smk4565

I have driven the current CTS, obviously not the new one, I'll go check it out when it is out. My step dad has a BMW 540i, it is a much better performer than the current CTS, it costs more, but it is older too. The BMW 3 and 5 series offer adaptive cruise control, night vision on the 5 series and some other stuff that even a gadget fan like me wouldn't opt for. I went to the BMW website today, the 335i and CTS line up pretty closely in price, the 535i is about $53,000 lightly optioned to about $58,000 if you get everything. Which is a lot of money, I agree, but their resale values hold up and people out there are willing to pay it. Personally I'd rather have a Cadillac that can out perform it and match it's resale value. The 3-series in the USA outsells the STS, DTS, CTS, XLR and SRX combined. I didn't look at worldwide sales, in that case it wouldn't even be close. The 3-series sedan, coupe and convertible (I forgot wagon sales but they are tiny) have sold about 72,000 for the first half of this year, those 5 Cadillacs have combined to sell about 69,000. Lexus, Infiniti and Mercedes line up much better the BMW's class sizes, Cadillac needs to align them selves in size and price with those other brands, doesn't have to be exact, but has to be close. One other gripe of mine about all GM cars (Ford too) is the cheap looking base models with gray plastic on the exterior, lack of fog lights and just plastic slots where they should be, cheap wheels with plastic covers, etc. The CTS has some of this, and the resale values will suffer, because cars with gray plastic look old, dull and cheap faster. When all molding is painted body color, and the car has fancy wheels, it doesn't age as much. This is an area BMW and Lexus seem to be good at, and they have high resale value.

The weight is a problem. Just like the Lambdas are 500 pounds heavier than the Trailblazer and Envoy, Vue got heavier, CTS got heavier. Weight hurts handling, acceleration and gas mileage. GM needs to be more efficient with the weight on all their vehicles. People notice that heavy weight on a test drive because heavy cars often are not nimble in turns and can feel sluggish on hills.

I noticed the specs on the Lexus website the other day. The 4.6 liter V8 is really efficient, you get the same performance and economy with it that you get with the hybrid, so there is no point to buying the hybrid V8. If it was a 500 hp hybrid V10 that got 20/22, I could see the point, but the LS600h is just marketing and image. Sadly people will buy it just to say they have a $100,000 hybrid. I am so sick and tired of people that buy Toyotas on some fake image that they are so much better. And I think I am equally disappointed in GM for not challenging them more. GM needs a 50 mpg car so badly, if you have a hybrid perception is that you are the greatest thing ever.

I know the BTS or BLS is coming, but what price will they put it at? $27k? I hope not. The BTS is going to have to base around $33k, so the CTS is going to need an overhaul and pushed to the mid 40s for a base price to get them in line with everyone else. The base CTS has no fog lights, cheap wheels and some plastic trim, that is the kind of stuff they have to get rid of. If the car doesn't look good when it is 5 years old, the resale value really suffers. The German cars seem to age better, and not look dated or cheap. As far as BMW prices, Motor trend just had a loaded up 335i coupe and it was $47,000. The 330 hp G37 was $39,000, which they thought was a great deal. The 535i is about $55,000 with normal options so I don't think the CTS is competing with it, but I agree with the poster that said people may see $48,000 for a loaded CTS, and think, well the BMW is $5000 more and has free maintenance and better resale value. I have never been a fan of BMW styling inside or out, but they drive well. I agree with the rear heated seats, the Saab 9-5 and old Seville had them. If the CTS sells in the 40s, it kind of makes the STS useless, I could see them dumping it midway in the 09 model year.

They don't make a 530i anymore, they have a 528i with a wimpy engine, 230 or 250 hp I forget for $44,900 and the 535i (300 hp, 300 lb-ft) starts at $49k. The 550i is $58,500 but can go near $65k when loaded. Of course it has a V8 and a lot more equipment too. The 5-series is more, but it is more car. I think what will happen is most people won't get a very loaded up CTS, they will get more basic models to keep the price to $40,000 or less, so the 5-series won't really compete with it anyway, just the G35 and the 3-series, so I hope it can match their performance.

I know the CTS is 5-series size, but the 5-series is $46-60,000+ offers 20 way seats, 13 speaker 7.1 sound, power sunshade, adaptive cruise control, V8 engine, etc. The 3-series is priced $33,000-45,000 for the sedan, which the CTS is pretty close to. I am not knocking the CTS, I am just saying that there is no car for $40,000 that can compete with the 5-series, but it looks like if you get a loaded CTS it will cost $47-48,000, and for a couple grand more people can get a 535i which is probably faster and comes with free maintenance and BMW's have great resale value. The fair matchup based on price and equipment is going to be the CTS vs the 335i and the 335i has a big performance edge due to it's smaller size. I hope this CTS is a smash hit, because the 3-series alone outsells the CTS, SRX, STS, DTS and XLR combined right now, and Cadillac needs some home run cars soon.

Seems like a lot of money once you option it up. And it seems like not very much at all is on the base car. I did the math, it gets near $50,000 with everything on it, that is getting into BMW 5-series price and the CTS isn't that caliber of car. Although the 335i loaded can touch $47,000, but that car is really fast.