Faults:

There have been a couple of recalls on this particular vehicle, which include the door handles potentially freezing if water got in the seams, and check engine light stayed on, which was fixed by a software update.

The recall that challenged me not to challenge Cadillac was the removal of the heated washer fluid system. This is a Cadillac, they have engineered some of the most innovative vehicle technologies in past, but they are not able to find a solution to their heated washer fluid system? Sounds minor however; just a peeve.

Other than recalls, there have been no issues with this car in the 2.5 years owned.

General Comments:

-The car has striking looks whether you like the design or not, it does grab attention.

- 3.6L DI V6 (304HP) engine is a great performer.

- Cadillac's AWD system is great in Canadian winters.

- Bose 9 speaker stereo system sounds pretty good.

- Cadillac customer service is actually pretty good.

- Onstar integration quite handy.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car.

General Comments:

This car was an inheritance. If I didn't inherit it, I would have never bought one. I was never a Cadillac fan.

The car is not particularly fast and handling is not that impressive. My last car is about as fun to drive. I never thought of driving to be fun. I never pimped any cars, and they never appealed to me. I see a car as an appliance like a toaster or a washing machine.

The comfort is about average. The seats are sculpted properly, but they remain rock hard after eight months of ownership between my parents and me. Visibility in all directions is good from the driver seat, and there is sufficient space inside for passengers. I think five people would be a stretch, though, as hip room and leg room are snug.

The car is downright ugly. The profile looks blah, and the front looks goofy with the grille.

I have not gone to the dealer for anything yet.

Faults:

Nothing except a flat tire.

General Comments:

This is our first Cadillac in many, many years.

Compared to our 07 Chevrolet Malibu, the Cadillac rides noticeably smoother and drives with fewer steering corrections needed. The steering is quite German, which is to my liking.

I like the contrast when switching from one of our other cars to the Cadillac CTS. It feels like it is as solid as a rock, very strong, very safe, very comfortable and quiet enough.

The individual temperature control setting for both the driver and the front passenger is a very nice and I would even say useful feature. The built-in dash compass was useful, but is no longer needed as we have a GPS unit.

The edgy styling of the CTS is very visible; makes many of the competitors, some hugely more expensive, appear plain by comparison or similar to their lower priced brands. The CTS is not invisible in traffic like so many other luxury cars are. Some brands are finally making efforts to change this a little for themselves.

The engine runs perfectly, has a very relaxed pace at highway speeds and idles very smoothly. Fuel mileage with mostly highway, but some city driving using 10% ethanol runs about 26 mpg with 87 octane recommended, also a nice feature.

The heating and cooling controls could be simplified so that they are more intuitive. Windshield defrost is tricky to find.

The DIC (Driver Information Control) switches have duplicate functions and could be consolidated a little.

The console storage compartments could be larger like our Malibu's.

The power window controls were too touchy at first until we got used to them. It was too easy to push the control too hard so that a window would go all the way up or down when only an adjustment was wanted.

Another positive feature noted when running the Cadillac is that other drivers seem to be less pushy; are less inclined to tailgate when we are in less of a hurry and are in the right lane, of course.