All Entries in the "CADILLAC" Category
Next Week: 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img General Motors ::: 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe
CADILLAC makes the most visually evocative cars on the road in the sub $100K market. Pointedly, they rule the sub-$50K market. The 2011 CTS Coupe brings a certain superstardom in at a low starting price – $38,165.
There’s drama in every edge and appropriate character line; all pointers to a carefully considered aesthetic. Visually, the 2011 CTS – Sedan, Sports Wagon, and Coupe – tip the hat to the past while looking boldly forward. Trouble is, the new Coupe’s driving manners are – at first turn of the wheel – not as inspired.
Will a week’s time improve the experience? Can the CTS Coupe’s beauty eclipse perceived foibles? More on this slick Caddy next week.
GM IPO: $26-$29 per Share
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img GM via carofthecentury ::: GM IPO
TIMED during the midterm elections, GM announced an initial public offering later this month of its revamped common stock for between $26 and $29 a share. The US Treasury which owns just over 60% of General Motors will reduce its stake to just over 43% at a loss which the government hopes to recoup with an increase in stock value over time. If history’s any judge, it may be a while.
GM’s New $100 Cashback Scheme: Fire Risk Recall
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img GM ::: GM Fire Risk Recall
RECALLS – much like $#!& – happen.
And in so much that GM is now recalling 1.5 million North American cars – some of which have already been recalled in 2008 for the same fire risk- the General is offering customers $100 back for the inconvenience of losing a feature to correct the problem.
Which feature? The washer heater, which is being recalled on certain Caddys, Buicks, Chevys, Humvees, and Saturns for getting a little to hot in what GM’s cleverly calling “thermal incidents”.
So, for you Nanooks of the North, have you considered a Ford lately? For everyone else, go on, take the money and run.
eBay Watch: 1994 Cadillac SLS (Ferrari Sold Separately)
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img eBay Motors ::: 1994 Cadillac SLS for sale
BELIEVE it or not, there was a time after 1965 when Cadillac made really great cars. That time included this 1994 Cadillac SLS.
Turning the corner of the late 80s, Cadillac seemed to have just gotten round to reading that late 70s memo. You know the one that said customers wanted smaller cars and mentioned some garbage about VW eating GM’s lunch and that the oil cartels had Americans by the pump.
GM’s response? The first K-Body Cadillacs of the late 80s: shortened, 190″ long sedans designed with fuel efficiency in mind and that featured the same lavish attention to detail and demanding pedigree you’d expect from your local Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet on “Senior Day”.
Awful cars.
GM got that message and re-approached the K-Body from the ground up for the 90s.
Cadillac engineers stretched the wheelbase from 108″ to 111″, introduced the mighty Northstar V8, fitted a semi-independent rear suspension and upped the ante on fit, finish, and material quality (not as good as the Europeans or Japanese at the time, but much better) while designers penned a crisp-edged design that stood as classically American as the charcoal suit.
Cadillac reintroduced the Seville Luxury Sedan (SLS) and the Seville Touring Sedan (STS) both to critical acclaim. That was 1992.
By the time this car rolled off the assembly line in 1994, GM boosted the Seville’s LD8 Northstar 4.9 Liter V8′s power rating to 270 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. All that power channeling through the front wheels seemed right back in the days when big front wheel drive cars were the American way.
Nonetheless, history has largely forgotten the early-mid 90s Sevilles and banished them – wrongly – with the rest of GM’s cost cutting past. The STS, SLS, DeVille, and Fleetwood of this period were the brief, shining exceptions to the General’s long, ignominious slide.
This particular SLS has just 48K miles on the clock and appears fresh. Great as they were, that’s rare form for a 90s vintage Cadillac today.
[eBay: 1994 Cadillac SLS]
GM Posts Q1 Profit. Sign of Brighter Days Ahead?
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: GM posts profit
LOVE or hate the General and its tightened stable of four core brands, it seems universally encouraging that the automotive sector and GM that the car company propped up by American and Canadian tax dollars is turning a profit rather than bleeding more red. A sign of brighter days ahead?
According to GM: [our] first quarter adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) was $1.7 billion, after adjusting for the favorable impact of the sale of the Saab brand.
That means $865 million Q1 profit, according to the BBC and GM’s press release.
Regarding the Saab sale, Saab CEO has said GM sold the Swedish car maker to Spyker for about $74 million. That figure differs from GM’s which is stated at $123 million.
Around that same period, Beijing Automotive paid $200 million for the old 9-3 and 9-5 assemblies which according to SaabSpyker CEO Victor Muller were funds that Saab banked – not former parent company GM.
This suggests that the General is gaining ground on the back of a stronger product line.
Gregg Easterbrook Is Contributing To Global Warming By Spouting His Own CO2. Long Live the CTS-V.
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: Gregg Easterbrook on the Cadillac CTS-V and the Gulf oil spill
GREGG Easterbrook is being a bit of an ass.
Mr. Easterbrook writes for Reuters. His recent column is, “We cry over spilled oil, yet subsidize the production of ultra-polluting cars.”
Therein, Mr. Easterbrook has taken a rather misguided stab at the auto industry by linking the US Government’s stake in General Motors, the oil spill in the Gulf, and the monstrously powerful Cadillac CTS-V as all being part of the same ecological challenge. Why are we subsidizing our own pollution, he writes.
What’s his recourse? Stop producing the CTS-V, he suggests. Oh, and outlaw production of any car with balls. You know – there oughta be a law and government has the power, etc.
