All Entries in the "CADILLAC" Category

Review: 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

“THAT’S a nice Cadillac.”

The black gentleman, mid-30s, gazed on astonished. He fixed intently on the 2010 Cadillac CTS sport wagon, a foray into heretofore unestablished territory for the marque to bear the “standard of the world.”

Remembering that no one believed the XLR-V cost $103,000 ($45K was the highest ballpark I’d get from a passerby), I asked this gent who was waiting for his own Dodge Charger wagon to emerge from the car wash on 138th Street in Queens, what he thought this Cadillac cost.

“Forty-five.” He said without hesitation.

In point of fact, the Sport Wagon starts at $38,265 in the States, though our test vehicle was closer to $50K.

“Would you pay sixty?” I asked, nodding toward the jet black over black CTS, whose xenon discharge lamps flickered through the mist of suds and spray.

“No,” again without a moment’s pause, “For sixty, you could get an Escalade.” The man was beaming.

In each Cadillac review, I’ve always gotten a feeling that the American public at large has this bond with Motown’s best brand. Of course, disparaging cynics will say that as tax payers, we’ve all got a vested interest in “Government Motors” – but – truly, more than any other car this side of a Ferrari, new Cadillacs fascinate.

Without beating about the bush, I’d say that onlookers’ uncanny interest – immediate and compelling – has everything to do with Cadillac designers getting it so right.

The CTS sports wagon is an example where Cadillac sought to cater to a niche but executed the product in a way that carried forward the sedan’s smart, business persona.

What we’re given is the first station wagon ever to look like it’s expressly made for men without hulking as if on steroids. Those cleaved edges, that high shoulder line, those broad wheel arcs, gorgeous aluminum 18″ rims and tall LED taillights bring purpose that telegraphs boardroom power more than PTA meetings.

Though, I think the taillights might owe some credit to the Volvo 850.

I asked Cadillac rep. David Caldwell who Team Cadillac saw as the CTS sport wagon’s typical driver.

“Most of these buyers are primarily luxury or sport sedan owners, or previous wagon owners. These are drivers who value driving dynamics of a lux/sport car primarily, but also have lifestyle needs for some cargo carrying space. [He/She] tends to be a very sophisticated and elite buyer, which is a key reason why we’ve chosen to develop our Sport Wagon. It elevates our brand to an extent, even though this is a market niche in the US currently.”

Mr. Caldwell went on to write that Cadillac sells a few hundred sport wagons per month in North America and the bulk or 75% of wagons sold are outfitted with all-wheel drive.

Our test vehicle was rear wheel drive, which in light of the blizzards that hit the Northeast in February, proved to be an interesting option. Luckily, the car was fitted with a fairly non-intrusive stability control program and Bridgestone Blizzaks on all four corners.

In days when the roads were dry, it was more possible to safely determine the “sport” extent in “Sport Wagon”. Needless to say, this proved a disappointment.

Much as I’d remembered in the CTS sedan test back in 2008, the same direct-injection 304 hp V6 lacked teeth thanks to a dithering six cog auto and an anemic powerplant whose maximum 273 pounds feet of torque happened at a lofty 5200rpm.

There’s no combination of Sport-mode or button-shifting yourself that can make the CTS Sports Wagon more responsive. Worse, the suspension does little to keep lean, yaw, and pitch in check during hard cornering nor especially planted at triple digit velocities.

Cadillac need only look to the tremendous Pontiac G8 GT to find a GM built car whose driving dynamics could provide the bridge template between the base CTS and the exceptionally potent CTS-V. The Pontiac’s powertrain proved far more responsive and the car’s rear wheel drive handling dynamics were tighter and far safer; being less prone to plodding understeer.

So, essentially, the CTS Sports Wagon would be better suited if pinned with the label “Luxury Wagon”. Pop-up GPS, Bose audio system, heated and cooled front seats, panorama moonroof, OnStar, indash CD, MP3, power liftgate, backup camera, adaptive headlights that corner according to the wheel position – the list of amenities was comprehensive and competitive.

