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smoothshift · 6 years ago

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I wanted a Chevy SS, but it was too expensive so I bought this car instead as a compromise via /r/cars

I wanted a Chevy SS, but it was too expensive so I bought this car instead as a compromise

TL;DR I review the car I got instead of the SS I wanted, ramble for a bit, then list a bunch of alternatives that anyone considering an SS should consider instead

For the absolute longest time, my dream car was a Chevy SS. RWD, manual, 4 doors, magnetic ride, and the whole works. An absolute beauty of a car, and when driving my old Pontiac G8 I looked up to SS owners hoping I could join their prestigious ranks some day. But tragically the $30k+ price point for the manual cars was keeping me away from ownership. But fuck it I was sick of the automatic gearbox in my G8 and wanted to get something.

So I bought this instead

I bought a 2011 Cadillac CTS-V for $24500, and it was the best irresponsible decision I've ever made.

Value/Features

Performance

For the money, the car is absolutely unbelievable value. Like the SS, it has 4 doors, magnetic ride control, RWD, a GM small block V8, and a manual transmission option. But unlike the SS, the CTS-V has a 550 hp supercharged LSA engine while the SS "only" has a 440 hp LS3 engine.

From a performance standpoint, there is little to complain about. The car is insanely fast, even in its stock form. The car handles better than a 4000 lb sedan should. I don't feel comfortable thrashing it like I used to in my Miatas, but I sure as hell love to drive the car hard. I'm not a professional driver and maybe will track the car in the future, but I unfortunately can't give a much better driving perspective on the car beyond "it's good". Magnetic ride control is a delight as well even though my front struts likely aren't working at 100%.

The car had an Air Raid intake that the previous owner installed which makes the supercharger really shout. I love hearing that thing when I get on the gas. On the other hand, the stock exhaust is quiet and in desperate need for an upgrade. The exhaust is the one thing I miss about my old G8, but luckily that can be fixed for a few hundred bucks. Anyone who buys a CTS-V should upgrade their exhaust.

Oh also the car gets 14-16 mpg for most owners. I get just north of 15 with my driving. I got 19.2 while hypermiling the car through Wisconsin after I bought it. Buyers beware that you'll probably never get more than 20 mpg in this car. Even as someone who was used to driving a Pontiac G8 that got 17 mpg on 87 octane, it seriously hurts considering I commute about 40 miles per day round trip and have to fill up more than once a week on average

Interior

While the CTS-V beats the SS from a performance standpoint, the SS has a handful of creature comforts the CTS-V lacks, mainly related to the infotainment/nav along with additional driving assists and a heads-up display. Since I'm trash and have no standards, that doesn't matter to me. The interior is still miles ahead of any car I've ever owned, better than 90% of cars from 2011, and gives modern cars like the SS a run for their money. The way the navigation system retracts when not in use is a feature I think every car should have. The ultraview sunroof is the first sunroof I've ever seen that actually made me like sunroofs. The base sedan seats leave a lot to be desired, and I'll most likely buy some used Recaro seats to fix that.

By far the biggest gripe I have with this car is interior room. The SS can comfortably seat passengers in the back, and the driver will never complain about headroom. Meanwhile the CTS-V has an incredibly low roof for a sedan, which means the rear seat passengers will have to choose between sitting upright with their head in the glass, or slouching with their knees struggling for room. The driver's seat also lacks headroom, so my solution is to recline the seat back. My driving position has been referred to as "cholo" multiple times.

In my opinion the cramped rear seats ruin the main reason I wanted to get a performance sedan. Granted they're still miles ahead of the rear seats in cars like the Mustang or Camaro, but it's just not a pleasant experience, and from my perspective if people aren't eager to ride in the rear seats of my car, they don't have much of a purpose at all.

Let me break out and keep discussing seats, because honestly the rear seats are 99% of the reason I got this car instead of a Corvette or something of that nature. People who are considering a performance sedan, ask yourself why you want a sedan. Ask yourself if you really need a sedan. Everyone I know told me I needed a sedan. I told myself I needed a sedan. But honestly, I go weeks at a time never hauling more than one person in my car. I'm 24 years old and don't intend to have kids remotely soon. 95% of my driving is done by myself. Did I really need a sedan? Do you really need a sedan? Trying to have one car that "does it all" is great, but if you don't carpool, don't have kids, don't sobercab your friends around, and don't drive for Uber, odds are you don't need a sedan as much as you think.

Exterior / Styling

To be brief, I love the look of the car, but I think the car is less of a sleeper than the SS. This may be pros to some people, but I personally don't like it much. The image draws attention, plus it gives me a serious case of imposter syndrome. The car costs less than a new Honda Accord, and I have plenty of friends and coworkers who spent more on their cars, but it still doesn't feel like a car that I should be able to afford as a 24-year-old.

