My dad's ETC had to go to a special Cadillac service center, because the local all in one GM dealer service center basically ruined his Northstar V8. So now its getting a whole new engine, under warranty. That story is for another thread about how badly ran our local dealership is.

So they gave my dad a '06 DTS to drive for the week or so while his ETC will be at the Cadillac only service center. I picked up the car up, and it was a DTS Luxury I Standard, basically the no options DTS. I was expecting it to be a column shifter, split bench seat, soft over sprung suspension DTS that old people like to drive, boy was I surprised. First thing I noticed was this car has the center console and floor shifter, the second thing I noticed was the fit-n-finish and quality of materials in the interior, it is lightyears better than the ETC. Everything has a nice quality feel to it, the leather, ***** and switch gear, and the top dash pad had a soft textured rubbery feel to it and it produces no glare on the windsheild. The seats were great, soft yet firm and supportive where they needed to be, and they actually held you in place going around curves.
Performance was great out of the 275hp Northstar, it felt almost as strong as the 300hp version, but was some what more muffled than the ETC and the Bonneville GXPs that I've drove. Handling was very good for a large car, 17" wheels with touring tires standard. The car did not lean or overly bounce around like I thought it would, the car felt really tight and steering was quick. Maneuvering around in tight parking lots was a breeze, and taking a 180 degree intersate off ramp at high speed was actually fun, once again no leaning, and no squealing tires. Surprisingly the DTS stuck to the road like a performace sedan.

I came away highly impressed by the standard DTS, I would have expected more of these traits to be in the top of the line DTS Performance model but not in the standard DTS. Every car in the Cadillac lineup is now a true drivers car.

2 thumbs up for GM

 

I sat in a base DTS at the Springfield Auto Show about 2-3 months ago...I walked away extremely impressed with the inside...something you couldn't necessarily say about any other Deville, ever!

 

One of my installers at work is currently driving one of these (Avis rental- he travels a lot so they hook him up with high-end stuff at our mid-size corporate rate), and it's a nice car. A little softer sprung than I care for (I prefer the German/Japanese sport feel), but a nice ride nonetheless. Impressive how far Caddy has come. Of course, I still won't buy one, but...

 

my grandparents went from a 2000 DTS (the sporty model back then) to a 2006 DTS. They wish they had the 2000 back. The old one handled better, had more power, and was quieter.

 

Did they just get a regular DTS this time? As you mentioned, the previous car was the Deville, and DTS was the "touring" version (the sportiest level). If they now just bought a DTS (the only name of the car), it is quite possible they just got the standard model, set up for a cushier ride, less so for handling.

I have a hard time believing the old one was more quiet, though. Not that it was loud to begin with, but I doubt they released a new version without additional sound deadening measures. Especially since the old one would have had the more aggressive wheel/tire combo, whereas the new one might not...



EDIT: If the old one had more power, then they probably did NOT get the touring/uplevel version of the new one. Remember, there are two versions of the Northstar - 275 hp and 300 hp, in the front drive cars. The 2000 DTS would have had the 300 horse version; other Devilles would have the 275 hp version. I think the base versions of the car still use the 275 hp version. The 300 horse version also has a slightly more aggressive axle ratio, so it would be noticeably quicker. Also, the 300 hp engine is now rated at 291 or 293 hp, I think, since they went to the revised SAE rating system. It still makes the same power it made before, but the rating is more accurate. It is the only GM engine I'm aware of that lost a few hp (in the ratings) when using the new system. Most other engines went up slightly.

 

Any time I saw one of the older Devilles (2000ish) I felt sad that nobody got fired for that hiddeous design compared to a 5-series BMW or whatever.
New one = teh cool.
But are they FWD still?
FWIW, the coolest lookin luxo car would have to be a black Lincoln Town Car

 

5 Series? I don't think too many people are cross shopping a 5 Series and a DTS. The DTS is HUGE (bigger than a 7 Series, I believe). The STS is closer to a 5 Series...

Oddly enough, you mentioned the Town Car as cool looking, but the DTS was hideous next to a 5...

The Town Car and Deville/DTS are more direct competitors, both getting some of the "traditional" American luxury car buyers. Yes, the DTS is still FWD, but it will dynamically blow a Town Car into the weeds. Neither of them are 5 Series chasers, though the DTS could at least entertain the notion in touring trim. A Town Car, however, is like the anti- 5 series.

 

My mistake; i was talking about the interior design.

 

Let's throw fake wood veneer on top of the black corporate GM headunit! Nobody will know the difference and we'll be able to market it as a luxury vehicle!

 

I noticed that too. But, for one thing, I think only Caddy had those stereo and hvac controls. And for another thing, that was not available from the factory. Either that is a dealer installed "accessory" or an aftermarket accessory (my guess). Devilles sold here had the real Zebrano wood on the dash, but the stereo and surrounding area was a grey head unit (unique to Caddy), as was the custom at Caddy, Lexus, etc. at the time.

Normal Deville/DTS dash:

 

Black Town Cars (especially the LWB "exectuive" cars) remind me of the 50s-60s 'Rat Pack' age. The Black 300Cs remind me of the 20s-30s age of gangsters. Both are very cool and glamorious in their own way.

DTSs don't strike me as glamorious in any way. With the new restyling, tare no longer awkward looking cars & the interiors look great. But the 300C and even the Town Car make a bigger impression IMHO.

 

That is aftermarket flake sticker wood

 

I'm confused... what's a Cadillac ETC?

 

I know alot of people aren't too impressed with the DTS's styling. But I really like it alot. I think it's a very handsome, nicely proportioned, American sedan.

 

Eldorado Touring Coupe?