R&T: Does the new Cadillac CTS beat the Infiniti G35?

Personally, I could care less what Road and Track has to say on the matter. I would take the Cadillac.

I couldn't care less, that is.

I am not sure why anyone would buy the Cadillac. It still has that Boxy styling that reminds me of the Cimmeron.

BOXY IS HUMMERS, JEEPS, AND LAND ROVERS. In NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM IS THE CTS "BOXY". ANGULAR/SHARP MAYBE, BUT NOT BOXY...

lol...

the whole cadillac line-up follows the shape similar to a polygon.

but its different and i like the CTS, but i'd personally choose the G35.

Size not cost

Well... I certainly don't!

YES, DaHarder, we know...

i rather have the G35 you can't do better than the VQ35HR. And the styling of the CTS is horrible there is just some thing wrong with those short rear doors.

REAR DOORS: I THOUGHT SO TOO WHEN I FIRST SEEN PICS BUT AFTER A VISIT TO THE DEALER, I CHANGED MY MIND...

I have a lot of wheel time behind the G35x because my best friend has one. We have taken in on many road trips, and all I can say is that the car is fast, sometimes too fast. I have only had a few minutes behind the wheel of the new CTS. These two cars are way different in so many ways. The G35 tries so hard to be a 3 series. The CTS on the other hand doesn't try to be anything but itself. It handles fine and has a great ride. The ride in the G35 is way to stiff, almost tractor like and the steering is too weighted.

I can totally agree with you on the extremely stiff suspension. You can feel every little crack on the road. Then again I think it gives you more feedback that way. If you take a sharp turn really quickly it seems to make sense, well, it did for me.

the CTS would be my choice out of these 2, your right the CTS isnt trying to be anythign but itself. its nice looking, its more distinctive than the G, and i think the interior looks nicer as well

I have a lot of wheel time behind the G35x because my best friend has one. We have taken in on many road trips, and all I can say is that the car is fast, sometimes too fast. I have only had a few minutes behind the wheel of the new CTS. These two cars are way different in so many ways. The G35 tries so hard to be a 3 series. The CTS on the other hand doesn't try to be anything but itself. It handles fine and has a great ride. The ride in the G35 is way to stiff, almost tractor like and the steering is too weighted.

One thing that the Cadillac CTS has over the G35 is an visual elegance and an edge that no other manufacturer has been able to achieve before.

The CTS design is simply a masterpiece!

"The CTS design is simply a masterpiece!"

I really, really hope you are joking. The design of the new CTS is the definition of bad taste.

CTS and bad taste seem to go hand in hand. It's not a terrible looking car, just has too many geometric shapes and angles to it.

I'm very impressed with the G35, but unfortunately I'm too tall to fit in it. I've driven a new CTS, and even with the FE1 (base) suspension it handles okay. (I would probably get the FE2 or FE3 suspension myself.) I love that new V6 engine, the styling is striking, and I can fit in it - even with a sunroof! If the 2009 Audi A4 is too small for me, the new Caddy will be on my "short list" of alternative purchase prospects.

The A4 has grown six inches, so I don't think it will be too small. But I like the CTS a lot, too.

I choose the CTS in everyway known to man ;)

Currently I like the CTS a lot, I like the G35 as well. Currently I would place these cars in a tie position, because I like how the CTS is styled.

I remember some TWAT telling me i was wrong about the Plastic Dash with stitching made to look like Leather.

I KNOW there is no way a Profit Oriented company like caddilac would have engineered a Real Leather Covered Dash for a vehicle in this segment as it would reduce the profit margin on each vehicle.

Some may like this vehicle {Everyone is entitled to their opinions} but i stand by my reasons stated for not having this on my shortlist of preffered vehicles.

Just way too many uneeded styling cues for my liking. I prefer Function First, Form Following.

Hence the reasons for Liking the Audi & BMW Interiors. BMW Uncluttered & Functional, Audi an Ergonomical Paradise.

With CTS we have Plastic Dash made to look like Leather, we have Non Functional Side Cooling Vents, we have Droopy Face which i cannot find an aerodynamic reason for.

Only positive thing i can say about this Vehicle is that it is an Improvement on the Model it replaces.

