[SleepTight]

Most of you know me. I'm a BMW guy and I have been an active member of this forum for over a year. In fact, I just bought my wife a new X5. I was really looking forward to the F10 and I extended my lease on my 2008 BMW 535xi for four months so that I could get the new 5-Series Since I wanted something sportier than my 535, I had decided on a 550 as my replacement.

Then I test drove the new 550. It's a 750i. It is not a sports sedan.

The next day I walked into a Cadillac dealer and test drove a CTS-V. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the V, it looks very similar to the plain vanilla Cadillac CTS but it has a supercharged Corvette engine good for 556 horsepower, a beefed up transmission and Cadillac's proprietary magnetic ride control. It was designed to beat the E60 based M5 and most every car magazine agrees that it does. It stickers in the high $60s with a fully optioned up model at around $71,000 just like a certain other V8 sedan.

Out of deference to the fact that I am on a BMW forum, I will not go on and on about the CTS-V beyond saying that I never thought about going back to the 550 and immediately began my quest for a fully optioned up V to purchase.

I don't want to stir the pot and I'm sure I'm going to pick up my share of flames for this, but for those of you who are dissatisfied with the F10's skewing away from the sports side of the equation toward the comfort side, you really owe it to yourself to test drive the CTS-V.

[kscarrol]

This is exactly why I will be ordering a new M3 to replace my 2008 550 when my lease is up in October. BMW has moved the 5 from a sports luxury sedan to a luxury sports sedan. The F10 is a great car, just targeting a slightly different market and not what I'm looking for. It is a too close to the 7 series IMO.

[Raja Ventureshield]

the cts v looks good but the resale value would scare me on the caddilac.

i do want to drive one.

[wessew10]

The CTS V looks good but the F10 M5 will be introduced in a few months and be available for purchase next Spring. I am waiting for the M5.

[paulbazo]

Originally Posted by wessew10

The CTS V looks good but the F10 M5 will be introduced in a few months and be available for purchase next Spring. I am waiting for the M5.

The CTS V is a Cadillac, other than that, it seems OK

[Soon ExAudi Guy]

Fortunately, there's a car for every one's taste! The CTS-V is a vehicle to be respected. Hopefully you'll enjoy it! Coming from Audi's, I'm excited to get my 535.

[CanadianGOLD2010]

Before I made my decision to buy my new 535I, I did a long test drive on the CTS-V. It had amazing accelleration and the engine sounded so sweet. I am a current E92 M3 owner and the performance seemed pretty impressive on the cts-v. I guess I could not get over the rest of the vehicle though. It just didn't feel like it had the same quality as the BMW and definately not the same panache. While my 535 doesn't have anywhere near the pick up and go of the CTSV, for me, it is a nicer and more well rounded car. Having said that I am jealous of your accelleration!!

[ibimmer954]

I sat in a CTS at the San Diego Auto Show. I wasn't happy with the interior at all. Didn't look very nice to me, too much plastic chrome. Wasn't very comfortable in it.

[Grizzles]

I am definitely not a Cadillac man, never was never will be.

[SCOTT26]

The CTS V looks good but the F10 M5 will be introduced in a few months and be available for purchase next Spring. I am waiting for the M5.

The new M5 will have it's world premiere at the IAA in Frankfurt next September. Dr. Kay Segler says in the 1M interview that we will launch the M5in the second half of 2011.

The car is not complete and still in testing.
It will not be available next Spring.

[Gsquared]

When I travel (which I do a lot) I rent CTS from Avis and when I get home I do not want to drive a car that looks like the rental car I just drove. I also drove teh CTS-V and it is an awesom ride but I still went for the 550i.

[HaloEye]

i like the cts v but i am not exactly sure i would buy one. i do not like how it looks like the regular CTS with a different hood/bonnet. I would of liked to see something to make it stand out a little more. I know what some of you may say, that was cadillacs plan, to make a modest looking car, but would of liked to see it stand out a little more over the CTS. What made me not like the CTS-V is when i would see one and just think it is a CTS until i see the V emblem then i am like... Oh cool a cts-v. I do like the CTS-V coupe though, i cant wait to test one of those

I personally am waiting to see how the new A6 will be. I would consider the M5 but i am sure i will not like the price tag.

