Bruce Nunnally Posted September 4, 2005 Report Share Posted September 4, 2005 Car&Driver Oct 05 included the 2006 CTS 3.6L with 6 speed manual in a $35K sport sedan comparo, rating it 6 of 8, and loving the BMW 330i instead. Their 0-60mph time for the CTs 3.6L 6spd was a disappointing 6.9 seconds, quartermile in 15.2s @92 mph. Weight is listed at 3,780 lbs, which seems higher than the normal 3,694 lbs listed for the CTS. Highs: styling, torque, paint. Lows: exhaust drone (?), blurry controls (?), dash a generation behind competitiors. One quote I did like: "This is still the most entertaining GM car after the Corvette". Normally the A5 CTS has tested at 6.4-6.6sec 0-60 mph; either the 6speed manual is slower than the automatic, or the CTS they got was having a bad day? The car they tested did have the 18 inch sport/appearance wheels, which would not help acceleration. Skidpad was 0.83g's; top was the Acura TL at 0.91g's; BMW 330i was 0.87g's. The CTS had the least rubber in the test, with 225/50R-18s. Good news for GM is that in the same issue, C&D tested the new Z06 Corvette, with 505hp, at 0-60 in 3.6s and quarter 11.7@125mph. This is a good showing I think for the Z06. Rumor has it that engine is headed for the CTS-V in the future. Also, C&D tested a Grand Prix GXP with the 5.3L V8. This is a front wheel drive car, with the 5.3L OHV V8 transversely mounted and making 303 hp. Pontiac took a interesting approach, and ship the car with 255/45R-18's on the front drive wheels, and 225/50R-18's on the back. C&D measured the GXP 0-60 at 5.7s, quartermile in 14.3s@98mph, very good numbers. Consider that you can get a GXP for something under $30K if you shop well, and it is a interesting car. Finally, C&D covered the Solstice and compared to the Miata (MX5 now) with a positive review for the Solstice. So overall I would say this was a good glossy issue for GM, although not so much for Cadillac. Some day hopefully we will see Cadillacs get better reviews. At least the modern cars are taken seriously by the auto press. Hard to think of the CTS as an old design, but ok. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT.ROCK Posted September 4, 2005 Report Share Posted September 4, 2005 I got my Oct. Motor Trend and they did a first drive of the Z06 and Solstice and gave them both positive reviews and picked on the Fiero in the Solstice test which I am a Fiero fan and didnt care for but Oh well. Cant wait for the Car and Driver to come in the mail, though it seems no matter how good I think a GM car is they always slam it some how. I sometimes think they should move there base of operations over to Europe and stick to testing BMWs and FERRARIS since they seem to think those cars can do no wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justgreat Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 what are the final drive ratios for the automatic and the manual 3.6's? jackg 90seville 98k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 I read that article (with the CTS) and wrote a letter to the editor about it. Those guys are so BMW-brainwashed it's hard to believe. First off, they had to "jiggle the key" to get the Bimmer to start. Yeah, quality right out of the gate! Then the ABS failed, causing them to spin out. C'mon, ABS is one of the most basic safety features on a modern automobile. And on top of all that, there may or may not have been a problem with an airbag. And in the end, the Bimmer didn't really pull ahead of the objective tests, so they gave it JUST enough points in their loosy-goosy "Gotta have it" factor so it'd win by just a SINGLE point. Ahhh... Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted September 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 what are the final drive ratios for the automatic and the manual 3.6's? jackg 90seville 98k Both 3.42's I think. I checked that also. May be something simple like the 6speed needs 2 gear changes to his 60 vs 1 for the 5speed auto? Would need to see a full review and 0-10,20,30,..100 to tell if really slower or just suboptimal gearing. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMWburner Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 The new bimmers also lack a conventional dip stick. You can check your oil from the NAV system and that's cool, but it still needs a dip stick. BMW has always had flashy, but cheap electronics. I was shopping for a 3 before I decided on an STS, besides being a better car for the money, I didn't find a single one where the DIC didn't work, or there were electrical prblems. Lots of mid 90's bimmers had sections of displays out, faulty codes, or god know what. They are great cars, but for the money, c' mon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMWburner Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Besides, I never take those reviews too seriously. They never actually have to keep the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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