Was it worth the money?

Let's circle back to this price difference. For $24500 I picked up a 2011 CTS-V with only 72000 miles on the clock. Going rate for these cars, especially the manuals, is up for debate. But basically anyone would agree that $24500 is undervalued. So what was wrong with it? Well after about 3 months of ownership I've spent about $1500 on repairs, which included an attempt to fix a pretty severe oil burning issue. When I bought the car it was burning 1 quart of oil ever 500 miles, after running a lot of solvents through it, I've burned less than a quart after about 1800 miles, not good, but not as bad as it was. I also spent another $500 replacing the rear struts, which were completely useless. Replacing those made the magnetic ride control actually work again, and honestly made the car so much more enjoyable. After investing $26000 into this car, I will probably be spending another $1500 on an exhaust and used Recaro seats, putting my grand total at $27500. I could have saved another $4000 and got an SS. I often feel like that would have been a better option. I definitely feel that the better option would have been to save another $10000+ and get one of the cheaper cars I listed below, but not everyone shopping for a CTS-V may be willing to downgrade like I am.

Thoughts Summarized

What do I love about it

Supercharger whine is intoxicating

The car is unbelievably fast, especially for a relatively discrete sedan

The car handles way better than a 9 year old American sedan has any right to

The interior is incredible (as someone with trash standards who has never owned a car newer than 2011)

What don't I love about it

15 mpg with premium fuel

The rear seats are not comfortable

The drivers seat lacks headroom

What am I "meh" about

If you're gonna buy a CTS-V and intend to drive it hard, opt for the recaro seats

Less of a sleeper than the Chevy SS, but still a sleeper regardless

Imposter syndrome.

Alternatives

I don't want this review to come off as me being bitter or upset with the car, because seriously I love it. I'm just a chronic overthinker and love to go over "what-if" scenarios who is giving a critical review of his car.

So to end my ramblings, I love my CTS-V, but if I could do it all over again, there's a handful of other cars I personally think I should have considered, and anyone considering an SS/CTS-V should also consider:

Chevy SS (If I had the patience to hold out for another year) - In my opinion the interior isn't a huge upgrade, but the cabin room and sleeper status is completely worth it. Despite having 110 less horsepower, I know from experience driving both cars that I would have been more than happy with it

BMW 535d - The car is slower than the SS, but about on-par with my G8, can be had for less than $20,000, has AWD, and gets 30+ MPG. The automatic transmission is my main gripe with the car, and if I got one I'd need some sort of weekend car to scratch my manual itch. While it's not in the same league as the CTS-V, I think this car goes toe-to-toe with the G8 for value.

Audi S4 - This is the car I truly believe I should have bought instead of the SS. The B8 models have an interior that's just as good as the SS, and despite the car being smaller than the CTS-V, the interior provides just as much room, if not more, for the drivers and passengers. The car would have cost me less upfront, less to insure, and less at the pump.

Pontiac G8 GXP - In my opinion this car is not worth the money versus an SS or CTS-V. I love the G8 and commodore platform, but people are demanding $25000 minimum for the manual versions. Just get an SS.

Pontiac GTO - The major reason I got my CTS-V and wanted an SS was because I didn't like having an automatic transmission. For less than $10k, you can get a 400 hp LS2 paired with a manual transmission and make all the rumbly V8 noises you'd ever dream of making. Complain about the fact that it's a coupe, but in reality the rear seats aren't any worse than the CTS-V

First gen CTS-V - For those of you who read my GTO description, but really want 4 doors.

Camaro/Mustang - I'm putting these cars in the same category because they are the same. Yeah you can split hairs over them trying to debate which is better, but in the end 90% of the people that buy these cars pick them based on looks or brand loyalty. The 4-cylinder trims sound like a blast as well considering how economical they are.

Cadillac ATS - The 2.0T trim has a manual transmission option. So if you can live with the lack of dignity that comes with not having a V8, it's a great little car. The ATS-V on the other hand hasn't hit a good price:performance ratio for me to recommend it. The CTS-V is a better car for less money.

Corvette - I was seriously considering a C5 or C6, and honestly it's still on my radar. After all this reflecting on the 2-door vs 4-door debate, I've become more reinforced by the idea that I don't actually need a 4-door car. For as little as $10,000 I could get a C5 Corvette and drive the absolute fuck out while laughing my way to the bank with all the money I saved.

I could probably list a dozen more cars, but I think I hit the big points. Odds are my next car will be something cheaper like a C5 Z06 paired with something fun and economical like an ATS 2.0 or Fiat 500 Abarth. For anyone that read this whole thing, thanks for your time.

#reddit #autonews #auto #cars

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