A terrific car at a terrific price
Once upon a time, if you wanted a German sports sedan, you had to pay German sports sedan prices. Today, you have other options and one of the best is the Cadillac Catera.
Based on the wonderful Opel Omega, Catera is a series of contradictions: First, it is a domestically branded car that is really just a rebadge of a foreign car. It is the type of car Cadillac needed to attract buyers who had strayed toward German luxury marques, yet the division had to get a German car to allow it to compete. At a time when German companies are seeking to build cars in North America in order to keep their prices lower, Cadillac ends up building a car in Germany, yet still manages to beat its chief rivals by upwards of $20,000.
But enough with the ambiguity. The main thing you need to know about Catera is that it is a terrific car at a terrific price.
Power comes from a 200-hp 3.0-litre V-6 that makes 192 lbs.ft. of torque in the middle of the rev range (3,600 rpm), where it is most useful. Acceleration is quick and smooth, be it at downtown cruising speeds, powering off from a standstill, or during highway passing. It's not quite up to the lunging of a BMW 530I (225 hp, 225 lbs.ft. at 3,500) or Mercedes-Benz E320 (221 hp, 232 lbs.ft. at 3,000), but it's probably something most drivers won't notice.
Catera is also considerably heavier than both the others, which means it isn't as fuel-efficient. Combine that with a smaller gas tank than either the BMW or Merc and you'll find yourself filling up the car almost twice as often as the others, as I did.
You also get a sense of that heaviness when driving, especially during aggressive cornering and under braking. Although the steering is quick and precise, it feels bulky and that makes for a more tiresome experience in excessive city driving.
The interior is straight out of a European design studio, with some strange placement of seemingly unnecessary controls. For example, on either side of the centre-stack (climate control centre, radio) are push buttons for various functions — one remotely opens the trunk; on the other side, another remotely opens the gas-tank cover. The column-stalk-mounted cruise controls are also awkward, often making me flash the headlights at oncoming motorists.
In another example, the shift lever features a "knock-out" ring just below the handle that the driver pulls up with the tip of his fingers as he moves the handle. It's not an awkward movement and it works well, but it looks out of place on a luxury car. Similarly, a push-button for sportier shift-points is located on top of the handle, while a winter launch-assist button is located to the right of the shift gate.
And the whole lever itself looks like it should be connected to a manual transmission, with its leather covered boot.
If you're used to European cockpits, you won't mind the layout and placements — many will even find it attractive — but where you will notice the differences is in the amount and size of stowage spaces. The cupholders are flimsy and shoot out of the centre console one at a time (to a maximum of two). And there is no place to put your cell phone where it won't slide around or infringe on occupant space.
But there are also great European touches that many North American luxury sedans could stand to copy — wonderfully supportive seats that leave backs feeling as refreshed after two hours of driving as they did when they first reclined against the seatbacks, firm cushions that maintain good posture in various sizes of bodies and heated seats front and rear.
The rear seating area has plenty of room for two full-sized adults, or two adults and a child — all secured by three-point belts. The seat bottom is supportive for full-sized thighs, but small enough that children such as nine-year-old Ryan, don't have to slouch in order to keep their feet flat on the floor. Isofix anchors at all rear positions allow parents to choose where to put their children's seats (or move them around depending on the angle of the sun). A 40/20/40-split folding seatback allows the carrying of two passengers while still maintaining access to the trunk.
And despite its having a smaller wheelbase than either the 530 or E320, Catera features more overall legroom. Dimensionally, it is longer and narrower than either of the others, features that combine with the smaller wheelbase to give it a smaller turning circle — appreciated in some downtown parking lots.
About the only knock I have is against the doors (if you'll pardon the pun). Whereas German makers are making lighter, wider-opening doors (some of which swing out to almost 90 degrees) the Catera is saddled with heavy doors that are hard to open by smaller people, and make you squeeze in through a narrow opening.
But where the Catera scores highest is in its level of equipment and overall price. For just over $42,000, you get standard fog lights, heated side mirrors, auto-dimming rearview mirror, power windows, heated front and rear seats, AM/FM stereo radio with cassette and CD player and automatic level adjustment, all-speed traction control, remote keyless entry, and the OnStar communications and assistance system, among others.
And although $42,000 may be beyond the reach of many family budgets, keep in mind it is two-thirds that of a BMW 530 or M-B E320. And that represents good value. However, if you compare it to the $36,000 Acura 3.2 TL, Catera falls short on all fronts (hence, the less than perfect value mark).
Our test Catera was equipped with the optional Sport package that for $2,300 adds 17-in. wheels, wider tires, rear spoiler, leather seating, high-intensity discharge headlights and retuned suspension. We would probably do without all of those items.
- from the Toronto Sun DriverSource
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