With Sadness, Leaving Infiniti

[SmoovC]

As some of you may know, I totaled my beloved 2012 M56S back in February. I have been a long-time Infiniti owner, and have been happy with their products for over 10 years. Performance, cutting edge tech, rock solid reliability, and first class service has been my experience with the brand. I have been "on the hunt" for a suitable replacement well over a month now. My initial thought was to get into a 2015 5.6L Q70S, but they are few and far between. The (literally) few that I found that were optioned right had a light colored interior; which is a deal breaker for me. I had my heart set on a Platinum White on Graphite; I could consider another exterior color, but it had to have graphite interior.

After giving up hope on a 5.6L Q70S, I decided to look at other options. The first one that came to mind was a Q50S. Great car overall, but it just felt too small to me. Then I tried a couple of Lexuses (Lexi?!): GS 350 F-Sport, and the LS-460 F-Sport. The 350 felt way underpowered, and the 460 felt like a sofa on wheels. Not bad, mind you; just not what I am looking for. I even tried the newly redesigned Hyundai Genesis 5.0L. While vastly improved over the old design, it felt way too much like a Lincoln with little road feel, and a not very engaging driving attitude.

Now here is where it gets weird: enter Cadillac. I am not going to be shy about it; I have always had a distain for anything GM. I have owned a few Chevrolet products over the years, and each time I bought one it reminded me of why I got rid of the last one. However, after reading many professional reviews, I decided to go at it with no preconceived notions, and give the CTS V-Sport Premium a try.

My initial impression was that Cadillac has really stepped up their game with regard to quality of materials, fit and finish, and attention to detail. Interior controls no longer look like they were robbed out of the Cobalt parts bin, and gone were the hard, creaky plastics that GM was so fond of for decades.

The test drive: wow! Solid feel, balanced handling, great power delivery, and pretty awesome tech. This is a Cadillac?! From GM?! To say I was impressed would be a gross understatement. So impressed, I purchased a 2014 CTS V-Sport Premium with 4194 miles; and the original window sticker in the glove box. In Phantom Gray Metallic with Jet Black interior, she is a looker.

Yes, there are a few things that I thought odd: audio controls on the right side of the steering wheel, and incandescent bulbs for the license plate and reverse lights (which I have since changed out). But, any car you buy has little quirks that make you wonder why they did that. However, if that is all there is to complain about, then this car is a winner. Value added bonuses include Premium Care maintenance and the Remote Link remote lock/unlock/remote start/vehicle status app; both free. It also seems Cadillac now understands that premium buyers demand premium service; which remains to be seen firsthand when I take the car in for warranty/service work.

Am I now a Cadillac man? For the time being, yes. Will I always have a love for Infiniti? Absolutely! Will I be back in the family one day? Affirmative. Perhaps a newly designed replacement for the Q70 is not far off, and I will have "ride lust" again.

For now, I bid you all Happy Motoring!!

[Ilya]

Booooooo :P

[Debonair]

I get it, you caught the scent of a lesser stag in your nostrils.





Sorry to see you go but glad you found something you really like.

[Larz]

In the UK, American cars have long been famous for making cars that that go fast but cannot do corners without jumping into a bush. The other obvious downfall of American cars was low quality interiors with cheap, hard plastics and poor fit / finish. That has improved lately, but Cadillac has out done itself by making truly high quality interiors that you used to have to go to the Germans and Brits to get. Cadillac has truly overcome all the downfalls by starting from the ground up to build a car that can do fast, corners, and luxury all at the same time.
I have driven my mate's CTS-V coupe on regular roads and motorways and I can say without a doubt that it is paws-down, the best American fast car I have ever driven. I have never driven the 4-door version but i can't imagine it's any less thrilling. It's a European-sized saloon with Porsche-type handling, Brit-posh cruising comfort, and American style muscle.
Nobody else makes a car like the CTS-V right now. It will be interesting to see if Infiniti tries to match it in a future model.
Sorry to see you go, mate. I'm quite certain yoiu are going to be very happy with your Caddy!

[Altered]

I haven't looked at Caddy lately but I always had an appreciation for the 556 hp CTS-Vs. I can only imagine the newest version is a breath taker, have fun and be safe.

Funny thing mentioned: My 2010 Altima SR had the audio controls on the right hand side, so I thought the ones in the M37 felt awkward for a long while lol

[icrf]

A friend of mine has a CTS-V with the Hennessey performance package (OEM supported), bought used a few years ago. While it is ridiculously fast, he's had nothing but problems with the thing. He barely had the thing for the first six months as they kept trying to get it to pass emissions. He ended up buying a complete OEM exhaust to replace the aftermarket, which had a pretty severe impact on power. Turns out the dealer flashed the ECU which overwrote all the special Hennessey tuning settings which caused all the problems. The nearest tuner that could deal with it was two hours away, so he took it up there, he fixed the ECU, put the performance exhaust back on it, and it passed emissions fine. Since then, the car has plenty of power when cold, but bogs down when warm. It's just too much of a hassle to get it back up to the tuner to fix. Plus he'd already dumped so much money into the car already. The extended warranty bought with the car didn't cover emissions.

