The Lineup
Enter the two up-and-comers, one North American, the other Japanese. We've seen the scenario before: Either Japanese or U.S. makers have made claims that they've built a car to finally compete with a BMW 3 or 5 Series, only to be outperformed by the segment's benchmark, yet again. These less-than-successful attempts have included the Acura TL and RL, Cadillac Catera Sport and STS, Infiniti I35 and Q45, and Lexus IS 300 and GS 300/400. While the margin of victory has been narrow at times, and the BMWs were on the pricier side, the verdict has always been the same: When it comes to performance sedans, nobody can out-BMW a BMW, not even archrivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
The rear-drive '03 Infiniti G35 is all-new, has absolutely nothing to do with the G20, and makes no bones about going after BMW. Like the CTS, the G35 with its 3.5L/260-hp V-6 is actually an EPA-midsizer, again, putting it more in the size class with a larger 5 Series, not the compact BMW 330i. At $27,100, base-model G35 pricing, however, falls far below that of even a 330i--for a cloth-interior-equipped example with no options available. Starting with a Leather (upholstered) G35, as we have, $28,950 nets the following standard equipment: leather interior (of course) including the multitasking steering wheel, power driver seat, in-dash six-CD audio system, and alarm with immobilizer.
The options on our test Infiniti include the $2200 Premium package, which requires ordering a $1000 moonroof. Also added to our test car is the $550 Aero package, which mandates taking the $425 Sport Suspension package that has specific hardware of its own and adds titanium-look interior trim. Finally, Xenon headlights and a $545 destination charge bring the total to a lowest-of-the-group $34,220. The only big-ticket option our G35 lacks is the $2000 navigation system.
Like Infiniti, Cadillac has made no secret of its all-new, midsize '03 CTS sedan's intent as the cutting-edge American 5 Series BMW for the cost of a 3 Series--hence this price-driven comparison against a 330i, not a 530i. Cadillac has widely and unabashedly publicized the CTS' Nuerburgring racetrack testing (as the Europeans do) for almost three years, and even enlisted GM Europe's Opel brand to assist in tuning the car's new RWD Sigma platform, suspension, brakes, transmissions, and steering. "The goal," in Cadillac's own words, "was to produce a true sport sedan with a European driving feel that would meet the lofty expectations of customers in North America, one that would represent the global brand Cadillac is poised to become." In fact, the CTS, which doesn't mean Catera Touring Sedan, but rather C-series touring sedan, was purposely introduced at both the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Frankfurt Auto Show to underscore the international intent of the new car.
So, not only does the '03 CTS intend to benchmark the best from Europe in terms of performance and build quality, it also wants to maintain at least some of the maker's reputation for luxury. Another mission for the CTS is to redefine the Cadillac brand on a global basis through edgy new styling and technology it calls Art & Science. Can one all-new car really do all this? Cadillac is betting on it.
...
>>next page