This is a great review, I am just now seeing it for the first time. I have a 2008 CTS in crystal red with black leather. Mine has all the options, like the direct injected 3.6 V6 (304 hp), sunroof, all performance and luxury options, 18" wheels, navigation (which I don't use), fog lights, remote start, etc. The ride is firm, but I'm used to it, I've had it nine years now. No accidents, 120,000 miles now. I really take care of this car even though it's still a daily driver, love this car! I feel this car is under appreciated, and will be a future classic.
I have a 2008 that I purchased with 4000 miles on it in 2009 (it now has 153k miles). It is the top trim level, fully optioned, 3.6 DI with performance suspension and brakes. The FE3 suspension ride was way too firm for my taste so I switched out the struts for FE1 struts, what a world of difference! The ride is much more compliant now.
I recently replaced the struts either Monroe’s. These are even firmer than the originals! The ride is smoother though, and I get better mileage and performance.
Loved your Review! Got my CTS4 3.6 AWD a day ago, with only 80k Kilometers from a 90 year old man. Very rare here in Germany, wasn’t a big successor here. But I don’t understand why - cause it’s fully equipped, has a really luxury feeling and drives like heaven. Finally got myself my first real American 🇺🇸 car and I’m proud of it 😎✌🏼
My first car was a E36 BMW, then I bought a Lexus SC300, then a Mercedes clk, then an s-class, It's funny how I never wanted an American car even though I live in America but now I'm considering a Cadillac
Bin auch gerade am Schauen. Bist du immer noch zufrieden? Will auch definitiv mit AWD zwecks Winter usw. Hast du Probleme mit hohem Ölverbrauch oder alles in Maßen?
@@charlesmchoop3007 Ich war nie zufriedener 😁 AWD ist echt top, hatte bisher nur einmal Bisschen Schnee aber macht schon Spaß 😁 der Ölverbrauch hält sich bei mir in Grenzen, nach ner 1000km Autobahnfahrt musste ich letztens mal 200ml nachkippen. Ein großer Grund für Ölverbrauch soll ja die ab Werk unterdimensionierte Kurbelwellengehäuseentlüftung sein, gibt es aber Workarounds für, dem werde ich mich Richtung Sommer widmen. Viel Erfolg bei der Suche 😉
@@dudedr3396 Danke dir für die Antwort. Ja genau, zu den Problemen bereits belesen. Wie bei allem GM Produkten gibt es halt immer eine Lösung dazu & muß nur selber entscheiden ob man sich darauf einlässt. Suche eigentlich eine 2. Generation Cadillac Escalade & wollte unbedingt V8 im Alltag behalten, aber bisher nur Mist der angeboten wird. Zustand / Preis ohne jegliche Relation zueinander bei den Escalades. Ist ein guter mal drin war ich bisher immer zu langsam. 😅 Freut mich für dich & werde mal schauen was der Markt so hergibt.
Great review. I recently bought a silver with black leather, 2009 CTS with the direct injection 3.6 V6 (304hp) and absolutely love the way it drives. Yes, the ride is very much on the firm side (it does feel a lot like my C5 Corvette) but the handling and pure joy of driving the CTS makes the ride worthwhile. Plus I love the way it looks inside and out. Bought it with 69,000km on it and I plan to add many more. Oh, and factory built right hand drive. I'm in New Zealand.
I have a 2012 CTS4 Coupe I picked up a year ago and just love it. Original owner took amazing care of it and dealer serviced its whole life. 9 years old and it still turns heads everywhere I go. I work for GM and grew up in a family that had a series of Cadillacs over the years but this is my first one.
Very nice!! Like I mentioned in the other comment, I do really like those CTS coupes. What position do you have at GM? I've considered applying for a job with GM after college.
Absolutely love watching your videos. As always, you are well informed and show the car excellently. Thank you for keeping your channel interesting with all different styles of Cadillacs.
Excellent video! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾 I have a white diamond 2008 Cadillac CTS with the premium package. It has more horsepower, more options, better key fob. Basically loaded with every option for that year! I love it!
Thank you!! Ooh, that's awesome. I love that color and it would have been great to test one out with the premium package. Sounds like a brilliant car. Thanks for watching the video, Ray!
Purchased a 2010 CTS4 ( all wheel drive ) three and a half years ago .. the car had 140,000 miles on it at the time .. has the 3 litre motor .. car has been AMAZING ! Other than regular oil changes , the car hasn’t cost me a dime in repairs .. I’m 68 years of age , and had some really nice vehicles in my time .. but this is definitely my favourite .. one reason I purchased it was because from 2008-2014 the model looks exactly the same .. ( still looks comparable to the newest versions of the car ) In my travels I’ve spoken to other owners of this model , and every person has nothing but good things to say about theirs ..
