[Z06] Thoughts on C5Z to CTS V
01-04-2017, 09:11 PM
#21
I just bought a CTS-V wagon A6/Recaros/MoonRoof and I love it! I bought car a couple months ago from a guy in Reno, NV and drove it home 185 miles back to the SF Bay Area. It was a great way to get to know my new-to-me car. Driving down the mountain on I-80 through the sweeping curves was awesome. The car is deceptively fast! I say its "deceptive" because the car is so refined and quiet inside the cabin. When you step on the gas the gar just GOES without any drama. It will drop from 6th to 3rd if you go WOT and you'll be hitting 130mph in a blink of an eye. I was surprised at how fast I was going a few times, I had to laugh out loud. Some guys on the forum say that its too quiet. I actually like it quiet. If I want nasty, loud & obnoxious, I'll go drive my C5Z with LT's
The suspension is also really ******* good! (believe the hype) The auto journalists that cream their pants about how good the Magnetic Ride suspension are not exaggerating. The ride quality and handling is excellent and confidence inspiring. The suspension actually makes the car feel lighter than it is. The car is literally 1,200 lbs heavier than the Z!
The one thing that I don't love is the gas mileage. I averaged 17.7 mpg on the highway on my drive home from Reno. its about 30% worse than the Z. But who cares! I have 556 hp/551 ft.lbs in a station wagon- Woo-Hoo!
How does it compare to the Z? It doesn't, to me anyway...it's apples to oranges. My Z isn't the fastest Z out there with only 450 rwhp(and badly in need of a tune) But, it feels faster and way more raw than the CTS-V. It's lighter and louder and not luxurious in anyway, just the way I like it. I love them both in different ways and I plan to keep them
One more thing, Stage 1 CTS-V mods with only an upper blower pulley, higher flowing injectors, CAI & a real tune can result in gains of ~90 rwhp ($1,500-2,000). Yeah, I'll be doing that soon... Here's a pic. I installed Eibach Springs and some 20" Concept One CS6 Wheels
CS6 Eibachs by jpandes1, on Flickr
The suspension is also really ******* good! (believe the hype) The auto journalists that cream their pants about how good the Magnetic Ride suspension are not exaggerating. The ride quality and handling is excellent and confidence inspiring. The suspension actually makes the car feel lighter than it is. The car is literally 1,200 lbs heavier than the Z!
The one thing that I don't love is the gas mileage. I averaged 17.7 mpg on the highway on my drive home from Reno. its about 30% worse than the Z. But who cares! I have 556 hp/551 ft.lbs in a station wagon- Woo-Hoo!
How does it compare to the Z? It doesn't, to me anyway...it's apples to oranges. My Z isn't the fastest Z out there with only 450 rwhp(and badly in need of a tune) But, it feels faster and way more raw than the CTS-V. It's lighter and louder and not luxurious in anyway, just the way I like it. I love them both in different ways and I plan to keep them
One more thing, Stage 1 CTS-V mods with only an upper blower pulley, higher flowing injectors, CAI & a real tune can result in gains of ~90 rwhp ($1,500-2,000). Yeah, I'll be doing that soon... Here's a pic. I installed Eibach Springs and some 20" Concept One CS6 Wheels
CS6 Eibachs by jpandes1, on Flickr
Congratulations on the new toy. Looks great. Where in the Bay area are you located? Can you give me a ride sometime as I'm in SF.
01-05-2017, 06:57 PM
#22
Fun factor....not even close. We have a V wagon with an HPE700 kit on it. Yea it goes pretty well but its not the same feeling you get in a vette. Now on the other hand, the V is in my opinion a fantastic daily. Goes well, stops well, looks great and rides fantastic. If your really looking, the Wagon is needing to be sold.
01-05-2017, 07:31 PM
#23
I like the ctsv for daily use or if you just want to go to a more comfortable car but not lose performance. a bmw, big slow 6 banger with a round overweight body. once warranty is gone the car must go unless you know helmut the german mechanic... mercedes and bmws and audi's go down the drain once warranty is over.