The fit, finish, and materials were all of respectable grade (Caddy’s made long strides) if still not quite up to par with ze Germans, though, the Sapele wood trim was especially handsome.

Where does this leave us? Or more appropriately, the CTS Sport Wagon? In character, the CTS is a city slicker, a metro area only kind of ride – particularly in that smart shade of black in which the Caddy simply pops.

Does it match up with all those conservative New Englanders who view their vintage Mercedes diesel wagons, Volvo V70s, and Audi Quattros with such vaunted esteem? Not really, I don’t see much cross-shopping.

But for an entirely new customer, one inhabiting New York’s five boroughs perhaps, who wants wagon versatility -sans SUV height and weight – and the sleek edge and professionalism of a chalk stripe suit on wheels, the CTS Sport Wagon is a new cut from whole cloth.

“With a car like that,” the guy at the car wash marveled, “America could really come back. Our car industry. We could really comeback with a car like that.”

March 10, 2010 | Gunnar | Comments 12

Snow Play: 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

February 11, 2010 | Gunnar | Comments 0

First Take: 2010 Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept

By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG GM

LIKE the DOD, GM’s positioning Cadillac to fight a war on two fronts.

The XTS concept which bowed at Detroit this month is a testament to how far Cadillac has come in honing a product range that’s right, tight, and ready to roll against the best that Japan and Europe can import.

It is very clear that GM designers did their homework in studying and in some cases borrowing from rivals as well as paying clear due diligence to the marque’s own past.

In this respect, Cadillac’s design team have actually succeed in routing their rivals by creating an almost road-ready concept that offers more by being less.

A crucial case in point: the XTS provides similar interior space as the capacious DeVille/DTS while simulaneously managing to occupy less real estate – the new sedan is four inches shorter.

Thanks to short overhangs, a high bow that sweeps into a high beltline which arcs gently into a short decklid with trademark fin LEDs, the package en totale seems even tighter.

Tighter, in fact, than either the new Audi A8 or the Lexus LS.

January 29, 2010 | Gunnar | Comments 2

2010 DTS represents last of Cadillac’s old guard
Cadillac’s largest sedan is overdue for replacement
DTS, né Deville, satisfies a niche

By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG GM

IF the DTS were a salesman, he’d likely be the old wheel’em ‘n deal’em shark in the corner of the showroom floor; unimpressed with the new punks that the sales manager favors.

Once full of quick lines and ready handshakes, he’d remember better days when he was at the height of his game; when there wasn’t a customer he couldn’t sell, and a flash Rolex on his wrist – he got a good deal on that, too.

Time, like so many Caddys, floated on. The old shark pawned the watch years ago. Sure, he can sell a car or two to people his own age (that’s why they keep him around) but for the most part he sits back at his desk, reads the paper, and waits for the day when management will call him in for that last meeting.

Our salesman’s a relic from a completely different era. And so is the 2010 Cadillac DTS.

The DTS hails from a time when linear progression in the American automotive market meant that you stepped out of a Chevy and into a Buick; out of a Buick and into a Cadillac. Once enthroned in “the standard”, the DTS né Deville (and formerly Sedan de Ville) was the step up from the STS né Seville but the next rung down from a Fleetwood.

A DeVille was, in Cadillacese, a 750i to the 760Li. Thanks to foreign competition, this progression no longer applies.

Starting at $46,280, what replaced the old Fleetwood as Cadillac’s largest sedan and standard bearer of the old body-on-frame whales of yesteryear is now priced within range of the entry level CTS; below the STS and significantly below the marque’s current flagship – the $80K+ Escalade.

I asked GM’s David Caldwell where the DTS is situated in relation to the CTS and Escalade. He wrote:

“The DTS remains in production and is in good shape. Some might be surprised at how it is holding up in its market segment. I won’t get into numbers, but it maintains a solid position in its category. DTS offers a good solution for many consumers.”