I loved this review of the CTS, it's a car I always wondered about - that interior design is so nice- seats and dash. The rear end is styled very nice -holds up so many years later! Very interesting that it rides more like a Vette! Even on your flat smooth country streets there, you could feel it. Your drone views and music are very much like a commercial or a movie, so well done! Can't get that from too many other reviewers if any! You know what you are doing! This CTS looks great from above- actually looks bigger than it does looking at it on the ground! Love seeing cars of this vintage too, thanks for doing this one James! Awesome job!
I'm glad you liked it, Jim!! I agree, the interior design flows nicely and deserves more credit than it receives. Thank you so so much, I love hearing what you have to say about the videos 😁
I'm surprised this did not have the remote start feature on the key fob, this was avaiable on upscale Chevrolet GM. Nice feature to cool or warm up the car before you get in. I have it on my 2017 Impala Premear and on my former 2008 LTZ. Enjoy your content James!
Not a problem! You're right though, remote start is a wonderful option to have. I use it all the time on our other cars! Thank you for the comment and for watching the video 😁
That's very cool! It would have been nice if this one had the navigation screen to be able to do that, it really is cool. Thanks for watching the video!
Thank you, Andy! Actually, I think I made the mistake of using the word "outrageous" as that sounds pretty negative. I actually very much like the looks of the CTS coupe as well. It looks extremely distinctive and I personally really, really like the back end because it looks like nothing else out there. I especially like the center-exhaust on those too. I've actually never driven one though and it looks super hard to actually see out the back window 😂
Great and honest review. I love Cadillacs and own a couple including this very model of the 08 Cadillac CTS. Mine is jet black, has a little more extras and has served me so well for the past decade plus.😁
Thank you so much! Very nice, I'm glad your CTS has served you well. What other models do you have? (I'm always curious to hear about the Cadillacs people own 😁)
This is my first visit to your channel, I appreciate that you didn't totally kill it or push it hard. Much useful information. Scotty Kilmer was no help whatsoever.
Thanks so much James, I am much more of a Classic REAL Cadillac Fan (Like the Series 75 you featured) but these were still very nice cars and Cadillac did have to pivot a little bit I believe to survive. Also the quality of your videos with the drone video and music is Outstanding. Thanks Again, cant wait for your next Caddy. !!!! :) :)
You're very welcome! I'm glad you still watch some of the newer Cadillac videos too, I really appreciate that. I'm glad you like the video quality, music, etc! I can't wait to bring more videos to RU-vid soon 😁
I actually have the 300 hp manual version of this car!! It's my summer driver...I love it!! I wish there were numbers on how many manuals there are, and a review!! No one has done a review on a manual version of this car!!
That's awesome! It sounds like it must be fun. And that's a great point, I haven't personally seen too manual versions of these that are manual, it would be very unique and fun to do a video on. Thanks for watching!
The CTS-V Coupe is a bad ass car. Just stumbled on the channel. Love them old school Caddys. Had a 72 Coupe Deville when I was younger. I knew it was a nice car but didn't know what I had.........
I agree!! Definitely the most aggressive Cadillac design to date. I'm glad you like the channel! Hopefully it brings back some memories to your Coupe Deville 😁 Thank you for watching the video, Russell!
Love your videos. I had a right hand drive 2009 CTS in crystal red tintcoat. It had level 3 package and that car really pressed me. I had the SAAB based BLS before that which was smaller. But my CTS was awesome until GM pulled out of South Africa. Only 100 were sold here of which many have already been totalled. There are currently only 2 available for sale as used on the market right now. Mine didn't have a backup camera which was odd since the 2008 Jag had one, bit it did have those little led lights above the rear seats which pit up as the parking sensors picked up obstructions and when all 6 were lit, that's when you don't dar backup any further 🤣. I would still have my CTS if GM didn't leave the country, but nobody can service them here now so I moved to Jaguar. Mine had satnav but the maps weren't licensed so it showed one sitting in the middle of nowhere. The screen would pop up as well and at least it had TV which I could watch while stationery. Great channel, keep up the good work. I love big American cars and your channel satisfies that appetite for me 😉👍
Wow, that sounds like an extremely rare CTS! Also sounds like it was a top end trim. Very cool story, and it's too bad it was so hard to service. It makes sense why you had to move on from that car. Thank you so much for the nice comment and for watching the video! I really appreciate the support 😁
I liked all three gens of the CTS, but for my money, this is probably the best looking. The fact that you could also get the wagon or coupe was a fun throwback to the days when automakers had more than one bodystyle per model. With the CTS-V, you even had the option for multiple engines and transmissions. It was an interesting era when Cadillac was still making good, traditional luxury Cadillacs and the new style sportier models that did battle with the Germans. Now, I can't help but feel like Cadillac has almost entirely sacrificed the idea of luxury cars for SUVs, crossovers, and those sporty models. And at least CTS, STS, and DTS stood for something....can't get past the bland alphanumeric names now.
