SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home. To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
* Please note that prices quoted are those in effect at the time the vehicle was tested.
Since 1902 Cadillac has enjoyed a reputation for precision engineering, the highest quality standards and innovation.
These included an electric starter and battery management in 1912, the first mass-produced V8 engine in 1915, the first counterbalanced crankshaft at about the same time and the first V16 in a passenger car in 1930.
In the days when car buyers were split into two distinct camps – GM people and Ford people, Cadillac was the ultimate aspirational brand for those in the GM camp.
Today’s Cadillac, while possibly not enjoying the same cachet, is nonetheless a well-engineered luxury car and still top of the General Motors brands. It’s just that the accent has changed.
Gone are the days of supreme luxury coupled with a sloppy ride, questionable handling and unquenchable thirst. The luxury and attention to detail are still there but ride, steering response and handling have been upgraded to 21st century standards, then proven at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife circuit. A new 3,6 litre V6 engine, developed for cleanliness and efficiency, has replaced the lumbering gas-guzzlers of old.
This 3 564 cc quad-cam 24 valve V6 unit with VVT develops 229 kW at 6 400 rpm and 374 Nm of torque at 5 200 rpm. Coupled to a 6-speed Hydramatic gearbox driving the rear wheels, the zero to 100 km/h sprint takes a claimed 6,3 seconds before topping out at just over 240 km/h.
Safety is paramount. All the airbags, braking facilities, handling aids and traction control one expects at this level (basic price R 425 000) are included.
Luxury items include dual zone climate control and the very latest 300-watt, 10-speaker Bose Cabin Surround sound system. This was engineered together with Bose Automotive, a company associated with Cadillac in car sound for 25 years, while direct involvement of Apple engineers ensured full iPod integration.
The sound system incorporates a 40-gigabyte hard drive to store music from digital devices and CDs, while a digital audio recording capability allows listeners to pause and even rewind radio broadcasts. A six-disc DVD/CD player with MP3 compatibility is included.
Styling is muscular, bordering on aggressive, while an abundance of bright accents will appeal to dyed-in-the-wool fans of Detroit Iron.
Inside, one experiences roominess, comfort and a general sense of being in the presence of an alternative style of luxury not fully duplicated elsewhere.
Proving the pedigree, Motor Trend magazine named the CTS as its Car of the Year for 2008, suggesting that it deserved a place in the elite listing of the world’s finest cars.
Wards AutoWorld magazine included the 3.6 litre V6 direct injection engine in its ‘Ten Best Engines’ listing in January 2008. Car and Driver selected the CTS for inclusion in its ‘Ten Best’ list and the new Cadillac was short listed for the North American Car of the Year Award.
An enthusiastic response from the luxury car buying public saw a 60% jump in sales over the model it replaced.
Forty percent of CTS production is earmarked for export in a bid to wrest some market share back from European and Oriental competitors. Given fair evaluation by the car-buying public, it deserves to succeed.
The basics:
Price: From R 425 000
Engine: 3 564 cc DOHC V6
Power: 229 kW at 6 400 rpm
Torque: 374 Nm at 5 200 rpm
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km
Maintenance plan: 5 years/100 000 km
Service intervals: 20 000 km
This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.
What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!
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This site is operated by Scarlet Pumpkin Communications in Pietermaritzburg.
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are courtesy of www.quickpic.co.za
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8