2006 Cadillac DTS Reaction Motorweek Retro

[@mrgurulittle7000]

I surprisingly like it. It’s probably one of the few Cadillacs that wore this new look much better than the other models. It still has a traditional Cadillac look though with the the short in height profile and a somewhat squares front and rear end.

[@NealStampley]

Jon, it's actually real wood. I have had a DTS and a SLS. It's real

[@iluvcamaros1912]

Yeah Cadillacs have been using real wood since the early 1990s. I love the DTS, I still kinda want one.

[@MarinCipollina]

Yeah when I heard that from Jon I literally had to pause the video and make that comment.. I had an 2003 Seville STS leased new. Any surface that looks like wood is wood.

[@jamesdanheim3568]

I've owned four cadillacs. Ranging from a 70 DeVille to an 06 DTS Luxe 2. I trade it off my DTS. To this day, I wish I still had it. it was the most wonderful ride it had power and good fuel economy for its size. The car was actually aimed at the younger executive, family . The styling was not my favorite, but it truly had the heart of a Cadillac. Big american car luxury.

[@tonychasey7990]

Back in 2004, I bought my 2002 DHS with 38,000 miles, and still have it today! It's been an incredible car!! Have not any of the issues that Northstar owners bitch about. It now has 231,000 miles. No leaks or anything at all.. just a water pump and regular plug changes every 90 to 100k. It get amazing fuel mileage, especially at 60 mph or lower, I can get 31mpg. Jon, I LOVE the chrome wheels!!! Unlike you, I am not a fan of the tan interior, that's the only change I would make is going with a black interior. Tan nterior is too good at showing dirt and it gets very dingy and it a struggle for me to keep them clean and treated with leather conditioner. I live in NW ohio and I've had thr car all over the country! I know many people with these Northstar powered cars and they have all been great!! I will defend these cars til I'm in the ground! Jon, once you drove it, you'd love it!!

[@AppStateFan2k13]

These were great cars! Comfy, smooth riding and plenty of V8 power. Too bad Cadillac doesn’t offer a car like this anymore.

[@2006gtobob]

This was also the year GM finally let Cadillac fix the problem concerning the head bolts. 2006-2011 should be good years. Good luck finding one anymore that hasn't been all clapped out or run into the ground.

[@TeeroyHammermill]

I never looked at this as a competitor to big German cars since it's not in their price range. I'd say it's more in competition with the Lincoln TownCar where it pretty much wipes the floor with the old Ford. A fully loaded Platinum edition is 10 years ahead as far as features (save the transmission) and it has real Zebrano wood, not the plastic stuff in lesser trims. If you're a Cadillac fan or just looking for a high powered schnazzy lookin cruiser to your ride friends and family around in for outings and such, this is the car for you. The interior lights and dash have a cool fluorescent theme at night which is soothing. The only cheap spots on the interior are the vanity mirrors, seatbelt height adjusters, and the turn signal stalk which is generic GM. Other than that it's a nice place to be.

[@colinschmitz8297]

I enjoyed the video. I will say that I agree with you that the problem with this car was it doesn't have much of an identity. It's trying to be luxurious, it's trying to be sporty, it's trying to be an expensive car yet it's trying to be affordable, it's trying to have old fashioned styling yet it's trying to have a new spin on it. The previous generation deville in My eyes was The perfect balance. It was super comfortable, it looked elegant yet not too boring, It knew it was luxurious but not too floaty, etc. Part of the area that in my eyes Cadillac struggled with was accepting that it is not a Mercedes, BMW, Audi competitor. To this day, if you say that you need a car that is exclusively about soft comfort, people recommend Cadillac. Modern day Cadillacs are not what Cadillacs were 30 years ago. As a result they're pleasing nobody. I think Cadillac needs to aspire to offer a Rolls-Royce experience. If Cadillac strategy was to compete against Mercedes, BMW, and Audi, the weakness that I found in their lineup is that they don't have a S-Class/7 series / A8 in their lineup. The DTS / deville just isn't that type of vehicle. The DTS / deville is a front wheel drive competitor for the type of people who want a Lincoln Town car. And there's nothing wrong with that. What Cadillac needed was to accept that there is a place in the market for this type of car and they're and make it such while trying to develop a proper S-Class competitor. Part of the problem with this model is it wasn't a 2006 era car technology wise. While the North Star was impressive whenever it first was introduced in the early '90s, this still had roughly the same output as what it had when it was introduced over 10 years before. The four-speed transmission like You pointed out should have at least been a five-speed if not a six-speed. The platform itself dated back to 95 but Even that platform was based off of the K platform which dated back to the early '80s. This was a warmed over car when it was introduced. And one of the other things that did not work in its favor was all the cost cutting done to the interior. Look at the dash on this along with the steering wheel then compare it side by side to a Chevy Impala of the same year. Then take a look at a '80s Cadillac versus a Chevy Impala. Whether the materials are expensive or not, the Cadillac from the '80s looks very premium and stylized versus the Impala is just plain as a toaster. A 2006 Impala while on a different platform doesn't seem all that much cheaper on the inside then this Cadillac. Even as a person that likes having big vehicle, The attempt to make old luxury styling in a whatever this is supposed to be just doesn't work. The 300M, Aurora, second generation LHS, Even the prior generation deville and Seville is a much better fit. I usually excuse complaints about cheap plastics, but in this case with this being the top of the line Cadillac, that is not acceptable. That is the whole point of divisions like Cadillac. It should be no compromise and no built to a price point. Cadillac It's supposed to be setting the world standard. This is the world standard's price point.

