work in the domestic auto industry, the DTS may be the politically correct ride, but that doesn't make it the best choice. Cadillac has managed to upgrade the ride quality, but it's still a chore to park this big boy. And I'm puzzled by the brakes, which require an extra effort on the pedal to bring the car to a full stop in a reasonable distance. I still have trouble feeling the pavement through the steering, which seems too isolated compared with many of the imports. There isn't a lot of muscle under the hood, either. The DTS Performance Sedan gets a tiny bit extra juice from Cadillac's workhorse 4.6-liter V-8, which has been massaged to deliver 291 horsepower. But we tested a Lexus IS 350 last week with a much smaller, 3.5-liter V-6 engine that makes 306 horsepower--and cost $9,000 less. SHE: The DTS crowd won't look twice at that mid-size Lexus. For the money, Cadillac hit the target dead-center. He drove, she drove Anita and Paul Lienert are partners in Lienert & Lienert, a Detroit-based automotive information services company.

[Flybrian]

So...did Paul get molested by a DeVille when he was a kid or something? His half is mostly bitching about what an old fart this car is while Anita recognizes that fact and moves the hell on. I'm serious, its supposed to be a review, not an Andy Rooney endcap. I guess he got her period this month. DTS is a completely wonderful car for what it is. Not everyone wants a sports sedan and there are certainly many luxury buyers out there who prefer a boulevard ride over stiff handling. Its not hard to see that a DTS is a budget alternative to an LS430 in terms of good old traditional luxury plush.

[HarleyEarl]

Brian, that is very funny and..very true lol.

[Drew Dowdell]

Just give the man a 3-series to shut him up. There are cars out there with a smoother ride then a DTS? Eh... Town Car maybe, Lucerne close... but none of those European cars are going to do it. If a shopper is looking in the DTS class, the IS 350 is an economy car. This is where one must keep perspective. The only Lexus the DTS competes with is the LS, the rest are too small. I can't imagine anyone complaining about the Northstar in this application. It's quiet and subdued around town, yet roars to life and hustles you down the road when you smash your right loafer into the carpet. Plenty of cars make more then 291hp at $53k. NONE of them come with the rest of the package that the DTS has in size and comfort.

[Flybrian]

I can't imagine anyone complaining about the Northstar in this application. It's quiet and subdued around town, yet roars to life and hustles you down the road when you smash your right loafer into the carpet. Plenty of cars make more then 291hp at $53k. NONE of them come with the rest of the package that the DTS has in size and comfort.

[post="47564"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Bitching about the Northstar lacking muscle shows he's more into reading spec sheets than living with a car for more than a few days. I'm sure an IS350 does put out more peak horsepower, but there are few engines out there today with the all-around smoothness and output consistancy of a Northstar V8 at all portions of the power band...with 87 octane?

[vineyard311]

Haha, isnt this couple in their late 50's? Sounds like Paul just doesnt want to admist how old he really is, so he takes it out on the DTS. The DTS is a great car for its targeted audience, its never gonna steal any IS or 3-series sales, but it was never designed to either.

[HarleyEarl]

The DTS is a nice transition car for it's intended audience. It will probably be the last of this type of car at Cadillac. The next DTS, I'm sure, will be very different.

[chrominium steel]

The last of this type? Then I don't think I will ever buy a new GM car.

[balthazar]

Only one 1 car offers a 7-spd auto, not "many" and all the import competition is much more expensive IIRC, not "for less money". Those type of blanket falsehoods are why no one takes anything they blither seriously. Old farts with old ideas.