"With CTS we have Plastic Dash made to look like Leather"

The dash IS leather. I was at the dealership less than a month ago- the dash is leather. Not the highest quality leather, but it most certainly is such.

ok your statement is full of contradictions. what is the aerodynamic point behind the blunt audi nose and the huge grill.....or what is the difference between a leatherette covered dash, and a plastic dash if the dash is plastic anyway....i like the 3 series as much as anyone else but not even in the 3 series, has a real leather dash, or even a leatherette dash, and neither does the audi a4. the cheapest audi with the leather dash option in a sedan by the way is the high dollar S6. and as much of a BMW fan i am not even the fully loaded 550i priced just about the same as the S6 has a leather dash or leatherette dash for that matter. so what is your point....that wrapping a dash in leatherette, which shows attention to detail, shows poor quality and costs cutting, as compared to a plastic dash....thats not logic. but hey its Cadillac thats reason enough not to like it.....comeon some people....i hate unsupported bias against cars

ok your statement is full of contradictions. what is the aerodynamic point behind the blunt audi nose and the huge grill.....or what is the difference between a leatherette covered dash, and a plastic dash if the dash is plastic anyway....i like the 3 series as much as anyone else but not even in the 3 series, has a real leather dash, or even a leatherette dash, and neither does the audi a4. the cheapest audi with the leather dash option in a sedan by the way is the high dollar S6. and as much of a BMW fan i am not even the fully loaded 550i priced just about the same as the S6 has a leather dash or leatherette dash for that matter. so what is your point....that wrapping a dash in leatherette, which shows attention to detail, shows poor quality and costs cutting, as compared to a plastic dash....thats not logic. but hey its Cadillac thats reason enough not to like it.....comeon some people....i hate unsupported bias against cars

The article said itself it is a leather look alike, and not real leather, and its still not padded leather.

Well, the dash may not be leather. The dealership told me it was, but I cannot fund anything that refers to its material. It is cut an sewn- it isn't embossed plastic- and I do believe hat it had some padding underneath.

Its a plastic material, if it were real I'm sure GM would make special note of it in the interior features of their website for starters. Why make a leather dash but put painted plastic trim as aluminum? I would prefer the reverse.

I dont know why this is so difficult for you guys to understand.

Cutting and stitching Plastic to immitate leather is probably more Time & Labour Intesive and therefore more Expensive than designing a good Plastic Dash. I completely detest fake stuff

Fake Leather Covered Dash {Designed to resemble Real Leather}
Fake Aluminium Console {Painted Plastic to resemble Real Aluminium}
Fake Side Vents { Designed to resemble a Functioning Engine Vent}

Hell, the salesmen are even Lying to potential customers about the Fake Dash All this effort to make a vehicle look better or seem more expensive than it really is.

What you have not asked yourself is this; If they are willing to do all this Window Dressing with the things you can see a first glance, what other cheap stuff has been glossed over with the Main Running Gear of the Vehicle ??

THE THINGS YOU CANNOT SEE.

bmwdrvr

Thats The Bloody point, the 3-series & the A4 & the C-Class are not trying to impress customers with FAKE STUFF.

The side vents in the M3 is REAL
The Alumimium in the A4 is REAL
Both have REAL PLASTIC DASHES

This reminds me of the first time I rented a lincoln LS V8, I was told by Hertz that it is the american equivalent to the Jag S-Type, then i got inside and realized that the Sides of the Seats & Headrests and the Whole armrest and the Door Linings were all Fake Leather that was Textured and Coloured to look like the real thing.

Makes me wonder which Bean Counter thought that the buying public were too Dim Witted to notice the difference ?

Then again i guess they were right, the LS did OK in the USA, they did not even try to sell it outside of North America. Maybe they knew the rest of the world would not be so Dim Witted.

no thats not the point....if the dash is plastic its plastic....whether its vinyl, leatherette, or just plain plastic...who cares. that is by no means, away to say the CTS is low grade...but it more so saids the time spend into putting it together, because they could have just had a plain old everyday plastic dash.....not just that but hell if your going to have a bias against a car...at least be factual...is that real leather on the door of the S5???? NO!!!!!, and thats a 60grand car. why would a entry level 32-44 grand car have a leathered covered dash thats for high dollar cars. How many cars in this class, dont use real aluminum, or real wood, or real leather.....even the 911 what at over 70 grand doesnt use real aluminum. The Lexus ISF does its the trim on the doors and center console what it looks like no its plastic!!!!, before your Bias has you pointing Fingers at Cadillac find Logic, and ask Logic does your argument have any Merit, and the Answer a Big NO!!

What are you talking about with the leather-covered doors in the S5? It has leather inserts if you get the Nappa leather seats, but it has Alcantara as standard.

I understand I95's point. Audi, BMW and Merc make no apologies for their use of plastic--they just present it in an expensive, substantial way. Cadillac tries to disguise it with their over-hyped "French stitching." And the fake aluminum does annoy me. It's a nice interior, but it is not class-leading when you consider how it's built.

I don't like fake things, either. It reminds me of a Rolex knockoff. Nasty.

And for some reason, whenever I think of GM products, I think of the McDonald's ad campaign a few years back where they were touting their "premium" chicken strips. The word "premium" always comes to mind when talking about GM, and not in a good way. I want the General to succeed-I really do-but they need to put a lot of effort into it to get back to full potential.

