Edmunds' Entry Luxury Fun: Cadillac CTS vs. Infiniti G35 vs. MB C350

The Datsun wins in the hokey and fugly department :(

A good review. G35 definitely set the steering too fast and the rear break loose too easily- hence the "hyperactive" comment. In doing so it in fact narrows the ideal turn in speed range- Too slow, you didn't get the most out of this fantastic 7500rpm engine. Too fast, you are up to a "snap" condition. If you dial in too much correction, the car can get out of control, which happens to me once.

BMW, on the contrary, has a hint of understeer in initial turn in. However it's very easy to correct steering and throttle, and you can easily floor it starting from mid corner. I don't think a NA BMW, say, 330, can beat G35 in a lap. But it's definitely an easier car to drive.

C350? A shame for Merc to carry over that mediocre engine. I'd expect Merc to come up w/ something more advanced than anybody.

"C350? A shame for Merc to carry over that mediocre engine. I'd expect Merc to come up w/ something more advanced than anybody."

Have you driven it? Like the new A4 3.2, it may not be able to keep up with the competition, but it's more than enough power for a car of this size. Not fast enough for you? Get a C63 AMG, the fastest car in the hot rod segment.

mb didnt get too good of a review, and the cts won interesting.

Who's this guy and why should we take him seriously? Oh right! it's a blog...

Ok...

I can't be the only one who's had it with the CTS being clumped in with these compact sport/near luxury sedans.

After test driving the CTS extensively last week, I find more than competitive with both the BMW 5-Series and the Mercedes E-Class 6 cylinder variants.

The best part is that it looks better, has a far more luxurious interior and cost a lot less than both!

"The best part is that it looks better, has a far more luxurious interior..."

Subjective, subjective. It's a great-looking car, although I prefer the more refined look of the 5 and E Sport. The Germans also offer incredible luxury/performance balances, especially the 535i.

C Class is #1

Erich, I drove the new C and found its ride and seats too firm. Also the C feels much more cramped inside than the roomier CTS. The front bumper on the C is so low as to surely invite major repair bills when parking it nose first against the curb.

I like the sporty new look of the C and the 7-speed automatic. The C's 4MATIC is better than GM's el-cheapo AWD system but I would, in any event, simply order a CTS with RWD and LSD. Mercedes does not offer LSD on its RWD cars. Anyway I'm waiting for the GLK which may arrive too late for me as my current A6 Quattro lease expires in May 2008.

I want Cadillac to succeed just like most Americans, but some of the reviews about it are extremely overated and over-hyped. I took an '08 CTS on a test drive on Friday. First of all it competes with the 3, C, TL, GS, A4... (no matter what Caddy says about competing with 5-Series BMWs and the that class of car. I personally liked the TL-S that I drove a week ago more than the CTS. Don't get me wrong the CTS is a big step forward for American cars in general and a big improvement from the first generation CTS, but it still felt somewhat cheap to me. When I lifed the hood, the trim on the front edge of it was so flimsy that I felt it move in my hand, also the map pockets in the front doors have a trim piece that moved as well, the door panels felt hard, not plastickly, but hard just the same. Those "thin" seat they advertise look lopsided and don't come with leather as standard, they took a page from the Germans and made leatherette standard. Furthermore, my 4 year old son said "Daddy I like the Acura Advance more." He's a big car enthusiast as much as a 4 year old can be and he loved the TL-S we test drove. I drove the 3.6L CTS with 263 horsepower, but it felt considerably slower than the TL-S (both were automatics). Caddy wanted $40K for that car without navi, I could've gotten the TL-S for $34K with everything.
A few days prior to that, I stopped by the Mercedes dealer, I didn't have time to drive the car, but I was impressed by what I saw. For some reason, I still felt like something was missing, so I was then shown a model that was supposed to advocate breast cancer awareness, (no it didn't come in pink), but it had nicer interior trim and different wheels... but Merc decided to only offer the manual in the C300. The interior was good, but not outstanding.
Anyway, I was impressed with how far Cadillac has come but the longer I rode in the CTS, the more I realized that not much has changed over at Cadillac, but they have the right idea and are headed in the right direction. I own a 2005 TL 6-speed, does anyone else see the Acuraness of the the CTS's interior? The aluminum trim, the two stage dashboard, I know some people don't like acuras, but they are getting ready to release new designs...

erich:

i have enormous respect for mercedes. and i like many of their cars, but...

while the C-class is a very handsome car, i have to agree that it's just a bit boring for someone who enjoys an engaging driving experience. sadly, it's too posh of a ride and the handling is lacking in excitement for me....much the same reasons i don't favor lexus IS.

Blakura: "First of all it competes with the 3, C, TL, GS, A4..."