[@weegeemike]

Im glad you did the DTS! These are some of my favorite cars. I think they look really good, especially to the somewhat bland Deville that it replaced. I think they did a great job on the front end. This car was truly the last REAL Cadillac in terms of being a large sedan, I think these had a front bench and column shift available too if I'm not mistaken, which would wind up being the last time that Cadillac had that configuration on their cars, something that was indicative of Cadillac for decades. If I could find a clean, later model DTS at a fair price, I'd be VERY tempted to buy it. Great video, Jon.

[@johnnymason2460]

They should have changed it to a RWD car once the Fleetwood was discontinued. Once they went to the DTS name instead of DeVille, they could have gone to RWD just like they did when they replaced the FWD Seville with the RWD STS.

[@DavidPysnik]

They should have never discontinued the Fleetwood to begin with. They also should have never abandoned the Deville nameplate for the banal three-letter soup names. Lastly, they should get rid of these ridiculous new model names for their electric vehicles that all end in “q”.

[@arieljones4595]

You took the words out of my mouth when you asked, "Who was this car for?" I said, "The traditional Cadillac buyers in the mid aughts who werent dead yet. It was a great car for what it was supposed to be. A BIG comfortable cruiser with a powerful V8 engine that was made by the home team and was pennies on the dollar to a large German sedan. This was arguably the last gasp of that kind of car from Cadillac (XTS?).My guess it today you could buy a well preserved example for absolutely peanuts.

[@andrewalmeida3029]

Growing up in a family that had Cadillac Sedan deVilles going back to the 70s, I knew sometime in my life I had to have the biggest Cadillac. I bought a DTS several years ago and I love it. Considering the size, it handles very well with minimal under steer with that front drive V8. Things to criticize is the gated shifter, the seats could be more supportive, and the brakes could be improved. Note: the heated windshield washer system was recalled and removed to fires. I love my DTS but I’m planning on buying an XTS or a CT6 in a few years. I love my big Cadillacs!

[@christopherlaflam6383]

I could not highly recommend the XTS VSport Platinum enough. Stunning interior- nicer than the CT6. And that 410 HP twin turbo engine - just flawless (cannot feel or hear it at idle.) Reviews at the time stated the speed really creeps up on you because the car is so composed. After 10 years I still look forward to getting into it. Yes, it's that good.

[@andrewalmeida3029]

@ My DTS is the Performance model. The XTS V-Sport is the exact model I’m looking for but they’re tough to find.

[@mauriceldisgreecanadahaspr9560]

LIKE THE CADILLAC FLEETWOOD DTS CHROME WHEELS 🛞🛞🛞🛞 NICE 👍 NICE 💯💯💯🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@justinviers137]

I was a teenager when these were being produced, and during that time, I hated the DTS, but 4 years ago I bought a 2011 DTS at an estate auction for very little $$$ and it far surpassed my expectations and quickly became my favorite car. The seat comfort, ride quality and driving dynamics were excellent. It may not be the best looking of the Cadillacs, but I felt it successfully mixed the classic Cadillac feel with the modern touch. I regret selling it, but I needed the garage space for my new toy, a 1978 Eldorado.

[@Mabeylater293]

Reliability? Mileage?

[@triggeredcat120]

Yep. I remember these being around. 16 at the time.

[@njguy9373]

Cadillac probably wouldn't have created this car in 2006 if the platform didn't already exist. The 2006-2011 refresh was the last of a car whose roots date back to 1985. This was Cadillac's best-selling model until they discontinued it. Livery operators, rental fleets and retirees bought them till the end. The ones the retirees bought new are now the cream pufcs on the used market as their original ownera aged out of driving. Like the Ford panther platform, the engineering was paid off years earlier and this was one of GM's most profitable products. It would still sell today if it could meet safety regulations.

