Tag Archives: Test Drive

2008 Cadillac STS-V Test Drive

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I regularly monitor Ebay for  any Cadillac V-Series that show up.  The Cadillac V-Series are tuned high-performance luxury models from Cadillac, and are special, limited production models.  The CTS-V, the STS-V, and the XLR-V are the examples released to date.  These are fairly rare automobiles, so I stopped by this morning to meet this local Cadillac STS-V in person.

2008 Cadillac STS-V

I have been shopping for a 2008 Cadillac STS-V.  I would enjoy simply getting a new 2009/2010 Cadillac CTS-V, but they are still more expensive than I care to spend.  The STS-V when new cost around US$79K, but they are depreciating nicely and have almost / not quite come into my targeted price range.

2008 STS-V Back

This example is a nice off-lease STS-V with 22K miles.  It was purchased in Oklahoma, then went to auction and came along to Addison, Texas near Plano.   It appeared to be in good condition, good tires, good interior.

The STS-V has a 469 hp Supercharged 4.4L DOHC VVT direct injected V8 engine. It has Brembo performance brakes, and a tuned suspension using Sachs shocks/struts. It is definitely a runner.  The leather seats have suede inserts to give additional friction for keeping you in the seat.  The steering wheel forgoes the normal Cadillac wood trim for more grippy leather. There are wood trim highlights on the console and doors of course.

2008 STS-V Door wood trim highlight

The STS-V was one of the first examples of the Cadillac cut and sew approach to interior leather. The interior pieces are hand-cut to fit and sewn together, giving a very careful, custom finish to the interior.  An interesting point to me is that the navigation screen actually has a narrow-angle tilt adjustment, I assume to ensure maximum visibility in a variety of lighting situations; I found this a very thoughtful feature.

2008 Cadillac STS-V interior shot

The STS-V uses 18″ wheels in the front, 19″ wheels in the back, with big rubber — P255/45R18 front and P275/40R19 rear, Pirelli, W-rated, EMT, blackwall from the factory.  This one had Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires on it, so one might assume the originals were replaced.  Due to the staggered wheel sizes, and to save weight, there is no spare tire in the STS-V.  The original equipment tires were run-flat tires.

One can see the 4-piston Brembo brake calipers and 14″ discs in the photo below.  These Cadillacs are the complete package, and go, stop, and turn well.

2008 STS-V wheels

Driving Impressions

I was very interested to see how the STS-V compared with the 2010 Cadillac CTS-V I test drove last weekend.  The CTS-V had the optional Recaro Sport seats, and the STS-V had ‘regular’ seats.  The STS-V seats are comfortable, but I prefer the Recaro seats.

The STS-V has more then adequate pickup of course, with 469 hp on tap.   It gives up a bit to the CTS-V’s 556 hp, but it is hard to say that 469 hp is not enough. The CTS-V has the terrific MR magnetic suspension, while the STS-V shares the 1st generation CTS-V’s tuned Sachs struts/shocks.    Both cars have electronic stability control, traction control, limited slip differentials, and share the same 6 speed automatic transmission with driver shift control.

I was surprised that the STS-V has a bit of supercharger whine.  Nothing to complain about (I like it), but it is there.  The CTS-V made a variety of delightful noises under power, but I did not detect any Supercharger whistle from inside the car, although my friend Jim noted that as I pulled up he could hear the CTS-V Supercharger.

The attraction of the 2008 STS-V is that it is a lot less expensive than the CTS-V, but has a lot of the similar performance traits, and has some features that are not available in the CTS family.  For example, the 2008 STS-V has head’s up display (HUD), lane departure warning, side blind zone alert, and adaptive cruise control.

Conclusion

This test drive further validated my conclusion that the STS-V would be a terrific car to get for my next Cadillac.  With the jewel-like 4.4L Supercharged DOHC VVT Northstar V8, it is a historically important model.  This was not the ‘last’ Northstar, but this series was the peak of Northstar V8 development.  I am a function over form guy, but I recognize that this is a special, hand-built engine performing very well on the platform it was exactly designed to power.  In 2008 this car was the finest sports luxury sedan Cadillac offered.

2008 Cadillac STS-V Supercharged Northstar

Friday at TMS with Chevrolet #ChevyTMS

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Chevrolet was nice enough to invite a friend and I to come out to spend the afternoon Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, then stay for the Rattlesnake 150 ARCA race Friday night.  After a conflict nicely cleared up, my friend Rick Barr was luckily able to join me for the afternoon.

Rick Barr test driving a Chevrolet Camaro

Traffic was light and we arrived early, so we headed over to test drive new Chevrolet models first.  They had a short course setup and you were invited to test drive any of several Chevrolet models, including several Camaros with V6s and V8s in the mix.

I think this is a great low-stress way to expose people to the current Chevrolet models.

