I have been shopping for a nice, low mile 2008 Cadillac STS-V. After test driving a new 2010 Cadillac SRX Premium Model, it struck me that a 2009 Cadillac CTS Premium Collection might be a terrific car for me, in that it captures all the cool features in the current Cadillacs, almost fits my budget, is a newer vehicle, and gets the high MPG that the STS-V would not.
Both of these vehicles are ‘fully loaded’, and share a lot of features. The STS-V has a longer wheelbase (116.4″ vs 113.4″) which goes to more rear leg room, and weighs more (4,394 lbs vs 3874 lbs largely due to the added performance gear). Otherwise, what features would one have that the other would not?
Equipment on the STS-V not available in the CTS or similar but different:
- Engine, Northstar supercharged 4.4L V8 DOHC MFI, Variable Valve Timing (469 hp (349 kW] @ 6400 rpm, 439 lb-ft of torque [595 N-m] @ 3900 rpm) 13/19 mpg
- Head-Up Display, 4-color, reconfigurable, with digital readouts for vehicle speed, selected gear, Adaptive Cruise Control indicator, audio system information, high-beam indicator, fuel level and 5 language capability (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish)
- Lane Departure Warning
- Side Blind Zone Alert
- Steering wheel, heated
- Headlamps, IntelliBeam, automatic low/high beam control
- Audio system with navigation, AM/FM stereo with Bose 5.1 Studio Surround sound system, 6-disc in-dash CD/DVD changer and DVD-based advanced navigation, Bluetooth phone interface, includes seek-and-scan, digital clock, Radio Data System (RDS), TheftLock, AudioPilot automatic volume control, weather band, digital signal processing, rear passenger A/V jacks and 15 speakers
- Premium Steering Gear, ZF
- Tires, P255/45R18 front and P275/40R19 rear, Pirelli, W-rated, EMT, blackwall
- Chassis: Sigma 1 with FE4 suspension
Features available on the 2009 Cadillac CTS not available on the 2008 Cadillac STS-V:
- 3.6L Variable Valve Timing V6 DI Direct Injection (304 hp [226.7 kW] @ 6400 rpm, 273 lb-ft of torque [368.6 N-m] @ 5200 rpm) 17/26 mpg
- Adaptive headlight system
- Accent Lighting
- Ultraview sunroof (the STS-V has a sunroof, but not the Ultraview)
- Audio system with navigation, AM/FM stereo with CD/DVD player, MP3 playback, Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround Sound 10-speaker system and HDD-based navigation with XM NavTraffic/Real Time Weather, 8″ pop-up screen, Radio Data System (RDS), 40GB Hard Drive Device (HDD), USB with audio connectivity with steering wheel controls
- Tires, P235/50R18 V-rated all-season, blackwall
- Chassis: Sigma 2 with FE2 suspension (or FE3 with Summer Tire package)
My conclusion? After driving both, the Cadillac CTS Sedan has more edgy styling. Clearly the more expensive Cadillac STS-V has more features even than a Premium Collection CTS. It will likely depend on the examples of each I find in my shopping as to which one gets the final nod.