The STS-V is very soft. I would not be surprised if they made it a bit stiffer in the next few years. I think it is a bit classier car than the SRT-8. The interior looks great compared to the regular STS (which is designed well, but the materials are not very impressive). Leather covered dash and such. The SRT-8 has a nearly identical interior to the 300C. It is designed perfectly for ergonomics (I can always find/use the controls in a Chrysler product with fidangling around), but again the materials do not feel like recent Mercedes or BMW (that late 90s MB crap was crap, ugh). They feel as though they asked Fisher Price to mold their plastics. I am sure it has more to do with how they are designed and not how much they cost. Aside from some loose parts in the two new STS’s (and an SRX, and a CTS…), they are put together just as well as any Toyota or Honda. Maybe I am just used to those materials and presume they are quality?
Anyway, big tangent. When I see a 300C I think, "Nice car, if you need space for dead bodies.” When I see an STS (especially in black), I get giddy. It is proportioned perfectly. It has fluidity. The front looks like it should be there. The back is somewhat weird (I hate those taillights). It works. It is very classy in black. There are parts to the 300C that I think look very tacked on (the front end–is that ever ugly?). Also, the hemi is wonderful for a bargain basement luxury car, but you win the real buyers by having an engine that does not clatter when cold. I wouldn’t shell out $40,000 for a vehicle that has a pushrod engine. Sorry. Give me the Northstar, the 6 in the BMW or the RL, the AJ 4.2 in the Jag, or the 4.3 in the Lexus (oh goodness is that a great engine Lexus has…mmm, so smooth).
And on that note, there is a reason Lexus has had the success it has had in the United States. They aren’t faster (usually), they are slower around a track and they don’t look better. Hm. Customer satisfaction? Value? I’d buy an STS-V over the STS for the interior improvements alone. With my monopoly money.
If Cadillac (and Chrysler has an even tougher time) wants to really gain some respect, they need to forget about performance lineups and spread the performance across their line. Selling an SRT-8 next to a Neon is fine if you want to treat the Neon owner as if they’re also the only customer you have. I go to a Cadillac dealer and I feel like I might as well be looking at Pontiacs.
Is it outclassed? Yes. MB is making some strides. The Cadillac isn’t outclassed because, uhm, it’s damn good and $12,000 cheaper? It’s cheap! Right. And the CTS isn’t a Dodge Stratus? Come on Chrysler. The only cars worth buying are the 300C and the Pacifica, and the Pacifica was overpriced until they gave it that horrid 3.8 push rod…lumpy thing…ugh…dumbasses…ugh… …Scrap anything under 25k, leave those cars to Dodge, put Jeep and Chrysler in the same dealerships and give the buyers some good customer service.
I don’t expect anybody here to agree with me. Hell, this is a car board and performance is at the top of the list for most people here. However, BMW and MB didn’t get the presence they have now with their performance lines. Lexus has toyed around with the idea. Acura…performance…bha!! Aside from the NSX or the Type R, no. And I don’t think their current success hinges on having nor had those two cars in their lineup.
Bottom line: the money is best spent elsewhere.
edit: to make it easier to read.