Next we checked-in and went on a tour of the tire facility, then the transports and garages behind the scenes at Texas Motor Speedway.

Rick considers which tire to pick for racing

There were stacks of Goodyear tires waiting to be called into action. The race teams lease tires from Goodyear for the weekend. Each tire has an identification chip, so no one can sneak ‘special’ tires in, and none wander off to be resold for another venue.  Goodyear actually tests, in concert with selected Drivers, tires for all of the cars in the series to use at each venue.

Goodyear tire mounting stations

Our next stop was a trip to the race transports. Each transport carries 2 race cars, primary and backup, tools, and spares parts and equipment to assist with repairs, as well as food and snacks for the race teams.

Backup race car stored in the attic of the transport

It was quite interesting seeing what the racing teams travel with and the garages.

Tech Inspection

We also saw the cars undergoing technical inspection.  This was a prime opportunity to see a lot of behind the scenes things that one does not get to see normally when attending the race.  I like all the details and insight on how the teams prepare, technical inspections, and fueling, so it was all interesting to me.

Photo of the author during a lull in the proceedings

After a deluxe dinner of Pizza out of the bed of a couple of Silverado’s, we headed in to the infield drive opportunity.  For this event we each drove a Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks on the actual Texas Motor Speedway, with one of the Racing Drivers for the evening’s race standing in the bed of each Silverado waving to the crowd.    The truck I drove was brand new, with 2.5 hours of operation time and almost no miles on it before this weekend.

Finally, we attended the Race itself.  The Friday night race was the ARCA Rattlesnake 150.  After we got some ear plugs it was a fun race to watch.  In fact, my number one input for NASCAR would be to consider muffled vehicles, but many perhaps feel that the roar of the cars is an important part of the experience.    Easy enough to bring or buy hearing protection I suppose, but since they have to throttle the cars anyway, why not require mufflers?

Texas Motor Speedway

All in all it was a remarkable day.  I was very glad of the opportunity at the ride & drive for some hands-on seat time in the Camaro, and in the displayed cars some opportunities to examine trunk space and other details.  The behind the scenes tour of the hauler and garages was unique, as was driving a lap of the raceway with a Driver in the bed of the truck.

All of the Chevrolet staff were friendly, nice, and efficient.  The entire day was well planned and coordinated without seeming stressful or strident in the least.  I definitely recommend bringing a guest or a friend to the event, as there were a lot of opportunities for discussion / visiting throughout the day.  One reason I wanted to attend the Friday session was that traffic was light going in and out of the TMS area, and we had no problems whatsoever with the commute there or back.

I would like to see more Cadillacs at this event, but it was very much a Chevrolet Event, and I appreciate them inviting me.  Do we know the lap time for a non-speed limiter equipped Camaro V8 or for the 2010 Cadillac CTS-V at TMS?  Don’t we want to know?

Test Drive: 2010 Cadillac CTS-V The Pickup

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Mike Brosin and Thomas Bies of Crest Cadillac suggested that I needed a little more Cadillac hands-on experience, so Crest Cadillac set me up with a test drive in the 2010 Cadillac CTS-V super car for this weekend.

I picked up the CTS-V this morning.  Tony Griggs of Cadillac Sales handled the paperwork for me.  Tony also found a treat for me, a 2008 V-Series mini-brochure with the color cards for the 2008 STS-V, since he knows I have my eye on the STS-V market.

Tony Griggs of Crest Cadillac

The Staff was nice enough to treat me like a paying Customer, and I got a full vehicle familiarization briefing from Greg Vetrano, a Crest Cadillac Delivery Coordinator.  Greg went over all the controls and features of the Cadillac, and explained how to customize the car for my use.  Yes, I am a Cadillac fan and I currently drive a CTS, but it does not have some of the features of the test car.  Also, I appreciate the time and care that Greg takes one on one to ensure that the Customer knows how to operate everything.  Everything is easy once you know how, but having someone show you beats even reading the manual for time savings.

Greg Vetrano, Delivery Coordinator

Everyone at Crest was perfectly friendly and chipper.  They appeared to have good traffic in the Dealership, with people taking advantage of the beautiful day to shop for a new car.  I appreciated them taking so much time with me.  I plan to drive and write about the car over the weekend.

2010 Cadillac CTS-V Window Sticker

The test car is the perfect Cadillac CTS-V to check out — it has the Recaro Sport seat option, and the Midnight Sapele Wood.  More on these later.

First impressions:  this is an absolutely amazing vehicle.  It is quiet, refined, smooth, and world-class fast.

My Host for this test drive is Crest Cadillac of Plano, Texas.  They are located at 2701 North Central Expressway, Plano, Texas.  You can contact them by phone Toll-free at 1-866-697-9144 or locally at (972)578-7511, or on Twitter or Facebook