The Cadillac DTS was a full-size luxury sedan built from 2005 until May 2011. Its initials stood for DeVille Touring Sedan, and it was a mildly revised version of the eighth-generation de Ville renamed under the brand’s new CTS and STS naming scheme.
Cadillac DTS at a glance
| Maker | Cadillac, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Production | 2005-2011 |
| Class | full-size luxury sedan |
| Platform | GM G-platform, front-wheel drive |
| Assembly | Detroit/Hamtramck, Michigan |
| Engine | 4.6 L 32-valve Northstar V8 |
| Power | 275 hp; 292 hp in the Platinum |
| Price at launch | $41,195 |
| Seating | five, or six with the optional front bench |
| Body | four-door sedan |
| Stretched version | DTS-L by Accubuilt, 2007 |
| Replaced by | Cadillac XTS in 2012 |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the DTS.
History of the Cadillac DTS
The DTS made its debut at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show and was built at GM’s Detroit/Hamtramck plant. Rather than a full redesign, it was a mildly restyled de Ville, with revised front-end sheet metal and fascia plus a new rear decklid, rear quarters and rear fascia. It used the front-wheel-drive G platform, marked by the fourth letter of the VIN, and the transverse 32-valve Northstar V8. At $41,195 it was more than 10% cheaper than the de Ville it replaced.
Equipment and trim
Standard equipment included multiple airbags, bi-functional xenon headlamps, leather seating and power seats; heated and cooled front seats, a heated rear seat, rain-sensing wipers, Bose audio, DVD navigation, adaptive cruise control and Magnetic Ride Control were optional. A Platinum package arrived in 2007 with 292 hp, special interior trim and its own badging. The DTS offered five seats as standard and six with an optional front bench.
Limousines, hearses and presidents
A lightly stretched DTS-L for the limousine market was released in November 2006 for the 2007 model year, developed and finished by Accubuilt; early cars had a wide rear C-pillar like the old Fleetwood 75, and 2008 brought longer rear doors and slimmer pillars. Cadillac also sold the DTS as an incomplete coachbuilder chassis, code V4U for limousines and B9Q for hearses, available only to certified Cadillac Master Coachbuilders and fitted with eight-lug wheels and a transmission cooler. A specially built armoured vehicle with DTS styling, actually a modified GMC truck chassis and codenamed Stagecoach, appeared at the 2005 presidential inauguration, and shorter armoured DTS cars have been used by the Vice President.
Design and features
- Northstar V8: a transverse 4.6-litre 32-valve engine with 275 hp, or 292 hp in the Platinum.
- Front-wheel drive: the last large front-drive Cadillac sedan.
- Comfort equipment: heated and cooled seats, Magnetic Ride Control and adaptive cruise control on the option list.
- Coachbuilder chassis: factory incomplete cars for limousine and hearse conversion.
Cadillac DTS versions
- Standard, Luxury and Premium: the regular trims, all with 275 hp.
- Platinum (2007 onwards): 292 hp and special trim.
- DTS-L: the Accubuilt-stretched limousine version.
- V4U and B9Q chassis: incomplete cars for coachbuilders.
The DTS replaced the de Ville, continued the big-sedan tradition of the Fleetwood, and was succeeded by the XTS. More Cadillacs are in the Cadillac collection.
Video: 2011 Cadillac DTS Luxury Collection Start Up, Exhaust, and In Depth Tour
Video by Saabkyle04 on YouTube.
Sources
- Cadillac DTS, English Wikipedia: production, engine, equipment, DTS-L, coachbuilder chassis
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