Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Etc., Cadillac
2008 Cadillac CTS interior spied
Several readers have emailed us with a link to this forum thread at GM Inside News, which features a new spy shot of the '08 Cadillac CTS interior. The photo, apparently shot while the car was testing at the Nurburgring, is of the same interior that Bob Lutz showed Steve Kroft a mock-up of during the now-famous 60 Minutes segment (click to view promo with RealPlayer) that sent enthusiasts and bloggers into a tizzy back in April.
The leather-covered dash and snazzy center stack are clearly visible, and it's clear that what we're seeing is likely the most well-executed GM interior yet. Over the last couple of years, we have seen immense strides in that department by the General. The Pontiac G6 and Solstice, the Saturn Aura, Sky and Outlook, the Buick Enclave concept and the Tahoe, Yukon, and Escalade have really set the stage and raised expectations. When this CTS finally makes its formal first appearance, its interior will probably be in a class all its own.
Between the undisguised looks at the front end and interior provided by Lutz and the numerous spy photos which are appearing in different outlets on a regular basis, the level of anticipation surrounding the CTS replacement continues to steadily build. And based on what we've seen so far, it looks like The General's doing its best to simply blow us away come next year's auto show season.
[Source: GM Inside News Forums]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Michael Karesh 8:41AM (6/26/2006)
The interiors of the G6 and Aura are not those cars' strong points. In fact, the G6's interior might cost it more sales than any other aspect of the car aside from the Pontiac brand.
Link to my review of the G6 on this page:
http://www.truedelta.com/models/G6.php
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caffee 8:42AM (6/26/2006)
Wow! That thing is beautiful, it has a very personal look. I hope they show this car in Jan 07 at the show and get it to the showrooms quickly. I Can't wait.
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Bob 9:33AM (6/26/2006)
Can't wait to see the finished product as well as the new interior. I hope they have a coupe and hard top convertible soon.
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Michael Karesh 9:44AM (6/26/2006)
Should add that I agree on the CTS interior, looks very good. Center stack looks shorter than I'd expect, and sloped. Shifter nicely located.
Maybe it's the effect of a long lens, but the driver seems very high and close to the IP. You sit quite low in the current CTS. Maybe the power seat's just all the way up?
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pavster 10:00AM (6/26/2006)
There is some seriously ugly silver colored plastic around the shifter, a la Saturn Sky. Otherwise, it's a huge step up from the current CTS interior. I am glad the steering wheel is finally "balanced" -- in the current model, the side spokes are attached much too low, making the wheel look comical ( http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//pictures/VEHICLE/2006/Cadillac/100616649/20030108-E.jpg )
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fuscob 10:31AM (6/26/2006)
If I'm not mistaken, there is going to be a new interior for the Cadillac SRX this fall (2007 model). I wonder if it will be this one, considering that the current CTS and SRX essentially share their interior designs.
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gbh 10:38AM (6/26/2006)
"...Tremendous strides by the General..."
Uhh-huh. True enough, GM interiors have moved forward. The problem is the same as ever - the quality of materials is poor, the fit and finish lacking. As usual, GM product is 15 years behind the rest of the world.
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Corey W. 10:56AM (6/26/2006)
pavster,
It looks like the same trim that's on the door, door handle, steering wheel...etc. Ugly?? Not sure about that.
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Anthony Albertus 11:35AM (6/26/2006)
The current CTS/SRX have possibly, the nastiest dashboards in the biz, so it would be hard not to make vast gains in quality.. that aside, this looks good.
Re. the Pontiac G6.. I rented one. It was actually pretty nice. SO American, but in a current, perfectly acceptable way.
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Lithous 11:39AM (6/26/2006)
"There is some seriously ugly silver colored plastic around the shifter,..."
Yeah, that silver plastic isn't nearly as good as the Camry silver plastic ESPECIALLY WITH THE BEAUTIFUL TURQUOISE ALL OVER IT. That adds class.
But for some reason, groups like TTAC, for instance, can fawn over that 1990's GPX (some of the cheapest audio crap ever made) looking audio area yet when they talk about the Lucurne they talk about the mixture of the good and the bad materials ruins it.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=565 - Ugly audio in Camry but not mentioned review
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=1646 - Lucurne review
You can like the Camry interior better than the Lucerne, that is not the point. The point is that the Lucurne is eatin' up for having good and bad materials and the Camry can have turquoise ugly ass audio area (and can it even be replaced with aftermarket the way it is designed?) and not a mention of the classlessness that the turquoise brings.