[gatoman39]

The problem with buying a highly specialized vehicle is that if you ever plan on selling it, it's not like selling a Honda Accord. The secondary market is thin and narrow. Now if your talking about a 911 turbo or an M3/M5, or Corvette there is a dedicated following full of enthusiasts that make it easier to shift the car. Cars that have little to no generational heritage will be harder to sell and you will find that the residual values are horrible. Ask anyone who bot a Jaguar Type R anything, or performance version of a car that isn't a pure breed sports car with a viral group of followers. I'm not saying the CTS-V isn't a respectable car at all, in fact, it's a beast; all I'm saying is that if you plan on selling it after a few years, it's gonna be a tough sell.

[NlckyBlack]

wait for the F10 m5. game over

[SleepTight]

Hi. I'm going to respond to the comments here because they all raise good points and I do love a good, informed car discussion.

Resale Value The V is a not a typical Cadillac and is a pretty rare bird--a little more than 3,000 are produced every year with a surprising number going to the Persian Gulf countries. If you compare the 2009 V with a similar 2009 BMW 550 on Kelley Blue Book, you will find that the V has a higher resale value. I would also add that if you are one of those people who are concerned about the bottom line, you can finance a V through GMAC for up to 72 months interest free (thanks, U.S. Taxpayers). 72 months at 0% interest goes a long way toward offsetting depreciation if you are considering total cost of ownership.

Interior The new F10 interior has it over the V (and every other car in the class). That point is not even debatable. In fact, the thing that most impressed me about the new F10 was the quality of materials and fit and finish of the interior. In addition, the new iDrive system (which is what's in my Wife's 2011 X5) is at least three generations ahead of the navigation system in the V. That being said, the CTS-V's is not a bad interior by any means--the ergonomics are very good in that gauges and controls are right where you want them and the optional Recaro seats have loads of adjustments and are the second most comfortable seats I've ever sat in (however, the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in were the comfort seats in my old BMW 535). Also, for those of you who care about such things, I think the V's Bose audio system is subjectively better sounding than my old BMW's with the premium sound option.

F10 M5 Obviously BMW is going come at the CTS-V with everything they have with the new M5. I'm sure they are still smarting from the V's besting of the last generation M5 at the Nurburgring and in the automotive press. Perhaps BMW will be successful in this effort, perhaps not. It's all speculation until the new M5 actually makes an appearance. But here's what I know for sure: (1) you can order a 2011 CTS-V and be driving by late August and nobody knows for sure when the new M5 will be available here in the U.S.; (2) the new M5 will be (just like the old M5) way more expensive than the V, a 2010 M5 has an MSRP of $90,000 before you even begin to option it up, while a fully loaded 2010 V strains to crack $70,000---$20k buys you an awful lot of track days and racing tires and I assume the F10 M5 will be at least $25k more expensive than a 2011 V; (3) as compared to the E60 M5 (which I've driven many, many times on the street and one full day on the track), the V is a far easier car to live with as a daily driver--the transmission in the V is way smoother (though admittedly, slower) than either the SMG in the old M5 or the M3's dual clutch transmission that we all assume will make it into the new M5; the acceleration is more tractable and forgiving at 1/8 to 1/4 throttle on the V and, unlike the M5's ride, which can be very punishing on the average U.S. road, the suspension of the V is an absolute masterpiece of engineering, providing a very smooth ride one second and uncompromising firmness and response when needed, full credit goes to Delphi's awesome MagneRide system, which is not just used in the V, it's also in the Ferrari 599.

In short, I like and respect BMW and if the new M5 turns out to be a World beater, I will happily consider it in a couple of years when I'm sick of my V. I'm just not happy with the direction BMW took away from its sports sedan roots with the new F10. I wanted a more exciting vehicle and for me, the V was the way to go. Choice is good and a little healthy competition definitely improves the product no matter which manufacturer's products you ultimately purchase.

[Robin_NL]

Nice discussion with left to right valid points indeed , but there is one car which is problably the sportiest laidback new sedan in its class, the C63 AMG(ok interior space I know).

