Ride Report: 2005 Cadillac STS
Sep 9, 2005, 10:01 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2004
Location: VA
Programs: Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver, Hertz #1 Gold, Avis Preferred
Posts: 709
Ride Report: 2005 Cadillac STS
I reserved an STS for a 5 day trip to San Deigo over Labor Day. Arrived around 9 pm at SAN from the east coast, and proceeded to the #1 Club Gold desk, since it was my first Gold rental. Attendant provided me with keys, but didn't mention the Cadillac was not available until I asked. He told me he was giving me a 'free Jag.' Since it was so late, I figured I'd just give it a try and get going. It turned out to be a powder blue X-Type. I'm 6'2, and I barely fit it in it---my legs rubbed up against the steering wheel. It was new but had a terrible squeak coming out of the back. Suffice to say, the next morning, I was back at Hertz, this time with a black STS waiting for me. Hertz was helpful on the transfer, and the attendant at SAN the next morning said she didn't blame me one bit for trying to trade out the Jag.
This is the STS website:
http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/....jsp?model=sts
Base price is $41,000. Hertz appears to add the V6 Luxury Package, which runs around $44k.
The model I had was black, equipped with sunroof, XM satellite radio (activated), Neverlost (it did not have its own Nav system), and all the goodies you'd expect--dual heated/cooled seats, in depth trip computers, leather, wood trim, autostick--quite a long list of features.
It was equipped with the base engine, a 3.6L 255HP V6. I've seen 0-60 numbers for this engine around the 6.8-7.2 range, which felt about right. Throttle response was excellent. The car felt very, very powerful, and I rountinely found myself travelling 90 mph on the freeway without even realizing it--well under 3000 rpm. I'm sure the Northstar V8 is outstanding, but the V6 is more than adequate.
I was extremely impressed, overall, with this car. The transmission (always a GM strong suit) was well suited, handling was excellent. The cabin was tasetfully decorated with high quality materials. Seats were large, the leather was soft and comfortable. There is not all that much rear seat room, however, but it was just my wife and I so it didn't matter. Trunk space was not all that impressive either.
Stereo quality was also excellent---it was a Bose system, with 2 bands of XM, 2 FM, and 1 AM and a 6 disc in dash changer.
There is no ignition slot for a key, rather it is operated on a push button system--you have to have the key fob to activate. A few times, the keyless entry did not appear to work, which was curious. The check engine light also came on in the last day or so, by consulting the owners manual it appeared to be an emissions related matter which I relayed to Hertz when I returned the car.
In about 400 miles of mixed, and frankly rather aggressive driving, I averaged 18.9 mpg. We did drive quite a bit in downtown San Diego, stopping frequently at the lights in the Gaslamp Quarter, which clearly brought mileage down.
A note about styling. I'm actually in my mid 20's, and I understand that the target audience for this car is older than I am. However, to my eyes, this is absolutely one of the most striking cars on the road, much more so in person than in pictures. The grill in particlar is quite imposing...it looks like a 'don't mess with me' type of vehicle, and it has the performance to back it up. In black, the car was particular attractive.
Overall, we really enjoyed this car, and I would highly recommend it. We rented it for $68.99/day which was well worth it...the other vehicles at the same price were the Jag X Type and the Lincoln LS, and the STS is clearly in a different league than those two.
This is the STS website:
http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/....jsp?model=sts
Base price is $41,000. Hertz appears to add the V6 Luxury Package, which runs around $44k.
The model I had was black, equipped with sunroof, XM satellite radio (activated), Neverlost (it did not have its own Nav system), and all the goodies you'd expect--dual heated/cooled seats, in depth trip computers, leather, wood trim, autostick--quite a long list of features.
It was equipped with the base engine, a 3.6L 255HP V6. I've seen 0-60 numbers for this engine around the 6.8-7.2 range, which felt about right. Throttle response was excellent. The car felt very, very powerful, and I rountinely found myself travelling 90 mph on the freeway without even realizing it--well under 3000 rpm. I'm sure the Northstar V8 is outstanding, but the V6 is more than adequate.