What? If the CTS competes with the Lexus GS and the 3er, then the 3er competes with the Lexus GS. The big red flag that is thrown up with your statement is: you have no flipping idea what you are talking about.

3er competes with IS, which competes with C-Class, A4, G, and so on. The CTS is more of a wild card that sits in a class of its own, similar to that of the TL. People WILL compare the CTS to the entry level luxury cars because of price. In entry level luxury, people will compare price probably more than anything else to see what else is offered for their money.

The Lexus GS most DEFINITELY does not compete with the 3er.

Erich, I agree with enthusiastx... the C does everything pretty well, but there's nothing it really excels in. The 3 Series gives you the perfect ride/handling balance. The new A4 gets jaw-dropping style and craftsmanship, inside and out. The IS has rock-solid reliability and all of the latest technology. The G35 comes with a raw driving experience.

Now, don't get me wrong: all of these cars look good, handle well, are luxurious and are reliable. But some just do some things better than others- and the C doesn't have a single thing that makes it stand out. It's simply not a class-leader. It's a me-too.

Xdrive, few would argue that the BMW 3 series is some sort of benchmark but the CTS is a much bigger bang for the buck. The only major advantage that the BMW has is its inherently-in-balance in-line 6 engine. I like the RWD CTS with LSD and BMW does not offer LSD for its RWD cars.

I'm pretty sure this test only included all-new-for-'08 models. Something strange: I'm pretty sure the G35 is an '07.

Beats me.

god job cadillac, but of course any GM vehicle winning in a test on here, either means they are bias, or the reviewer(s) didnt know what they were doing....come on GM got it right this time, thats all that it is

cadillac really has a winner on its hands here. congratulations!

seeing the three cars next to each other also makes clear that the cadillac is standout good looking. combine that with what i agree is the best interior of the bunch and great steering feel....wow.

i think cadillac is great but 335i is much better in terms of performance and obviously resale value. the cts just looks much better.

He admits it himself, the G is the sportiest (in an unforgiving mistu-evo kinda way) while the CTS is the best all-rounder...it should be, its suppose to be in the next class up...its technically not 'entry level' anymore (it is here because Caddy doesnt offer anything cheaper...yet)

I'm really impressed with the new CTS. It's beautiful, and offers a different appeal than the C class.

lmao that has to be the worst exucuse as to why the cts won this test......the new cts, is only slightly more than the outgoing model, and is nearly identical in size to the outgoing model. it is also the same size as the acura tl, and lexus es both of which are entry level cars. Im not sure why a car being in the next class up has anything to do with it being well rounded but ok....the CTS is a no excuses home run for GM, enough said

You're right, it has nothing to do with being well rounded. I just assume it is. Although, being in a class above entry-level, it should most definetely have a nicer interior, which this person mentions was a factor for choosing the CTS. It should also be roomier, more powerful, etc. Get it?

EXCUSE......by your logic the CTS is competing with the 5, a6, and e class, the CTS is by all means an excellent car in this segment, but its not good enough to fight in that segment or at that price point....hence those cars being thousands more including Cadillacs own STS or does the STS compete with the 7, a8, and s????....a GM vehicle won a test lay the excuses to bed

"Although, being in a class above entry-level, it should most definetely have a nicer interior..."

The new A4 and the IS both have interiors that are far better than the G. Does that push them a class above the rest, by your standards?

In fact, I wouldn't consider the G35 a compact, either. It, the TL and the CTS are all fairly large for this class.

the CTS is such a HUGE STEP forward, I can see great strides from GM now their lambda cars, trucks, and this CTS so ahead from its garbage in the recent past.

The new CTS has ugly enlarged rear quarter panels that bulge out. Has a very LARGE and droopy front grill (aka Chrysler 300, where are they now). Side profile looks plain. I tried to like it but just can't and the prices are VERY high. Looks too much like the STS. Interior is ok but looks like they tried too hard mashing all different elements together.

Sorry but I'll take a C-Class please. Best exterior of all three. Wait until you see more on the road and you will understand. The interior is a little boring but its functional and a little retro clean. Less is sometimes better.

First of all no one is an expert here so just give your opinions. Good or bad. I would not call the new C class boring, but MB is known for making cars with little road feel. Hell I had a SL550 that has little road feel/feedback due to all of the electronics and power steering. Some people like it and it is great for the average driver. I preferred the Porsche because I love the 'feel' and feedback of driving.

Typically people in the auto testing/mag industry are driver enthusiast and prefer feedback when driving.

My preference is the CTS in looks, bold and original. The G37 looks like a MB CLS front end and the C series looks like mini S-series. Not to mention the CTS has the best interior! Gotta see it, especially at night!

Then again I realize it is hard for people to believe Cadillac can compete as it did in the good ole days. If GM repeats and improves the Cadillac brand then it may convert nay sayers...