The DTS’ competition? The Lincoln Town Car. But even Ford’s old Panther platformed exec hauler seems to have the DTS beat. A quick survey of mid-town NYC or downtown DC readily confirms this. What remains of the stretch limo market seem to have become Lincoln sole dominion, too.

I also asked Mr. Caldwell which model GM sees as Cadillac’s current flagship. He wrote:

“Flagship is a funny term…..we don’t really follow the conventional wisdom that a luxury brand’s flagship has to be it’s largest sedan. Flagship means standard bearer – the product that has the most significant reputation, heritage and overall recognizability among consumers. And the iconic status of Escalade makes it our de facto flagship by most any measure. It’s globally recognizable at a very high level, a status that it has earned due to its popularity and visibility. I don’t think that a brand alone gets to decide what the flagship is, a big part of it is consumer acceptance and cultural relevance.”

In light of this comment, this is where the DTS suddenly makes sense.

Without the DTS, Cadillac’s lineup has no link to its former heritage – which was, essentially, large, comfy, land yachts that in a conventional sense were classified as “luxury sedans”.

If a super-sized SUV based on the Chevy Suburban tops the range, and a more compact (for Cadillac) CTS sedan and sportswagon represents the marque’s best foot forward, then Cadillac cannot afford to displace the DTS for fear of alienating what remains of its traditional client base.

There is the STS, of course. But let’s not kid ourselves – the DTS is the last of the voluminous sedans with what look like fins for tail lamps. Without it, all that’s left to fill the void is the Town Car and maybe the Chrysler 300.

To wit, Cadillac must replace the DTS with a high rollin’ saloon that captures the flash of the Escalade, and the rear wheel drive swagger of the CTS. There is no official word on when such a replacement will happen.

But make no mistake, without the DTS or an heir apparent, the marque will have seen off the last of what makes Cadillac, Cadillac for so many.

December 10, 2009 | Gunnar | Comments 2

Only One Car That’ll Do: Pink Cadillac

caddy tail fins

By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG via IMCDB

LOUD.

The Boss is playin’ as I write. His wailin’s managed to clear out wildlife for a mile. Maybe more.

If you’re in an audio-safe zone, rock with me as you read.

Bruce Springsteen – Pink Cadillac

Now, you may think I’m foolin’, but there’s really no replacing Cadillac. There’s no Japanese, German, or Italian translation. No Honda Valkyre to its Harley. Heck, there’s no American equivalent, either.

Lincoln? C’mon.

At Lincoln’s best – the 60’s Continental – the original “L” marque was an ultra-serious, minimalist zig to the Caddy’s rocket-shipped zag. It’s as if those mean lines were a stern apology for that out-of-control party over at GM.

God bless Mister Earl and his rocket ship fantasies.

cadillac biarritz

Any of the large ‘n in-charge designer’s issue from the 50s thru to the mid 60s were the rolling image of America on wheels. Cadillac was part of brand USA’s A-Team like Coca Cola, Mickey Mouse, and General Electric.

Back when chrome was metal and gas was -gag- leaded…

To hell with brands. What about larger-than-life icons?

Marylin Monroe. Ronald Reagan. Elvis. Sunny. Optimistic. Larger-than-life. Universal.

Goddamm beautiful.

Anyway, Cadillac was something more than A-to-B transportation. Something past playing catch-up with ze Germans. Something above the blue. Those rocket fins were fitted just to take off with our imagination.

What about Cadillac today? The 2010 SRX seems a little weak. And the DTS is a cop-out for “tradition”, a rental car long overdue for retirement.

Still, Cadillac could still rebound. The CTS-V is thunder, Heaven sent. The Escalades still espouse true Cadillac excess.