Take the new Malibu. It looks nice, but at the same time I still think it looks cheap. Don't ask me why. It just has an air of cost-cutting about it. So do many new GM products, with the notable exceptions of the GMC Acadia and Yukon Denali.

no sir thats not real leather, ive sat in one, and the salesman agreed the "leather" on the door panels is not real. while how odd it is to call Cadillac a brand similar to Mcdonalds....when Audi was founded and built on being simply PREMIUM VW, they always have been, same engines, same chassis, for the most part the same quality interiors they have in recent years tried to seperate themselves further....The Cadillac CTS shares its platform with what other GM NON Cadillac Car...NONE. As a matter fact while were also pointing to fingers at the GUys to Bias to realize that there other Good Cars than the ones they are way to into...UHM Audi doesnt have anything else fake in their interiors? you may want to look into that because your dead wrong if you think that they dont. The point isnt Trash Audi but that a car is a car, It being A GM product doesnt make it any less a Car than any other Luxury Brand, that and if you are going to talk about fake stuff shouldnt be in a car make a list of cars that do from VW up to Mercedes, Acura, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus the list doesnt end there use fake materials its called the all mighty dollar....if every piece of silver was aluminum, and everything that looked like leather was in cars, and entry level cars interiors were wrapped in leather they would be priced with ULTRA LUXURY cars and if not that high thousands more than they are.....Check the Bias at the Door, and get some more facts

I must say I seen a CTS yesterday on the road and it looks good, it has a very wide stance that reminds me of the TL when it came out. Acura better come strong next year because Cadillac has woken up and the market is getting competitive.

Some times I hate americans. No body understand you. Cadillac CTS is beautiful to my eyes. A lot better than the Aerostyle of the G35, All Aero cars looks the same, Cadillac deservers a lot of congratulations for that desing which is better than the BMW 5 series, MB E series or even Audi 6 series. The Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, thats final. I cant say that the G35 is ugly just because I don't like it, is not fair. However most of the Americans will go against their own product for any stupid reason, I Can't understad that due the CTS is great and Singular, Not Boxy just angular. You should take a design course before to talk about design.....MAGE.

Personally I like the Caddy more. It seems higher quality and just a better car. The only reason I would be tempted to go w/ the G (and its a big temptation is b/c you can get one w/ 2 doors. I personally think the styling on the Caddy is one of the nicer ones on the market right now. If they made a sporty 2 door version I wouldn't hesitate to buy one.

Black CTS please.

CTS rocks! Great design and individuality throughout and a non imitator compared to the G35.

All I can say is, "Lead, Follow or Get Out Of the Way!!!" The Caddy CTS IS leading like it or not! After owning my '08 CTS for almost two monthsnow, this car definitely brings about that something the competition is lacking and I'm loving it!

If only the CTS has more power....

I'd take the CTS.

Neither cars do anything for me. Styling wise, I prefer the G35, but the CTS's styling is a big yet quite subtle improvement over the outgoing model.

Ok, I'm going to jump in here. First of all, cudos to GM and the entire staff over at Cadillac for the work the're doing on this and every other platform the're working on.

As someone above me already said, "They don't try to be anyone else but themselves". Thank You! Thank you for taking that position. In a world of copycat designs and engineering, it's refreshing to see someone stand up and say hey! We're American and proud of it.

This is not a friendly business. It takes balls to walk these halls. It is so easy to look over your shoulder or right in front of you and want to copy what the other guys are doing. GM is demonstating to me at least, that they want to offer something on the same level of performance and quality as other luxury manufacturers in the business but will do it their own way.

My hat's also off to the US suppliers who have really stepped up to the plate as well. GM could have called up Bosch and bought ESP. They didn't, they stuck with Stabilitrack. Same goes for Borg Warner, Delphi and the rest. They all are offering products on par with the best in the business. Thank You!

Now Rick, about that new Vette..........

CTS looks nice.

an article about the also-rans ... the oh, i was so close to beating the BMW .. zzzzzz

I hope it doesn't have that "simulated wood" in this one.

The "aluminum" is painted, so I doubt it has real wood

I think the G35 is pretty nice too.

The old people will be heard!!! LOL. I think its the same 60+ Lexus lovers that would choose a cadillac CTS over a G35. I dont care how sporty you make a cadillac, it still has that old man image! There is no way I would buy a cadillac for myself. Now for my parents...thats another story. All I can say here is.. some of you are showing your age... lol. Now I must admit the CTS is VERY appealing. I love the styling. But I still say it should go up against the ES330. Thats its competition. If you want a smooth old man luxury car for its aging buyers, go with the ES Lexus or CTS. If you want a younger, sportier car, the smaller sportier infiniti or 3 series would be your option. NOW, I can admit that maybe the CTS has started to appeal to people now as young as 40 or 50???? Maybe the next generation would appeal to an even younger crowd!

Nah, Dude! You need to driver an '08 CTS. I'm 30years old. I swore by BMWs and have owned 4 new ones. If Caddy does make a coupe somewhat comparable to the 3 Series Coupe/ Convertible, my 330CiC is history and I'm not looking back!