I was extremely impressed, overall, with this car. The transmission (always a GM strong suit) was well suited, handling was excellent. The cabin was tasetfully decorated with high quality materials. Seats were large, the leather was soft and comfortable. There is not all that much rear seat room, however, but it was just my wife and I so it didn't matter. Trunk space was not all that impressive either.
Stereo quality was also excellent---it was a Bose system, with 2 bands of XM, 2 FM, and 1 AM and a 6 disc in dash changer.
There is no ignition slot for a key, rather it is operated on a push button system--you have to have the key fob to activate. A few times, the keyless entry did not appear to work, which was curious. The check engine light also came on in the last day or so, by consulting the owners manual it appeared to be an emissions related matter which I relayed to Hertz when I returned the car.
In about 400 miles of mixed, and frankly rather aggressive driving, I averaged 18.9 mpg. We did drive quite a bit in downtown San Diego, stopping frequently at the lights in the Gaslamp Quarter, which clearly brought mileage down.
A note about styling. I'm actually in my mid 20's, and I understand that the target audience for this car is older than I am. However, to my eyes, this is absolutely one of the most striking cars on the road, much more so in person than in pictures. The grill in particlar is quite imposing...it looks like a 'don't mess with me' type of vehicle, and it has the performance to back it up. In black, the car was particular attractive.
Overall, we really enjoyed this car, and I would highly recommend it. We rented it for $68.99/day which was well worth it...the other vehicles at the same price were the Jag X Type and the Lincoln LS, and the STS is clearly in a different league than those two.
Sep 9, 2005, 10:14 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: San Diego US and Brisbane AU
Programs: AA EXP/2MM - DL PM - OZ Diamond - Bonvoy LTT - Hyatt Glob - IHG Plat - National EE - Sixt Platinum
Posts: 1,315
Thanks for the review. ^
I'm in my early 20s and also agree with you on the styling -- very clean and aggressive, especially in light of some of the weird design elements luxury carmakers have been putting in theirs car lately (*cough* BMW *cough*
).
The STS-v in particular looks downright menacing...
http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/i...2004153015.jpg
The STS, S4 Cabriolet and LR3 are still on my short list of Prestige cars to try out, so hopefully I'll be able to take a spin in one soon!
I'm in my early 20s and also agree with you on the styling -- very clean and aggressive, especially in light of some of the weird design elements luxury carmakers have been putting in theirs car lately (*cough* BMW *cough*
). The STS-v in particular looks downright menacing...
http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/i...2004153015.jpg
The STS, S4 Cabriolet and LR3 are still on my short list of Prestige cars to try out, so hopefully I'll be able to take a spin in one soon!
Last edited by SpeedRicer; Sep 9, 2005 at 10:18 am
Dec 16, 2005, 8:26 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: San Diego US and Brisbane AU
Programs: AA EXP/2MM - DL PM - OZ Diamond - Bonvoy LTT - Hyatt Glob - IHG Plat - National EE - Sixt Platinum
Posts: 1,315
Finally got ahold of one, and indeed, it is a blast to drive. ^ The only real complaint I had was that there were a few flimsy interior bits, but this particular example had some miles on it, so this may not necessarily reflect the quality of the interior. On the other hand, the 3.6L was a gem, handling/steering was composed and direct, features and gadgets were plentiful and the design is very sharp. All in all, a very nice car...
Here's a blurry cell-phone pic of mine...
Here's a blurry cell-phone pic of mine...
Apr 24, 2006, 2:25 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,658
Just came back from having rented a Northstar V8 STS in Texas. It was an awesome car, and after driving it I'm firmly of the opinion that GM's troubles are NOT rooted in shoddy engineering. Unlike others, I'm not a fan of the carved-from-a-bar-of-soap styling and would actually prefer something more BMW-esque. As a fairly regular BMW driver, I couldn't help wondering if the STS demographic wouldn't shift quite a bit if the car were styled so as to appeal to a slightly younger audience. I also couldn't help wondering how GM's fortunes might change if some of the excellent engineering in this car were shared with some other, lesser GM vehicles to enhance their performance and thus value for dollar spent.