If I was GM, I'd be happy to be 15 years behind turquoise audio systems. Toyota is smart enough to show a darkened picture when they show the interior so you don't realize how cheasy it looks. Kinda like dimming the lights at a bar.
http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicles/2007/camry/gallery/interior/photo_1.jpg
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narcszm 11:39AM (6/26/2006)
That pop-up navigation screen is quite the departure from their current nav systems.
But, if that damn e-brake is still on the floor, they've completely wasted the whole effort in my opinion...
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berto 12:16PM (6/26/2006)
everyone missed a huge point about this...the steering wheel looks identical to the one on the new Jaguar XK. Thats kinda of a low blow to ford.
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Aki 1:11PM (6/26/2006)
I've hated Cadillac designs for as long as they've been around.
...but dang, this CTS looks hawt. Between the gutsy exterior and classy interior (which puts the upcoming G35 to shame), this is by far the best looking Caddy to date. I'd even say it looks better (so far) than the new 3-series Bimmer--okay maybe that's not saying much.
Thumbs up to GM for an making innovative design.
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PJ 1:13PM (6/26/2006)
Please, please, PLEASE can we leave irrelevant Toyota products out of the conversation ANY time a GM product is mentioned?
Like the other commenters, this interior looks world-class to my eyes. The new CTS is shaping up to be a world-beater, as long as they get the engine, (manual) transmission feel, and chassis tuning up to Teutonic levels. They were close with the last CTS... judging by the effort being expended on interior and exterior design, it seems like they could really nail it this time.
Funny about the Jaguar resemblance. When I saw the steering wheel, the first car that came to mind was the BMW Z4, with its similar creased-metal bottom spoke.
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Lithous 1:22PM (6/26/2006)
And I don't mean the turquoise lighting on the gauges. Specifically the readio unit itself looks like GPX made it in the 1990's.
I tried to find a GPX in turquoise and apparently they moved on and Durabrand took that market: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4366683
Yup. GM is 15 years behind Durabrand/Toyota interiors.
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Rob 1:25PM (6/26/2006)
Lithous,
While I partly agree with you about the funky plastic in the audio area of the Camry dash, it still makes me laugh how you take any opportunity to hate on foreign cars.
Why don't you compare this to the interior of an Accord instead? I test-drove a 2006 while shopping for a new car and I honestly thought the interior was awesome.
GM's cars are getting better if this is an indication of its future, but look at the 2005 (2004?) Impalas and you'll see what people mean when they suggest GM has certain problems with interior design.
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David Whitfield 1:33PM (6/26/2006)
I agree with the comment on the plastic. When is GM going to start offering quality in it's flagship cars instead of all this plastic? There is no difference from the entry level Chevy to Cadillac.
In a few years the silver finish on the plastic will have rubbed off and will be squeaking and rattling. I see the nice little gagets but the material is still junk. They are still building cars with only the first owner in mind. These desposable cars with be a nightmare for future collectors. I wish they would build cars to last so we could have something to look back on.
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Corey W. 1:43PM (6/26/2006)
"the steering wheel looks identical to the one on the new Jaguar XK."
Hummm..... maybe on the basic, 3 spoke design level, but even the bottom spoke is different, look at where each end meets the steering wheel. And look at the top spokes, they're not the same dimensions, and the center piece is also not the exact same shape. But given the colors of the trim, there is a slight resemblance. The Caddys wheel is nice but I prefer the XK..
And I can't wait for the day "corn stalks" are replaced with buttons and small wheels (like a computer mouse) on steering wheels.
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Lithous 1:48PM (6/26/2006)
"Please, please, PLEASE can we leave irrelevant Toyota products out of the conversation ANY time a GM product is mentioned?"
Of course you didn't get the comparison. The comparison was to perception and remarks. The point no matter what, some people are going to try and make ever effort GM does to be a losing one.
But a high end Camry starts to touch the price of a low end CTS (certainly within $2500) so they aren't totally irrelevant products.
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Rob 2:41PM (6/26/2006)
you're so sad Lithous. get a life.
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