Moral of the story: "OEM supported aftermarket performance" doesn't mean a lot if your local OEM can't actually support it.

Beyond that, it's been little stuff, too, like tire pressure sensors flaking out all the time, battery dies without tender since he doesn't drive it often, etc. It's pretty well turned him off to Cadillac, and certainly the local dealer.

[SmoovC]

Thanks for all the replies and well wishes guys; it is very much appreciated.

I guess I should have clarified the car I bought; it is a 2014 CTS V-Sport Premium. It is not the same car as a CTS-V; it does not share the same platform, body or interior. It is an all new redesign for 2014, and is powered by a twin turbocharged 3.6L V6 good for 420hp and 430 torque, backed by an 8 speed automatic (with paddle shifters) and an electronic LSD. It has been tested at mid 4 seconds to 60mph, and high 12s to low 13s in the 1/4 mile. The magnetic controlled suspension is amazing; and driver adjustable.

If you care to read more: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/201 ... est-review

The old design CTS-V was fast as hell, but as mentioned, suffered reliability and quality issues. The interior was standard issue GM; cheap, creaky and plastic. This has always been my perception of GM; but the 2014 CTS V-Sport Premium completely changed my notion of what a GM product has always been in my mind.

[insanex1]

The front end looks cool, but the back end looks dated like an old school caddie.

[SmoovC]

The front end looks cool, but the back end looks dated like an old school caddie.

Looks better with the GM accessory spoiler; not unlike the M37/56.

[BlackCat81]

A friend of mine has a CTS-V with the Hennessey performance package (OEM supported), bought used a few years ago. While it is ridiculously fast, he's had nothing but problems with the thing. He barely had the thing for the first six months as they kept trying to get it to pass emissions. He ended up buying a complete OEM exhaust to replace the aftermarket, which had a pretty severe impact on power. Turns out the dealer flashed the ECU which overwrote all the special Hennessey tuning settings which caused all the problems. The nearest tuner that could deal with it was two hours away, so he took it up there, he fixed the ECU, put the performance exhaust back on it, and it passed emissions fine. Since then, the car has plenty of power when cold, but bogs down when warm. It's just too much of a hassle to get it back up to the tuner to fix. Plus he'd already dumped so much money into the car already. The extended warranty bought with the car didn't cover emissions.

Moral of the story: "OEM supported aftermarket performance" doesn't mean a lot if your local OEM can't actually support it.

Beyond that, it's been little stuff, too, like tire pressure sensors flaking out all the time, battery dies without tender since he doesn't drive it often, etc. It's pretty well turned him off to Cadillac, and certainly the local dealer.

You sure it's Hennessy and not Callaway? I know for sure Callaway works with GM but never heard of Hennessy doing it. And Hennessey isn't known for great customer service, he at one point had several lawsuits against him from disgruntled customers.

[pedsemdoc]

You sure it's Hennessy and not Callaway? I know for sure Callaway works with GM but never heard of Hennessy doing it.

Check out: http://www.hennesseyperformance.com/veh ... lac-cts-v/

It seems like he is more concerned with creating the world's fastest car/most horsepower then with customer service from what I've read.

[BlackCat81]

You sure it's Hennessy and not Callaway? I know for sure Callaway works with GM but never heard of Hennessy doing it.

Check out: http://www.hennesseyperformance.com/veh ... lac-cts-v/

It seems like he is more concerned with creating the world's fastest car/most horsepower then with customer service from what I've read.

Oh right on, I new Callaway built CTS-V's but there's certain dealers that are authorized to sell new Callaway equipped corvettes and such. I'd never heard of any dealers being Hennessey dealers, probably because he's such a pain in the a**.

[icrf]

Yeah, I think the "OEM Support" wasn't support so much as a promise that this aftermarket performance mod wouldn't void the factory warranty.

[JHC828]

We've had a Cadillac and an Infiniti both in our garage for the last several years. Always a V8 Infiniti car (currently M56S) and Cadillac SUV. After driving the new Q70L (V8) I felt underwhelmed. We have (as you mentioned looking at) a Lexus LS F-Sport and it is a large, comfortable car and I don't want another boring, comfortable "sofa on wheels." The Escalade we have is the Platinum trim and is far superior to the QX56 (or whatever the newest one is called) in my opinion. My wife is the die-hard Infiniti fan and has insisted on having one for the last several years, although she often drives my Cadillac (the Lexus is my daily driver). The new Cadillacs are definitely a far cry from what they used to be and I don't like anything else thats on the road right now better. SO, as we get ready to step up to the newest Escalade, we will be replacing the M with a CTS-V. I will always have a soft spot for Infiniti and I was extremely hopeful for the Q50 Eau Rogue, but I sure am glad I've converted her into a Cadillac girl.

And on the subject of Hennessey Performance. The Sewell dealership in Dallas, which is where we've bought Infiniti and Cadillac, DOES offer the upgrade as a factory supported option, with a warranty. When I was trying to locate our new Cadillacs, they said that I could send them both to HPE for an upgrade before taking delivery.