Cadillac CTS vs Mercedes S600

For once, this article will not be on high-tech or Palm mobiles, but on automobiles. I will try to shorten this article up a little, because those who know me for my writing know that I can get really long (and boring ?) when I do comparatives, which I do a lot.

Which is the best buy between these two cars, on one side the Cadillac CTS and on the other the Mercedes S600 ?

In this article, I will compare price, performances, reliability, design and more. For this test, I didn't rely on what the automakers state on their officials websites, I have used the actual vehicles that I have borrowed from a friend that is a car dealer.

The first part of this comparison will be on vehicle performances.

Horsepower : For a long time, Cadillac was only considered as a luxury car automaker. It's only very recently that they produced more sports-like vehicles while keeping the luxury aspect. The motorization maybe suffers a little from that. The Cadillac CTS has approximately 350 hp, while Mercedes S600 has 500. Winner : Mercedes.

Maximum speed : I know this criteria isn't very popular in automobile tests or comparatives, but i dig nevertheless. Despite the fact that I would probably never reach the maximum speed on any car, except for private automobile tracks, it's one of the firsts thinks I look at when I buy a car. It's cool to brag around on how you could outrace anyone, right ? On the Cadillac CTS I observed 290 km/h (which gives you something close to 180 mph). The Mercedes S600 can reach something close to that speed, 280 km/h (170 mph), but you really have to pull on the motor. Must of the time, you won't go past 250-260 km/h, less than 160 mph. Winner : Cadillac.

Road Handling :  Another very important point here, can the car handle correctly any types of roads ? Moreover, is it pleasant to drive ? The suspensions are good on both cars, Mercedes S600 and Cadillac CTS, as they handle bumps and other potholes without delivering much shaking to the driver. The weight repartition leads again to a tie, both are excellent cars. Now for what is of the road holdings, especially while making turns, you feel more comfortable on the Cadillac CTS than on the Mercedes S600. Due to it's high gravity center combine with it's slight lack of balance, the Mercedes S600 is less maneuverable, especially while turning than the Cadillac CTS. Winner : Cadillac.

Fuel Efficiency : This was a criteria that was pretty hard to measure, and that's why I based myself on other tests already performed by other auto-dealers. Mercedes S600 has a combined fuel economy of 14 MPG (11 + 17) and Cadillac CTS has 23 MPG (19 + 27). Winner : Cadillac.

Not much to say here, as no tests were performed. This is hard data, and data never lies.

The Cadillac CTS price starts at 35,000 USD, which is pretty cheap compared to the 158,000 USD Mercedes asks for it's car ! The Cadillac CTS costs almost five times less than the Mercedes S600, I say for this one, we give the win to Cadillac. Winner : Cadillac.

Cadillac and Mercedes are two automakers known for having very good reliability. This is also a criteria on which I could perform no tests, but the overall statistics show that both are quite as reliable. This round ends logically in a tie. Winner : tie.

Exterior : The Mercedes S600 might have looked cool for the eighties, but for 2011 it gives an obsolete aspect, that you might enjoy if you are nostalgic. Cadillac, on the other hand, has implemented innovation on innovation to ameliorate it's exterior design.

My preference goes to the Cadillac CTS, for it's success in mixing the luxury aspect of BMW, Rolls Royce and, well, Mercedes, with the powerful sports-car aspect of the Ford Mustang. Winner : Cadillac.

Interior : For the past years, the big assets of Cadillac cars, as well as most GM cars, were Road Handling and Interior design/equipment. It's with no trouble that the Cadillac CTS wins this round over the Mercedes S600. Winner : Cadillac.

Cadillac CTS : 7/8

Mercedes S600 : 2/8

As a conclusion, the Cadillac CTS wins hands down, and you will understand if you possess one.