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I believe it. The amount of misalignment of sheet metal, I had portion of my headliner not clipped in properly. Paint is subpar. For a low volume BW car the number of engines that have had problems percent wise even for the subset of owners here. One could see why it would get so low of a rating. Funny how many of us say we came to caddy to get away from bmw or Audi unreliability. Good thing we have a long warranty. I’m keeping mine forever and hope the cost to fix things is lower than euro counterpart. Although if you wrench it yourself, euro cars aren’t that much more than a domestic or Asian counterpart.


I would agree on the paint, it's horrible on my Raven Black but the rest of the car seems very well buttoned down. Luxury buyer tend to find more things to be dissatisfied with than other markets.

The tighter the tolerances the more lively that a slight defect will trigger an issue. The engines here have been tweak to near their peak sustainable outputs and we don't exactly baby them.

The one area other area I would agree with the report is fuel economy. This car constantly bullies me into driving like a hooligan. On those rare occasions where I am able to pilot it with some respect for local speed limits and comport myself like a full grown adult, it turns in upper mid 20s per gallon. 29 mpg on a 60 mile stretch stuck behind a state trooper. For some odd reason it dropped to 17mpg as soon as he turned off... very inconsistent....

The German stuff is nice but only until your lease/warranty is up. I will never OWN another BMW.
 
Consumer Reports bases its reliability ratings on surveys returned by its readers. It's not a truly random sample in that CR readers are self-selected. But their data has proven to be pretty solid over the years.

Also worth nothing that CR is not beholden to the automakers the way just about every other publication is.

But they're also not enthusiasts. They evaluate car purchases the way I evaluate buying a new toaster. And that's fine, because that actually works for a lot of people.

People like us make compromises. (I drove an Evo VIII for 6 years. That thing was a rolling compromise.)

And, yeah, the 6-year powertrain warranty was absolutely a factor in my willingness to make this purchase.
 
(I drove an Evo VIII for 6 years. That thing was a rolling compromise.)
Sounds like my last relationship. She was like a new BMW.
Beautiful, fun, and fancy. But lacked any personality and the longer I held on the more issues popped up :rolleyes:

The CR review lumps in the base models as well yeah? Car and driver (my go-to) were deeply underwhelmed by the base models but gave both the 4 and 5 BW a raving 10/10. Would be a shame if they got lumped into long-term reviews due to their lesser counterparts
 
I read that and have issues with that article. They talk about powertrain, mostly about the 4 cyl. That it's sluggish. You think?

"Speaking of powertrain, the road test review lauds the CT5 for its handling dynamics and sporty yet comfortable ride. Where the luxury sedan falls on its face is in the powertrain department, as CR reported that the turbocharged 2.0 LSY I4 gasoline engine, which is equipped as standard, felt wheezy, while the GM 10-speed automatic transmission felt unrefined. It’s worth noting that CR only tested a lower spec’d vehicle."

Why would you only test a base car? The 10 speed is a fantastic tranny, co built with Ford. I have one in my Expedition too. I never know what gear it's in. It's SO smooth, quick and quite. I've lost almost ALL respect for CU over the years.
 
It's kind of hard for me to separate an automatic's performance from the engine it is connected to. They are just a closely-coupled system.

I drove a CT4-V with the bigger 2.7 turbo-4 and that engine was properly nice. The 10-speed also felt good to me in that application - and I don't like most autos.

Why would Cadillac even put a tiny 4-cylinder in a CT5? Are they that much cheaper than a V6? Anyone know what percentage of cars go out with that motor? Seems like all it does is devalue the brand.
 
Consumer Reports bases its reliability ratings on surveys returned by its readers. It's not a truly random sample in that CR readers are self-selected. But their data has proven to be pretty solid over the years.

Also worth nothing that CR is not beholden to the automakers the way just about every other publication is.

But they're also not enthusiasts. They evaluate car purchases the way I evaluate buying a new toaster. And that's fine, because that actually works for a lot of people.

People like us make compromises. (I drove an Evo VIII for 6 years. That thing was a rolling compromise.)