Cheers
Robin(ex E90 M3 owner.)

[lindros2]

Originally Posted by SleepTight

Resale Value The V is a not a typical Cadillac and is a pretty rare bird--a little more than 3,000 are produced every year with a surprising number going to the Persian Gulf countries. If you compare the 2009 V with a similar 2009 BMW 550 on Kelley Blue Book, you will find that the V has a higher resale value.

Yeah, dude, in a perfect world this might be true. But resale value is NOTHING without a buyer. I would know - I've owned Porsche 911s, an Audi RS6, and most recently a Nissan GT-R. While the GT-R has the highest resale value of the bunch (higher than original MSRP, I might add), trying to get a buyer was difficult.

I can tell you first-hand that the market for a USED CTS-V is *NOT* going to be nearly the market for a 550i. Good luck selling it. And if you end up with a lemon, you'll be doubly screwed.

Interior That being said, the CTS-V's is not a bad interior by any means--the ergonomics are very good in that gauges and controls are right where you want them and the optional Recaro seats have loads of adjustments and are the second most comfortable seats I've ever sat in

I rent CTS's all the time (I've put about 25,000 miles on various CTS models over the past two years). The CTS interior is tight (I mean 'small', not the 'urban' meaning of 'tight'). It boggles my mind how Cadillac can make an exterior so large with an interior that was planned by retards. Case in point - my CURRENT loaner is a 2010 SRX. It's huge in my garage, yet the interior is poorly thought out. Good luck quantifying the switches (also - why the hell do American cars have the volume control on the RIGHT side of the steering wheel? Can't I just reach down with my RIGHT hand?)


I think you're rationalizing a decision which you will come to regret.

[Bimmer5]

The CTS may look good and the CTS-V may be fast. But for me I dont want anything to do with any American made car. Or from a bankrupt company owned by the govt.
But I hope you enjoy your new ride.
BMW all the way!!!!

[gatoman39]

Originally Posted by Bimmer5

The CTS may look good and the CTS-V may be fast. But for me I dont want anything to do with any American made car. Or from a bankrupt company owned by the govt.
But I hope you enjoy your new ride.
BMW all the way!!!!

I can't get on board with American cars anymore. I'd buy a truck, but that's probably about it. On average the cars don't wear very well compared to foreign cars. Here is the front brake set up on the Camaro SS. It's things like sticking weights to a brake caliper as a cheap solution to a vibration problem, that make me not want to buy anything American...



"Them's some big brakes - much bigger than the 2-piston sliding calipers found on the front of our dearly departed G8 GT. These calipers (green) are 4-piston fixed units from Brembo. A clump of mass-damping weights (white) have been unceremoniously stuck to them (where they don't show much), presumably to quell a resonant vibration. The ventilated rotors (yellow) are 1-piece cast units."
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS: Suspension Walkaround

[lindros2]

For those even remotely considering something similar, here is the 2010 SRX. You can clearly see the materials and quality are on par with a BMW 550i... not.

[SleepTight]

LOL! Way to compare a stripper version of a different model to the top-line sedan Cadillac makes. As I said, the F10 interior is superior to the V, but the V interior is infinitely superior to the baseline SRX.

This is a CTS-V interior:



Here it is with the sapele wood option:



Here's a closeup of the leather and suede Recaro seats:



The interior may not be to everybody's taste, but it's way beyond the baseline SRX's interior.

[TonyMeister]

I'm sorry, but the author is comparing a BMW 550i to a Cadillac CTS-V and that's about as stupid as any comparison gets.

Standard BMWs are designed for luxurious motoring, which means a smooth ride (soft or soggy like some of you call it) and light steering (or numb steering like some of you call it).

An standard 550i is designed to waft along. It's a luxurious BMW 5-series.

A CTS-V is a sports saloon, it's a Cadillac CTS designed to tackle a racing track.

See the difference? You are comparing two very different animals.

Compare a sports saloon to a sports saloon, compare a luxury saloon to a luxury saloon, don't you dare to have the bloody cheek to compare a sports saloon to a luxury saloon, because it just doesn't make any sense.