[@iluvcamaros1912]

These newer full-size GM cars are all derived from the 1995 Oldsmobile Aurora. The Deville was all-new for 2000.

[@speedfiend925]

Jon: The grill is just a little oversized.... BMW has entered the chat.....😁

[@nairbudy6403]

Id love one…im 51…. Always feared the Northstar though!

[@IamGroot786]

I always liked the styling on this and the CTS.

[@omostim2385]

I have to say when the facelifted DTS came out I thought it was the better looking car. Now looking back I prefer the pre facelift 2000 DTS, hole in the grill for night vision and all. Those seemed like a real push into making a flagship. The interior was much better too

[@RedRider-mb3wt]

Compared to the Town Car, the DTS was lightyears ahead in tech and fit and finish. But the TC made up for it with shear size, price, and reliability. Neither sold super well in later years, but I'd be curious to know if their competitors did either. Was it just the DTS and TC, or was the entire class performing poorly through that era?

[@robertriley1569]

The caddy was more modern but the Towncar had a better front fascia the headlamps & grille were more proportional.

[@nairbudy6403]

Id love one…im 51…. Always feared the Northstar though!a

[@tonychasey7990]

I'm 52. I've had my 02 DHS for 20 years. Don't be afraid of the Northstar! I now have 231k on mine. It's been amazing. Around here, road salt kills them. Mine no longer sees winter driving.

[@ml9867]

I think MW recently put up a video of the STS-V

[@RJLightning68]

Been watching ya for awhile and I suspected you loved in NC, nice to see a fellow Tar Heel

[@misternordberg3675]

"lived"

[@ml9867]

I'm surprised at the size of the hump in the middle of the rear floor, for a front wheel drive luxury car that cared about rear seat passengers and was often used for livery or turned into a limo. I'm sure it didn't have 3 inch exhaust pipes.

[@Jack_Stafford]

I don't understand why any front wheel drive cars have humps in the floor. In the 60s / 70s the floor was absolutely flat, and those cars were quite low but they figured out how to add a noticeable value to the car with a impressive and very appreciated flat floor. Now since both front wheel drive and rear-wheel drive have about the same size hump, it's no wonder many people don't even know the difference.

[@kc9scott]

@@Jack_Stafford I think in general there needs to be a small hump for the exhaust. The pre-1986 Toronado/Eldorado and FWD Riviera had completely flat floors because the whole floor was a bit higher. Further downsizing probably required a lower floor. Also, any FWD car with an AWD option might share the AWD floorpan, even when it’s only equipped with FWD. The real benefit to a flat floor is that you can sit 3 across in the front seat, but that’d require another airbag and shoulder belt, and most manufacturers don’t want to bother with that.

[@Jack_Stafford]

@kc9scott all-wheel drive, I understand that because there has to be room for the axle, but I would wager that those floors of those big personal luxury cars of the 60s and 70s were lower than a lot of the front wheel drive cars that came later, particularly I remember having a early 2000s Ford 500 pull next to my 91 Caprice and it was significantly taller. Of course the Caprices rear-wheel drive and the Ford 500 was front wheel drive but it still had a sizable hump and I just can't make that work out. Some of the older cars were even unibody, a lot of people think that is a relatively new invention, but it didn't seem to matter unibody or frame, if it was front-wheel drive that was one of the primary benefits was an absolutely flat floor, and even many front-wheel drive SUVs which are much higher than any car still have a sizable hump. The last Chevrolet Impala is another car that is significantly taller than my capris, of course shorter and narrower but there's no reason I can think of it for not having a flat floor in front and rear with the bench seat options, that really makes a difference. The hump in an Impala is about the same as it is in a Chrysler 300, which is rear-wheel drive. In so many ways it seems like those advances made in the 60s and 70s have retrograded.

[@Jack_Stafford]

@kc9scott additionally, most cars that are front wheel drive do not have an all-wheel drive variant so I don't think that's the reason, and believe it or not bench seats are becoming available again so those extra seat belts and legroom will become necessary again, and it always was desirable even if you were the only one driving the car to have all the foot and wiggle room that you wanted. Sitting side saddle, with a footlong brake pedal and gas pedal, people definitely have not gotten any smaller so I don't know why we have everyone crammed into these tight coffin like sports cockpits, even in luxury sedans with tiny pedals that even an average guy wearing boots can easily both gas and brake accidentally, something that was extremely hard to do back in the day and something I would consider a safety feature LOL

[@michaellong6336]

I think you're right. It was made for my dead dad. My alive mom went with the avalon because of course.

[@jasonbostrom2165]

That's a hard sell, im 41 now and never condensed a larger Cadillac unless it's old school. If I was in the market, it probably be a lexus gs/ls series or BMW 5 series. BTW, former 2006 GS430 owner. That car was amazing, space was little tight, but fun to drive!

