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[Sir Tigger KC]

...more so the ones from BMW, MBz, Audi, and the Japanese.

Whoops.....I forgot about Porsche. People who buy these German "Sport" SUVs are buying them solely for the BADGES. Americans rarely use them off-road and rely on the AWD to make up for their own lack of winter driving skills. Don't ask me why they buy them in our arrid southern states. It rarely rains and never snows.

I gave my mate's Audi Q7 a good run along the beach near Galveston TX last year, but it felt like a girls car compared to all those 'Good Ole Boys' pick ups!   

PS I didn't see any Catara's either. 

[Andy B]

.... Americans rarely use them off-road and rely on the AWD to make up for their own lack of winter driving skills. Don't ask me why they buy them in our arrid southern states. It rarely rains and never snows.

Same applies over here. I now drive a US built Mercedes R Class (Phillbut  ) 4x4 that will hardly ever see snow & likely never drive off road 

[Marks DTM Calib]

And, the Omega wasn't successful here in the UK, or anywhere really! 

You guys wanted bigger cars, we were forced into smaller cars. 

Maybe I'm European at heart. I hate large cars. The American passion for SUVs and Pick-up Trucks is ridiculous and even more so the ones from BMW, MBz, Audi, and the Japanese. I bought my Catera knowing it was an Opel and because the BMWs I used to love had gone so far from the "Ultimate Driving Machines" they used were in the past. Bimmers here are commonplace, driven by posers instead of enthusiasts.

In the Catera Sport I saw a German sport sedan in the 5 Series mold that with a few suspension and brake upgrades I felt could hold its own on a twisty road. Down on power yes, but with no Autobahn here to exploit the extra power I feel my 2001 Catera Sport (MV6), with Polybushes all around, Koni dampers, Monaro/GTO front brakes and front & rear springs, is on equal footing with Bimmers of the same period.

Certainly at launch, the Omega (and hence Caterra) was considered a better handling car than a 5 series of that era. 

I always felt the biggest challenge the Caterra faced was the fact that GM never bothered to train the techs or support the parts and special tools required to maintain them in the US.

[elvin315]

Although the Catera was touted as (I shudder as I type this): "The Caddy That Zigs", implying that it was the sportiest, best handling Cadillac ever, they burdened it with at least 400 lbs. of weight over the Omega, at least 20 less HP, and the Elite's softer suspension. Cadillac just couldn't shake the plush luxury monkey off its back.

You're right about the training. It's a waste of time taking a Catera to a dealership for even routine service let alone problem solving and repair. "Sorry, we don't have anyone trained on the Catera", even though the Catera and CTS basically used the same engine for 2 years. But what I think sank the Catera before it even left the dock was the lame marketing campaign.

That unspeakable tagline was bad enough but a cartoon duck? I know they were seeking a younger buyer but please! It was insulting. Asking a prospective buyer to lay down $30,000+ USD (serious money in 1996) but then to add injury to insult they had the nerve to offer you a Ziggy lapel pin. Not a Cadillac crest mind you, a friggin' duck. BMW owners had the Blue & White spinning prop, MBz owners had the Tri Point Star, Porsche owners had the Black Rearing Horse of Stuttgart, and Audi owners had the Auto Union Rings. All symbols rich with heritage that could be worn with pride. Catera owners? We got a red cartoon duck.

One final insult. On my 2001 Catera there is a Cadillac Crest & Wreath on the grille and on the trunk lid, one on each wheel center cap, one on the steering wheel, one on the shifter knob, and finally one on the engine's plenum. All of them small and colorless. No where on the car does it say CADILLAC in that famous, beautiful script. No Cadillac anywhere to be found. They didn't deem the Catera worthy of carrying their name. The crest was changed for the CTS, STS, DTS, et al, so I guess they were just clearing the shelves of the old style ones.

Bitter? Maybe, but I get the last laugh. The Catera was a better car than they ever dreamed and had they given it the respect and attention it deserved they would have had a hit on there hands.




The advertising agency that sold them that campaign must have laughed themselves all the way to the bank.

[05omegav6]

How much does your Catera weigh?

Actually I can answer that... 1768kgs, against 1700kgs for an Elite auto saloon... the extra 68 kilos probably found in the extra lights: front fog light assemblies are twice the size/front side marker lights/the extra light panels on the boot lid and the wing spoiler on the trunk lid

Yes it is down on power, 200 bhp vs 211 bhp on a UK 3.0/ 218 bhp for the dbw 3.2, but not significantly

Might be worth trying a UK spec 3.2 ecu in your car I have one, with immobilser chip set... pm if you want to give it a go

[elvin315]

How much does your Catera weigh?