And, yeah, the 6-year powertrain warranty was absolutely a factor in my willingness to make this purchase.
I give them credence for appliances, but not cars. Their car rating criteria is not mine. But, I do know a guy that bought a Subaru only because CR said it was the best car for old people. LOL. His wife promptly totaled it in their neighborhood falling asleep at the wheel. o_O
 
I give them credence for appliances, but not cars. Their car rating criteria is not mine.
This is exactly where I am with CR. Their ratings appeal to the folks that create an excel spreadsheet to help them select a new car; "Beige Camry or White Sonata, what say you T chart?"

CR nerding out on subscriber data might help someone pick the "best" microwave, but for a car enthusiast there is far more to the decision process and most of it can't be quantified. I've had a great time owning poorly rated cars...so many tires killed!
 
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I give them credence for appliances, but not cars. Their car rating criteria is not mine. But, I do know a guy that bought a Subaru only because CR said it was the best car for old people. LOL. His wife promptly totaled it in their neighborhood falling asleep at the wheel. o_O

A Subaru is definitely the car you want to be in if in a crash. My guess is she slept right through it. =)
 
Greatest car I ever owned was a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan all wheel drive that was 2 years old and had 70,000 miles on it. Car was loaded and because CR rated it the worse car in history I picked it up for 8K from a lease company. Drove that baby to 198,000 and literally never had one maintenance issue. Was worth maybe $300 when my friend Barack Obama decided to pay me $2500 for it in the cash for clunkers program. Never will listen to CR again. Always super biased towards Asian cars.
 
A Subaru is definitely the car you want to be in if in a crash. My guess is she slept right through it. =)
Definitely DO NOT DRIVE or ever have a loved one drive a Dodge Caravan, one of the worst and most UNSAFE cars ever built! Driving one of those piece a crap cost me 3 surgeries, 10 screws, and plate in my leg! That's just the beginning! By the way, accident not my fault! And its wasnt mine! Subaru and Volvo's, a bunch safer!

The Caravan, that's a real PSA! Folds like a lawn chair!

IMG_0050.jpg
 
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My 5BW has been at the dealer for 2 months now with an engine issue so let me get back to you on this one. :(
This is brutal, Mike. I'll admit being surprised about the various LT4 problems (yours, the guy at 288 miles, and C&D). I'm sitting at 490 blissful miles, but these problems are disconcerting for sure.
 
I'll admit being surprised about the various LT4 problems...

Even so, it's an amazing world we live in where a 668 hp supercharged motor blowing up is an abnormal event.
 
Even so, it's an amazing world we live in where a 668 hp supercharged motor blowing up is an abnormal event.

Facts right there!... I'm coming up on 4k trouble free miles with with an 472hp turbo TWIN turbo v6 that puts down between 409 and 417 of that to the rear wheels as my daily driver. In a chassis that has a 5 star crash rating in every test , has heated and cooled seats a HUD and a rev matching transmission.

From a performance perspective it puts the beloved Ferrari Testarossa I had on my wall as a kid to utter shame. Back then even if you could manage to build a 400hp car it was a struggle to keep it running and a twin turbo set up was pie in the sky.

It's a great time to be alive.
 
Facts right there!... I'm coming up on 4k trouble free miles with with an 472hp turbo TWIN turbo v6 that puts down between 409 and 417 of that to the rear wheels as my daily driver. In a chassis that has a 5 star crash rating in every test , has heated and cooled seats a HUD and a rev matching transmission.

From a performance perspective it puts the beloved Ferrari Testarossa I had on my wall as a kid to utter shame. Back then even if you could manage to build a 400hp car it was a struggle to keep it running and a twin turbo set up was pie in the sky.

It's a great time to be alive.
Ding ding ding! One of my more modern dream cars was a 997.1 GT3 RS. While I was driving a JDM FD2 CTR or Clio Trophy, I'd imagine that speed and handling.
12-15 years later I'm driving a rental-car style sedan that's been given the same treatment as that Honda & Renault and it pushes the same numbers as that Porsche. It is impressive the tech and performance they can put into "attainable" cars these days.
 

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