Cadillac Katera - "Kalashnikov" in the world of sedans

Cadillac cars in Russia are associated with the premium segment. This automatically means that the maintenance and repair of brand models will cost a pretty penny. With the "Americans" at a number of service stations do not want to get involved.


This approach is understandable - mechanics simply do not encounter these cars in their practice, so they are afraid to break them, because the parts will have to be ordered from the USA. On the other hand, cars from the USA, especially those produced before 2010, are usually the simplest in design.

The most famous and popular Cadillac in Russia is the Escalade frame SUV. The remaining models of the brand in our country are found in single copies. Parts really have to be ordered from the USA.


But there is a model that, as a rule, costs a penny in maintenance and repair. This is a Cadillac Catera. The car is interesting in that it is not a typical Cadillac, but Opel Omega B known to many Russian drivers.

Despite the distrust of this model, it occasionally "pops up" on the used market. As for reliability, there is a minimum of information about this, only from US reviews of the late 90s, early 2000s.

Cadillac Katera does not cause trouble, if only because the parts fit from Opel Omega. The author of the article knows this from personal experience - I have had this model for more than 15 years in operation. Of course, she was usually the second car in the family, but only because she did not cause problems and was always ready to take her to her destination.

The emergence of the model

Few people in Russia know that Cadillac has periodically tried to penetrate the mid-range car market. The last small four-cylinder model appeared in 1914. Then the brand headed for the premium segment and did not return to simple cars for almost 70 years. In the 80s, the situation changed - economical models with four-cylinder engines became popular in the USA.


This is how the Cadillac Cimarron appeared, based on the Opel Ascona chassis. The model was produced until 1988, did not become popular, damaging the brand's reputation.

The manufacturer did not calm down and released a small cabriolet Cadillac Allante. Deciding that the problem was the lack of prestige of the Opel brand, in 1987 the new Cadillac received a design from the Italian studio Pininfarina.


But the manufacturer did not rest on this either. It was decided to release a “Caddy for Clerks”, taking the popular in Europe Opel Omega B as a chassis. This car at one time helped General Motors to recapture some of the customers from the famous German troika. Opel Omega of the same class as the BMW 5 series, but cheaper and more spacious.


Cadillac Catera began to be sold at the end of 1996. High hopes were pinned on the model, it was actively advertised on TV. But sales were weak. The car was taken out of production in 2001, having had time to restyle.

Body

Outwardly, the Cadillac Catera is in many ways reminiscent of the Opel Omega B. Nothing strange - in fact, the car is it, with the exception of a number of nuances.

Cadillac Cater has the following body parts:

✅ Trunk lid
✅ Bumpers
✅ Radiator grille
✅ Thresholds

If desired, everything is put from the Opel Omega B on regular mounts. By the way, the thresholds and bumpers are almost the same as the restyled Opel Omega.

When it comes to the corrosion resistance of the Cadillac Catera, things are not very good. The car rots in much the same way as the restyled Omega.


The most conspicuous difference between the "Katera" and Opel is the light block that goes through the trunk lid. And on top there is an additional narrow strip-reflectors. The second difference is the original alloy wheels, sparkling chrome.

By the way, after the restyling of the Cadillac Catera, the light block was lost, only the reflector remained. The updated car looks much more boring. Occasionally there is a Sport version that appeared after restyling.

There is little sport in it:

✅ New alloy wheels
✅ Spoiler
✅ Front seats with lateral support
✅ Modified suspension

This is not a special version, but a sports package offered for a surcharge of $ 2.

If someone who reads wants to buy a Cadillac Catera, you need to make sure that the body is not rotten. Cars are usually watched better in Russia than Opel Omega - the brand obliges.

Salon

Inside the Cadillac Katera looks no worse than the "top" BMW E39. The salon is almost the same as that of the Opel Omega B, but only in an expensive configuration. This means that the “American” has leather, climate, cruise, airbags, rear shock absorbers with pumping.


The dashboard differs from the "Omega" both externally and in options. There is no on-board computer, but there is a voltmeter and an oil pressure gauge. Not to say that these are very useful devices, but they help to monitor the condition of the car.
There is a standard Bose Premium audio system.

Some argue that there are richer versions of the Opel Omega, but this only applies to the presence of an on-board computer.

Engine and automatic transmission

The engine of the Cadillac Cater is a three-liter V6. Structurally, it is more similar to the X30XE or Y32SE, the latter was installed after restyling - this must be taken into account when searching for spare parts. Everything attached comes from these power units.

The Cadillac Catera rides differently than the Opel Omega 3,0 / 3,2 liter. Here the emphasis is shifted to traction on the bottoms. The engine is the same as the X30XE or Y32SE, but the connecting rods are shorter. Due to this, the car "vomits" from a place, but the maximum speed is reduced. Power - 203 liters. With. This is less than the "omega" X30XE and Y32XE - those have 211 and 218 hp. With. respectively.


The Cadillac Cater engine is considered not very reliable, but for 15 years it has not caused any serious problems for me. The main thing is to service the car on time. Of course, sometimes the car would not start, but the starter was the culprit twice and the generator once. By the way, I have a pre-styling Cadillac Catera, but the engine is already there in 2000. I did not change it - this is how the car came from the USA.

Once the motor started to troit, traction was gone. I began to understand - one of the cylinders worked intermittently. At the service station they said that you need to leave the car for a couple of days. Deciding that it did not suit me, I began to change everything from the smallest. Candles, when this did not help - the "flute" of the ignition coils on one side. After that everything worked.

Oil was still leaking from under the valve covers, but not much. Replacing the pads helped. That's all the trouble with the "problematic" V6 engine on the Cadillac Catera.


As for fuel consumption, in the city about 15 liters are obtained if you do not drive in the “gas to the floor” mode. On highway 10, if you do not hurry, then you can invest in 8.

The gearbox is uncontested - it's an old four-speed "automatic" GM 4L30-E. Of course, the fifth is not enough on the highway, but the box is outrageously reliable. For 15 years there was one breakdown - it “kicked” when switching from 2 to 3. The issue was resolved on its own by replacing the 2-3 gear solenoid.

Repairs

For maintenance, the car is the simplest, if desired, it is repaired independently. Suspensions do not cause problems, spare parts are inexpensive, there are many both original and analogues.


Naturally, you need to select parts for the Opel Omega 3,0 or 3,2. For Cadillac Catera, finding something is problematic, and expensive.

Of course, recommending a car like Cadillac Catera for purchase is a thankless task. The car is old, rare, has no collectible value.

But, as 15 years of operation have shown, Cadillac Catera is a reliable and trouble-free car. I don’t know, maybe I was lucky, but I’m unlikely to get rid of this car in the near future - it is already like a family member, despite the fact that the body has to be repainted on the bottom every two years.