My vehicle registration card reads: 3770 lbs. An owner on our forum dyno'd his car at 193 HP at the rear wheels. Mine is a 2001 with the V6. Wikipedia shows the Omega B weighing 3373 lbs with 208 HP on tap.

[05omegav6]

How much does your Catera weigh?

My vehicle registration card reads: 3770 lbs. An owner on our forum dyno'd his car at 193 HP at the rear wheels.

That's 1700kgs near as dammit, which is 44kgs more than our MV6, but the same weight as our Elite
Wiki'dangle berries' suggests 3897 lbs... does yours have fully electric front seats guess not from the weight...

The extra bits I listed previously might only be 44kgs worth

Also 193bhp at the wheels could be 200+ at the flywheel, which is where the factory numbers come from

[elvin315]

Actually I can answer that... 1768kgs, against 1700kgs for an Elite auto saloon... the extra 68 kilos probably found in the extra lights: front fog light assemblies are twice the size/front side marker lights/the extra light panels on the boot lid and the wing spoiler on the trunk lid

We do have the power/heated seats, along with power windows & door locks, a full size spare, a power sunroof, HID projector headlights, fog & turning lights, the Bose amplifier in the trunk under the rear window shelf, plus a ton of sound deadening insulation for that fabled Cadillac quiet. That and the chassis reinforcements to satisfy the Federal crash test. Some cars have that power rear window shade, and remote CD changer behind the rear right trunk panel.

Yes it is down on power, 200 bhp vs 211 bhp on a UK 3.0/ 218 bhp for the dbw 3.2, but not significantly

Not significant.....maybe so, but that extra 11 HP or the 3.2's 18 sure would make me feel better.

Might be worth trying a UK spec 3.2 ecu in your car I have one, with immobilser chip set... pm if you want to give it a go

I appreciate the offer but your ECU speaks a different language. Ours is OBD II so yours wouldn't comply with our government smog sniffers. Ours aren't chipable either. The CPU is soldered to the board with no socket. No way to change the chip and no way to flash them that we know of. BIG BROTHER doesn't trust us.

[Andy B]

.... Ours is OBD II so  ...

So is ours.  The 2.5 & 3.0 are not whereas the 2.6 & 3.2 drive by wire throttled cars are OBDII 

[05omegav6]

Sounds like your cars are basically our Elite spec with some exterior decoration in which case the weight discrepancy might be due to the way the weight is measured... ie ours allow a certain amount of fuel plus a standard driver weight, rather than simply weighing the car 'dry'

And as Andy B suggests, your car is electrically a 3.2 that was fitted with a 3.0 block... so there should be scope there

[elvin315]

That's an interesting piece of news about the ECU. I'll spread the word. Thank you. As for the rest, I pretty much knew our cars were Elites, Cadillac wasn't going to give up the chance to load the Catera with all that equipment, it's in their blood. But they were selling us on the sport nature of the car. It wasn't until the 2000-2001 MY that they gave us a base suspension that had some descent handling. With the Catera Sport they installed the full MV6 suspension and fulfilled their promise. She still carried the Elite's weight but at least she danced better than before.

PS: Earlier I forgot to mention the self-leveling rear suspension so there's the weight of the air compressor to add to the weight too.

[VXL V6]

I always liked the extended front foglights on the facelift Cadillac Catera, look much better than our standard bumper.

[05omegav6]

That's an interesting piece of news about the ECU. I'll spread the word. Thank you. As for the rest, I pretty much knew our cars were Elites, Cadillac wasn't going to give up the chance to load the Catera with all that equipment, it's in their blood. But they were selling us on the sport nature of the car. It wasn't until the 2000-2001 MY that they gave us a base suspension that had some descent handling. With the Catera Sport they installed the full MV6 suspension and fulfilled their promise. She still carried the Elite's weight but at least she danced better than before.

PS: Earlier I forgot to mention the self-leveling rear suspension so there's the weight of the air compressor to add to the weight too.

Standard fit on the Elites too, albeit with wallowy springs

[ted_one]

I wonder wether the Omega might have suffered a different fate if they had marketed it with the 5.7 V8 

[humbucker]

The car may have been more successful with a Buick badge. Pitching it as a Cadillac  was a tough sell. I'm referencing this very subject (Catera and its fate) in my next magazine project car update. iirc, the facelift was only sold for a year before the model was ditched altogether.