Wednesday, August 31, 2005

GM / Cadillac 2006 Cadillac DTS

Consumer's Eye

New remote start adjusts temperature

With push of a button, '06 Cadillac DTS luxury feature turns on AC in summer, heat in winter.

By Anita Lienert / Special to The Detroit News

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Consumers used to have to turn to the aftermarket to get items like remote start, which lets you start your parked vehicle from about 200 feet away, from the comfort of your house. Gradually, automakers have been offering remote start on cars like the Chevrolet Malibu.

Now, General Motors Corp. is taking remote start one step further. The 2006 Cadillac DTS has a luxury feature called adaptive remote start. GM engineers say it will roll out on other GM brands in the future.

Think of this as a "smart" remote start that gets your car all set up for you minutes before you slide behind the wheel. Press a button on the key fob, and sensors throughout the vehicle swing into action. Sensors in the engine compartment measure how hot or cold it is outside and signal the climate-control system to go to work.

In hot weather, the adaptive start turns the air conditioning to maximum cold with the fan on high speed. This is a feature that you really appreciate in Michigan in August, especially during the middle of a 90-degree snap. In the past, I would start the car and then stand outside, waiting for the cabin to cool down, but those days are coming to an end.

It was a pleasure to sit in the Common Grill in Chelsea, finishing lunch, while the DTS got itself ready for me and my passengers.

In cold weather, adaptive remote start heats up the cabin, turns on the front and rear defrosters and the heated side mirrors, and switches on the heated front seats.

I was surprised to learn that it does not turn on the cooling feature of the seats in hot weather, however. And in the future, it would be nice to see adaptive remote start turn on all of the heated seats in a vehicle, front and rear.

A convenience feature that pairs nicely with adaptive remote start is the heated windshield washer fluid in the DTS. While it seems like the perfect thing for a Michigan winter, it's also great for getting the dead bugs off the windshield in the summer.

You can reach Anita Lienert at Conseye@aol.com.