Cadillac Prices 2008 CTS Above Competitors
By Michelle Krebs July 24, 2007General Motors isn’t being shy about the pricing of its dramatically restyled
2008 Cadillac CTS
.
The base MSRP on the CTS, arriving in showrooms in late August, will be $32,990, including the $745 delivery fee.
That is $540 less than the base price of an outgoing 2007 CTS equipped with the same 3.6-liter V6 engine; the 2007 CTS started at $33,530.
Still, according to Edmunds.com’s analysis, only two of the CTS’s main competitors -– the Acura TL and Mercedes-Benz C280, have higher base prices. Those models are near the end of their product lifecycles so dealers are heavily discounting them, noted Michael Lumunsad, Edmunds.com product development manager.
Cadillac
boasts the new CTS is equipped with a more powerful engine than some of its competitors, loads of new standard features and is available with options never before offered on the car.
Indeed, competitors with lower base prices, including the Lexus IS 250, BMW 328i and Lincoln MKX, have less powerful engines.
“Cadillac clearly is trying to compete based on its more powerful engine and edgy styling rather than purely on content for the money,†Lumunsad pointed out. “Most of the competitors, when comparably equipped, are at or slightly lower than the base CTS.â€
At the same time, Cadillac boasts the new CTS is equipped with loads of new standard equipment, and is available with options never offered before on the car.
The 2008 CTS, which has been completely redesigned inside, outside and underneath, comes standard with a 263-horsepower, 3.6-liter engine; the base engine previously was the optional engine and rated at 258 horsepower.
New features previously optional and now standard include: 17-inch wheels and tires; Bose 8-speaker sound system; StabiliTrak stability control; tire-pressure monitoring; and polished aluminum exhaust tips.
New options include: a 3.6-liter direct injection engine with 304 horsepower and a 25-percent reduction in hydrocarbon emissions; six-speed automatic transmission with driver shift control; all-wheel drive; 40 gigabyte hard disc drive that can store audio tracks from CDs or flash drives; navigation system with real-time traffic alerts; built-in MP3 port; high-density discharge headlamps with Adaptive Forward Lighting that follows vehicle steering, with LED light pipes; keyless access; Bose 5.1 Digital Surround Sound and UltraView sunroof with a power sunshade.
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