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#41 of 854 The future DTS/DeVille by hydra2 Feb 11, 2004 (10:19 pm)
Who knows? I do wonder how many of the posters demanding rwd own or would even consider buying a cadillac? Like it or not, lots of snowbelt drivers will not buy rwd cars. AWD cars, sans subaru, have always had low sales numbers. I suspect that if Cadillac abandons the fwd market, the asians will happily step in and service such a large and lucrative market. Backing into a garrage at a 90 degree angle in deep snow is much easier with fwd than rwd. That's one reason many town car owners in my block have switched to devilles. A Lincloln LS driver spun out in front of me yesterday making a right turn onto Lake Shore Drive.   If I had to replace my 2002 DTS, I would not look at any rwd, not even the bmw or cts.   I would look first at the Acura TL. That is the car Cadillac needs to compete against. A dumpy fwd car won't cut the mustard in today's competetive market place. Cadillac needs to make good front wheel drive cars that perform well and are reliable and moderately priced like the TL (and good rwd cars like the cts). And if it also burns regular gas....
#42 of 854 by tomcat630 Feb 12, 2004 (8:06 am)
Well, since the STS will have AWD available, why get FWD if AWD is the same price?
#43 of 854 STS by hydra2 Feb 12, 2004 (10:20 pm)
Shoppers that I know who have initially shopped awd offerings are ultimately turned off by the higher price, complexity and repair issues, poorer mpg, and sometimes handling issues on dry pavement. The rest of them typically wind up buying a suv. The midsize and larger suvs will rack up more sales and make much more money for cadillac than an awd STS or DTS. The extra drive axle in an awd sedan also generates unacceptable noise levels in uplevel sedans (x types being one of the worst offenders)and gobbles up trunk space. Making the DTS (and/or STS) rwd, even with an awd option might be the kiss of death for sales in one of the deville's strongest markets.   Alternatively, cadillac could shrink the base/dhs/dts/sts and offer them off the same shortened platform as fw,rwd and awd variations upon a theme.
#44 of 854 Sold on FWD by dispencer1 Feb 14, 2004 (3:34 pm)
I got sold on FWD when I drove my father's new 1971 Toronado. We lived in Washington DC and FWD was great in the snow. Out here in NM my wife wants a Honda Pilot with AWD. She has gotten stuck in soft shoulders with her FWD Silhouette and as a realtor she has to drive on dirt roads in the country. I always thought that FWD was an advancement over RWD. I was unaware of "torque steer" and all that terrible stuff that car enthusiasts and car magazines toss out about FWD. My 2003 Deville rides very nicely and handles and tracks well. I've driven Town Cars and they remind me of the big cars of the '70's and the old Cadillac DeVilles of the early '80's - ponderous handling and mainly they just feel heavy and outmoded.
#45 of 854 FWD and sales in the midwest. by hydra2 Feb 14, 2004 (9:04 pm)
The press and many posters in Edmunds forums seem to be urging cadillac to chase after the European makes by switching everything over to rwd or awd based on rwd. In the past, whenever GM has tried to play catch up with the rest of the world, they have bungled things.   I hope they find a way to stick to what they know best and extend it so that they can lead instead of follow. The Cts is a great car, they seem to be bringing out versions like the v which extend on their success with it. I hope they also take everything they've learned by building the current generation of devilles (and maybe steal a little from saab and subaru)to show the world that they can still make a fine luxury fwd car with the new DTS. It will be difficult to break the 300 hp barrier and keep torque steer at bay, but that's what engineers are for.   With the rest of the world going rwd, acura, cadillac, saab, audi and a few others will have the fwd market almost to themselves. Who knows the trend might swing back to fwd with cadillac among the leaders. Cadillac or somebody should reverse engineer the TL. It could become the new benchmark for fwd performance cruisers. Just imagine if cadillac builds a fwd DTS that matches or outdoes the TL. Replies to this message: Robberbarron (May 11, 2004 5:28 am)
#46 of 854 The Next DeVille by dispencer1 Feb 15, 2004 (5:54 pm)
It will be a shame if Cadillac builds a DeVille that is just a larger version of the CTS. The edgy styling just doesn't look as good as the styling of the 2000-2004. It is almost as good as the beautiful 1965-1966 models. My only complaint is that it could be a couple of inches higher which would help the entry and exit. At least it isn't as bad as the Buick LeSabre and virtually all the Chrysler cars. It sure looks better than the Lexus which resembles the pre-2003 Camry -just a bland car which actually looks midsized. No design at all. Cadillac seems to have a winner with the DeVille and I hope they don't experiment with it and mess it up.
#47 of 854 dispencer1 by hydra2 Feb 15, 2004 (8:30 pm)
I hope that they don't mess up the style either, although I do expect some family resemblance to the cts.   When I bought my 2002 DTS, I was amazed at how well it handled for a large car. I still think, it outhandles everything its size. Unfortunately, the 2004 acura tl as well as my wife's 2004 v6 accord, handle even better, of course they are much smaller cars. They are also much more fun to drive.   If the new DTS is fwd and has not only the expected power and luxery but also polish and is more fun to drive than the current one and at least competitive with the tl, cadillac will have a run away winner on its hands.
#48 of 854 Fun to Drive by dispencer1 Feb 16, 2004 (9:51 am)
The base 2003 Deville I have isn't really "fun to drive". None of the old Cadillac full size cars were either. This is basically a road car. It will cruise all day at 75. It is quiet and peaceful and and when you get out of it you can actually walk. My Malibu is a lot more fun to drive but a long trip in it is not fun for your back. My problem with the Accords was that they had seats like rocks. No cushion at all. Hopefully they have improved them. I try not to drive the DeVille on short trips around town because the gas mileage is terrible. I hope that they also improve the base radio in the 2006. If I had bought this 2003 new I would have gotten the Bose radio which at least has the features that Chevy radios come with - RDS and auto tone, etc. My Malibu radio is much better than the one in the DeVillE. Wish I could swap radios but unlike the old radios in the pre-1994 models, you can't do it.
#49 of 854 Deville fun to drive by hydra2 Feb 18, 2004 (8:22 pm)
None of the devilles will be confused with the handling or fun to drive quotient of a sports sedan, but the dts seems to handle better and be more fun to drive than the base deville or any other large fwd or rwd domestic sedan. The fwd imports which handle better are typically much smaller. Test drive a DTS and you will notice the difference between it and base deville model. The Bose stereo in the DTS rocks and stiffer springs translate into better handling and much less body lean than in the base deville. Night Vision, Navigation system and maybe Stabiltrak are also not available on the base model. You are correct in that the devilles shine as highway cruisers.   For the sake of fairness, the leather seats in the 2004 Accord V6 EX are quite comfortable.
#50 of 854 Fun to Drive by dispencer1 Feb 21, 2004 (7:06 pm)
I'm really glad the Accord seats are now comfortable. It has been a number of years since I tried them. I'll certainly check out the DTS. I guess I compared it to the 1999 Seville STS which a friend has. It rides about the same as the '97 Ranger Extended Cab I once had. Fortunately the stereo is a lot better. I think the DTS would have been a better choice than the base DeVille but since used DTS's are tough to come by a year old, we thought that this $26k base '03 Deville was a bargain. It was certified and has been fine for driving real estate clients around in. Everybody is very relaxed and comfortable. I've heard many good things about the DTS and hopefully my next Deville will be one. The stereo alone will make it worthwhile. By the way, my stereo has started to skip on CD's at least once every song or two - I'll take it in next week to the dealer for a replacement with a rebuilt one. Anyone else had this problem? I have a cleaning kit for computer CD-ROMs. Shall I try and use it?

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