Good point! This CTS was definitely extremely special and unique with the many different kinds offered. I do wish that the newer CTS's and CT5's came with wagons and coupes because I think they would be great and unique cars. Hopefully Cadillac will go back to making more special cars with their electrification. The future seems exciting! Thank you so much for commenting and for watching the video
Great review, definitely impressive. I am in the process of purchasing a 09 with 152,000 it's a beautiful car runs well,But I do have some concerns. I read that it can have timing chain issues,which is very disconcerting The car runs really well now but that is certainly a red flag.Only one reply has brought up that issue,he said he replaced it at 200,000 miles.3X's?😮Also there is an issue about a leaky sunroof on driverside front pillar into the floor and I have witnessed that first hand.Outside of those two issues I'm on the fence and am sceptical about it.But it looks so good and drives so well I may just go for it anyway.👍
I have a 2008 Base CTS and I think you covered just about everything to know about these cars. The base model is certainly missing a lot of features. I don’t have heated seats and I wish it had remote start. However I always loved the style of the 2nd gen and the car I bought is extremely low miles (just turned over 28k) so I can’t complain.
I wish I could say that this is a great car and in some ways it is, but I feel like GM gave this to a child to put together with the best parts that the child could find. The major concern is the timing chain it craps out before it's time not to mention if you have a moon roof expect major water damage. Mine has been in the shop for 2 months and they still don't know what's wrong with it.
I understand that, every car has its issues and there are certainly some quality concerns. This CTS also had a leaky moon roof but fortunately the rubber tubing was cleaned and replaced and no longer leaks. Thank you for watching the video!
Just got an 08 myself with 52000 miles on it and I love it so far I feel spoiled tbh with all the features compared to my previous vehicle. Only problem so far is the electronic lock on the front don't work I can only open the front door with the key lol.
Hey James, came across your channel as a recommendation. I have an 05 Cadillac STS 3.6 which is the base model Camero of that time, and would love to have you review it. I think you'd enjoy it, just as much as you enjoyed the CTS.
@@ZetaGre that’s great! If I have an opening this upcoming summer for a video with your car I’ll be sure to let you know. Thank you so much for offering it up!
Very nice! I agree, I definitely noticed a step up in quality with this car compared to many of the mid 2000's models. Definitely is quite sporty and fun too! Thank you so much for watching the video 😁
@@JW_Reviews you are welcome and thank you ... one more thing ... without problem it drive 130 m/h lol ... you no feel it that speed .... keep doing videos !!! They are great !!! Aida
Haha good question! Edward is correct, some dealers would switch out that piece in order to put their name on the car (it probably also made it tougher to get rid of as well). I definitely would prefer the car without it, but there isn't much that can be done. Thanks for the comment!
In My Opinion ... The 2nd Generation CTS Looks Better Than The 3rd Generation CTS & Maybe I'm More Bias Because I Have A 2nd Gen CTS , But The 3rd Generation CTS Do Look Nice & Cadillac Really Stepped Up The CTS Class To A Stylish Look With Swagg
I love that car I'm going to buy one but it has super thin tires on the front someone customized it with thin tire's I don't know if I would like that too much due to the rough riding it might have with those tires it had but I really want the car it's so beautiful.
HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM! I have a 2009 cts, the part that hold the car battery into place was already gone when I bought the car, TWICE a fire has started in the battery compartment from the battery sliding around in the car
That's a pretty serious issue! I have not heard of it happening but I'd recommend going over to one of the Cadillac CTS forums. Other owners may be able to help you with the problem. Good luck, Tom!
@@JW_Reviews yes very scary, lucky it still runs and starts fine, I'm almost positive it's only because the battery has lots of room to bang into things when not bolted down properly
I have same car 2008, you need to change the oil @ 3000 to 4000 miles. I had to replace the three timing chains and four pulleys at 200000 for a cost of $3,000. Have liked car for driving, interior and looks. More frequently on oil change will save you money in long run.
Good question! I believe there are several different versions of the 3.6L which made different outputs depending on which one you get. Thanks for watching the video!!
You sure those are the adaptive headlights? Should also have fog lights. I've got an '08, specced just right....DI engine, 6-speed manual, FE3, Radiant Bronze, all options.
My friend has the exact car, i think it came from drive time and was a fleet car. I looked at the car, the std interior was boring, std motor, least favorite of my Cadillac model.....
Interesting, I definitely wouldn't want to jump on a base model. The car gives a much nicer experience with the higher end packages. Thank you for commenting and for watching the video, Dennis! I appreciate the support
I've heard mixed things about the second gen CTS. They seem to be nice cars but not always the greatest reliability. However, these cars are now getting to be 10+ years old, so things are going to break at this mileage and age. Thank you for watching the video!
Those door handle locks go out, the unlock in the back don't work well, the sunroof leaks, the ignition coils go bad, the gas pump is faulty(leaks gas), some have timing chain problems (like the older). Cadi shyt the bed on these with quality and reliability.
Yes, the second generation CTS did have its flaws. The sun roof did leak on this car, but there was a buildup of "gunk" in some of the drainage holes in the trunk and worn away rubber which was fixed.