If MoTown’s top brass had, well, the brass to build it, they’d take the CTS-V’s throttle, the Escalade’s size , and all the heavy metal and cow hide that made an old Biarritz worth more than a Silver Cloud and show the world a true, honkin’ Caddy, two door and four door.

Did someone say Sixteen??

Hell, it doesn’t even have to corner. Just be big, beautiful, and unashamed at being, well, a Cadillac. And nothing else.

As for such an enormous, luxurious barge’s place in the great automotive market, well, here’s how it’d fit:

Now some folks say it’s too big
And uses too much gas
Some folks say it’s too old
And that it goes too fast
But my love is bigger than a Honda
It’s bigger than a Subaru
Hey man there’s only one thing
And one car that will do
Anyway we don’t have to drive it
Honey we can park it out in back
And have a party in your pink Cadillac

November 17, 2009 | Gunnar | Comments 0

ADL TV | A Day At The Races

automobilesdeluxe-at-lime-rock

WHAT a day.

It was July. The forecast called for possible showers or thunderstorms. Humidity felt something like ninety-nine percent.

Then the sun came out. And the humidity stayed as glued to hillsides of northwestern Connecticut as our sweat-soaked shirts stayed glued to our backs.

Race weather, in other words.

I can’t remember watching one of my uncle’s NHRA races on a day when the air wasn’t so hotly thick with the smell of gas and burning rubber. Being at Lime Rock – a very different kind of course – with Joe Ficca as he took to the track brought back some of those childhood memories.

As did fond recollections of all those Porsche and Ferrari club meets I’d witnessed at Lime Rock over the years.

This day, we brought a range of BMWs and one Cadillac to the track to experience Lime Rock’s famous twists and turns for ourselves. Following a renovation, the track was freshly paved with an extra turn carved into the hillside following the back straight.

But our time was as limited as the Park’s was valuable (memberships cost $100K) so we set out to answer a number of questions.

Which of the BMW convertibles we tested would prove fastest?

Could an E65 550i beat an E39 M5?

Would an XLR-V out perform a gang of M-powered BMWs?

TRT: 09:27

_________________________

Credits

June 12, 2009 | Gunnar | Comments 0

ADL TV | GM @ 100 Yrs: Cadillac

gm-100-years-cadillac-automobiles-de-luxe

“MISTER EARL”

There’s nothing quite like having the man who designed the Corvette Sting Ray tell you, the interviewer, that you’re not giving GM’s larger-than-life chief designer Harley Earl enough respect.

My question: “Did you ever work with Harley Earl back in the day?”

Bob Veryzer: “He was around. It was never Harley Earl. It was always Mister Earl.”

To which GM’s VP of Global Design Ed Welburn added, “It was only until recently that people started calling him Harley Earl.”

Apparently, GM’s artistic duo hadn’t seen any of Buick’s “My name’s Harley Earl” TV spots. Nevertheless, at this gala in honor of Cadillac, clear respect for an icon was the order of the evening.

gm-100-years-automobiles-de-luxe

Last summer we drove up to Saratoga Springs, New York where instead of placing bets on horses we braved the worst tempests that the Hudson River Valley could throw our way to tape a story about Cadillac’s past and where it might fit in GM’s tomorrow.

GM had turned 100 years old and the Saratoga Auto Museum threw a party in honor of Cadillac. Many GM big wigs were there, including GM’s G.M. for Cadillac, Jim Taylor.

As grim as Caddy sales looked last July, the financial markets had yet to crash and the General was still almost a year away from filing for bankruptcy protection. We were in, if you like, the eye of the perfect storm.

In this segment with a T.R.T. of 07:15, we watch some of the best and worst of Cadillac’s past; hear comments from the marque’s fans; and get a real sense that in the midst of the celebration, GM’s top brass knew what was to come.

“This is a new world we’re going into,” Mr. Taylor notes, “Quite frankly I don’t think anybody realizes how big a difference there’s going to be. Until you wake up in four or five years and realized what happened.”