[@robertallan4489]

Another good one, Jon. We agree with your conclusions. We know you liked that big trunk, but we asked ourselves who would need such a trunk? The successful traveling salesmen of the 1950's and '60s? They are a gone species. Who in 2006? Elements of a bygone age in a modern luxo boat. If we don't see another video post before Christmas our family wishes you a Happy Holiday. Jingle Jingle.

[@misternordberg3675]

who is "we?" are there two people writing this?

[@robertallan4489]

@@misternordberg3675 A household of interested people.

[@robertriley1569]

Headlamp design was awkward

[@davinp]

The Toyota Yaris which was the Scion iA was designed and built by Mazda - it was a rebadged Mazda2

[@johneldorado]

I feel like this is the era of Cadillac where GM didn't even pretend to care about their previous customer base anymore. They just decided to make a big, generic rental car and see who would be stupid enough to buy it. Something like a Lexus ES or Acura RL of that era was 10x the vehicle at a cheaper price.

[@Romiman1]

I always liked it and still do. But about the look, I still prefer the previous generation, which looks much more American and Cadillac-like. When* this DTS was new (or young), it was way out of my financial range. And now, it is too big and too powerful (and of course too old) for my usecase (daily ride in Germany). *Rode a 1989 Sedan de Ville back then.

[@kc9scott]

I just looked up Deville on Wikipedia, and IMO, the generation ending in 1999 is the last one that really looked like a Cadillac.

[@speedfiend925]

0-60 in 7.7 seconds is what you get when you combine, FWD, a powerful V8, and a hefty weight without AWD. Well they tried at least. LOL!

[@incompetentdiplomat3716]

I do love the DTS

[@MarinCipollina]

For model year 2006 all Cadillacs used real wood on the dash and console. There is no fake wood there.

[@courtneypuzzo2502]

the DTS package started being available on the Deville in 06 around its 54th anniversary Deville launched as one of GM's dream cars in 1953 with the Corvette Pontiac Club De Mer Oldsmobile Golden Rocket & Buick Centurion

[@TeeroyHammermill]

The package became available in 1986. It became a standalone model in 2006.

[@courtneypuzzo2502]

@@TeeroyHammermill thanks for reminding me I'd forgotten It became available in 1986 my late maternal grandmother drove a used 1981 Coupe Deville at the time exterior Colonial yellow interior Dark Saddle Brown leather with matching Landau Vinyl top over the backseat

[@a64aquarian]

Strangely....the DTS was never meant to be the "Flagship" at Cadillac. The STS was supposed to be the top of the line Caddy. I wasnt a fan of the 'Art & Science' design with Cadillac....but it mostly work on the DTS to me. GM just really seemed scared to put max effort in competing in the luxury segment with Cadillac. Its like they just were hoping people would buy it just because it was an American sedan.

[@JimmyShields-z2h]

If i live in USA yeah but problem with Northstar V8 would push me over Ford or BMW. If you were in Australia Ford Falcon would been choice with 6 speed automatic hook up to 4.0lt six the G6E model was purely luxury unlike Holden still carrying 4 speed automatic until VE model arrived.

[@CB12345]

I always thought the DTS was an interesting vehicle. The only thing I disliked about it was the Northstar engines in these.

[@doug6191]

This car was comfortable. That's it. That's the comprehensive list of positives about the car.

[@k.c.marshall921]

Uh....No,not hardly sir.

[@briannavarrete49]

Oh John u forgot the STS 😂

[@AllCarswithJon]

I did one with the STS probably 2 years ago now? Or it was a comparo test with multiple cars. Regardless, I didn't want to revisit it here in the Caddy series. :)

[@misternordberg3675]

Cadillac had one model that was front wheel drive for decades, the rest were RWD. And no, you can't compete with the Germans without RWD. People bought German cars due to their dynamic feel and capabilities, and the fact that they don't plow around corners (understeer). Not an opinion.

[@davidtate7699]

it looks very cartoonish

[@misternordberg3675]

Front wheel drive has superior traction? Seriously Jon, it isn't April 1st. Why repeat such a nonsensical, (literally) physics defying statement?

[@user-surly]

Change the grille and badging and call it a top of the line Oldsmobile?

[@americanbadass88]

Thats called the Buick Lucerne which was the poor mans Cadillac DTS and had the bulletproof 3800 till 2008.

[@TeeroyHammermill]

@user-surly: Much nicer in every way than an Olds Aurora which was discontinued a few years prior.

[@k.c.marshall921]

I own &(owned) several of these both the DTS & Buick Lucerne. Love em both to death!!! Despite their flaws and shortcomings......