01-12-2017, 04:58 PM
#26
I went from 1st gen cts-v ls2 to c5 z06. I put 80k+ miles on my first gen cts-v in the 6 years so can answer any questions if I remember, installed headers, tune, kw v3 suspension etc...lots of mods. The reason I made the change is I went from a 2 car household to a 3 car household and wanted something more track based. Also the c5 Z06 I bought had 100k less miles on it and this may sound crazy I think will hold value better over the next 10 years.
01-12-2017, 05:32 PM
#27
Race Director
I went from 1st gen cts-v ls2 to c5 z06. I put 80k+ miles on my first gen cts-v in the 6 years so can answer any questions if I remember, installed headers, tune, kw v3 suspension etc...lots of mods. The reason I made the change is I went from a 2 car household to a 3 car household and wanted something more track based. Also the c5 Z06 I bought had 100k less miles on it and this may sound crazy I think will hold value better over the next 10 years.
It does sound crazy.
01-12-2017, 08:48 PM
#28
01-13-2017, 09:36 AM
#29
I went from a full bolt on first gen V to a c5Z. I do miss the 4 doors for family reasons,but the performance is not even close! I would love one of each! Or a second gen V in the future.
01-14-2017, 07:27 PM
#30
Burning Brakes
We talking 1st gen V? 2nd?
I have an '01 Z and an '06 V.
The 'vette is way more exciting, cool and fun. It's like a race car, as you know.
The Caddy is big, heavy, powerful and smooth. Im surprised at how smooth it really is and how well it handles for weighing 2 tons. It makes for a cool DD. The ride is nice and I like the 3.73 gears. I like that I can comfortably use 6th gear at 60mph instead of 70mph like in the Corvette.
I don't like watching the gas gauge needle drop in front of my eyes around town in the Cadillac. The thing is thirsty. HWY mileage is cool though.
I also don't like having 6 lug wheels, a weak differential and motor mounts.
I sold my E46 330ci because I want to be excited every time I drive (trying to get my wife to trade in the '07 Camry SE for an AMG or E90 M3) and the Caddy seemed like a great choice but in the end its nowhere near as cool as the Corvette and it's still just a DD. Better than the Bimmer but still not quite there. I wonder if an exhaust system would remedy that? But then again that's good money for my torch red, dragon slaying track savage Z06.....
I needed the 4 doors for future babies. We make sacrifices... That's what my Caddy is; the most minimal sacrifice I could possibly make. It's not a bad choice, it's cool but I still look at those E46 M3s' like, did I make a mistake?
I would think newer CTS Vs' would be a bit more exciting.
BTW, that silver wagon up there is freaaaakiiiiing SWEET! As Captain Hook would say, "Good form Peter! Good form."
I have an '01 Z and an '06 V.
The 'vette is way more exciting, cool and fun. It's like a race car, as you know.
The Caddy is big, heavy, powerful and smooth. Im surprised at how smooth it really is and how well it handles for weighing 2 tons. It makes for a cool DD. The ride is nice and I like the 3.73 gears. I like that I can comfortably use 6th gear at 60mph instead of 70mph like in the Corvette.
I don't like watching the gas gauge needle drop in front of my eyes around town in the Cadillac. The thing is thirsty. HWY mileage is cool though.
I also don't like having 6 lug wheels, a weak differential and motor mounts.
I sold my E46 330ci because I want to be excited every time I drive (trying to get my wife to trade in the '07 Camry SE for an AMG or E90 M3) and the Caddy seemed like a great choice but in the end its nowhere near as cool as the Corvette and it's still just a DD. Better than the Bimmer but still not quite there. I wonder if an exhaust system would remedy that? But then again that's good money for my torch red, dragon slaying track savage Z06.....
I needed the 4 doors for future babies. We make sacrifices... That's what my Caddy is; the most minimal sacrifice I could possibly make. It's not a bad choice, it's cool but I still look at those E46 M3s' like, did I make a mistake?
I would think newer CTS Vs' would be a bit more exciting.
BTW, that silver wagon up there is freaaaakiiiiing SWEET! As Captain Hook would say, "Good form Peter! Good form."
Last edited by FruiTay; 01-14-2017 at 08:05 PM.