And in a vacuum, Mr. Easterbrook is absolutely right. Grandiose machines with grandiose power surely have no place on the road – do they?
Let’s pop this hot-air fueled bubble of righteous indignation here and now: it’s right that Cadillac makes the CTS-V. Among cool aspects, it makes Cadillac competitive - surely us tax payers would hate for GM to lose more money, right?
And it’s right that we have cars with increased horsepower that can go so much faster than cars ever could thirty and forty years ago.
Why is it right? Because that’s what some customers want. We still have liberty and choice. But that’s bad, apparently.
Mr. Easterbrook hyperventalates:
“At the very time we are reminded of the fragility and environmental consequences of U.S. petroleum consumption, at the very time President Barack Obama and many in Congress want regulation of greenhouse gases, federally subsidized General Motors is using taxpayer funds to build an extremely wasteful, ultra-polluting car.”
From this, we can only surmise one of two things:
1) That Mr. Easterbrook got cut off recently by some jerk driving a CTS-V – he makes many mentions of “road rage” in his soap-box column.
or
2) Mr. Easterbrook’s superior – be it in business or in social circles – drives one. And Mr. Easterbrook is silently seething with envy.
My bet’s on the former, though the latter is certainly probable.
The beauty of the marketplace is that we have the luxury of choice. For those who wish to profess an eco-friendly attitude – there is the much-hyped Toyota Prius as an example. Too bad that those Lithum Ion hybrid batteries are so toxic to the environment.
But, hey, Prius drivers can attain good gas mileage and that’s what counts for appearing environmentally conscientious at present. That said, I’ve been cut-off by a Prius driver. By a few actually - and each time driven by some jerk filled with his own special kind of road rage.
But back to the luxury of choice.
Yes, people can buy the government subsidized CTS-V for north of $62K. Those 556 horses are intoxicating – I can happily confirm that. But following green (il)logic, Mr. Easterbrook is right – the CTS-V emits 13.3 tons per year of CO2 – though that figure probably rivals Mr. Easterbrook’s own personal emissions.
And the saintly Prius emits – 3.2 tons per year of CO2 if driven 20,000 miles. On its face – that’s much more moderate than the glutenous CTS-V. Quite true, Mr. Easterbrook.
But here’s the catch that reminds us how we live in the real world and not in the vacuum of liberal hyperbole:
Toyota sold 139,682 Priuses in 2009. Cadillac sold fewer than 5,000 CTS-Vs.
That means, in real world terms, the Prius contributed to so-called man-made Global Warming far more than the CTS-V. By rough calculation, those new Priuses driven 20,000 miles probably emitted 446,982 tons of CO2 to the Caddy’s 66,500.
Chances are my math’s off. The Caddy’s carbon stats are probably high – given that the average CTS-V owner drives several cars and not all at the same time- and that the Prius emissions figures are low considering that hybrid drivers are generally a smug lot who like to travel.
Oops, I generalized. But didn’t he?
“Being behind the wheel has become stressful in part because so many cars are now overpowered; the slightest blip of the throttle allows aggressive driving. Reduce the horsepower, and road-rage behavior should diminish.”
Silly, Mr. Easterbrook.
Friends, cars = personal freedom.
Some are more powerful than others. But let’s not allow some misguided columnist’s delusions of “social responsibility” mix with the high octane of science and engineering.
It scares the horses.
Service Update for 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo Customers Following Our Press Vehicle’s Breakdown
By Gunnar Heinrich ::: img ADLX ::: 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo Update
FOLLOWING up on our tragic tale of inadvertently feeding our press vehicle – a 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo – regular unleaded prompting a catastrophic engine failure on Hwy 101 outside of Ventura, CA last month, Cadillac has issued engine management updates for the SRX and has notified current gen. 2010 SRX customers.
Per David Caldwell, Cadillac’s PR manager:
All the [2010 SRX] owners have been contacted, by phone and mail, with the instruction to bring their cars in for updating. This took place earlier [last] week. These owners are also being offered a 12-month complimentary maintenance program. All vehicles in dealer inventory are updated and ready also.
Smart moves, Caddy.
Following Our Press Car’s Untimely Death, GM To Update All 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbos
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: IMG ADLX ::: 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo
IT’S nighttime and I’m rather unnerved.
I’m on the 101 halfway up some mountain outside Ventura, California in a 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo that has just died in the narrow meridian.
I’m barking at some nonplussed 9-1-1 dispatcher on the cell, OnStar’s on hold, and I’m ready to jump the jersey barrier if some dazed motorist drifts my way.
They all seem to brush by at light’s speed.
This broken press car is one of Cadillac’s latest midsize crossovers – a plush, Lexus RX fighter – that had just lapped its two thousandth mile before the car’s engine bought the farm.
In no time at all I had dropped from a comfy 65 mph cruise into a sputtering stop with black smoke billowing from beneath the silver hood and a long oily trail in my wake.
And now I’m awaiting rescue.
Minutes tick by endlessly. But the state police do arrive. The officer spies my precarious position and proceeds to snake his patrol car back and forth across the freeway- side-winder style.
Only then, does traffic slow to a grudging halt.
“If you can start your car, move it across to the right side.” The officer coolly broadcasts over the loudspeaker.
Now, all of Ventura seems to be waiting behind him. The cars are like greyhounds at the gate and I feel like the rabbit as – rattled and frozen – I climb behind the Caddy’s helm and press the start button.
Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk goes the mortally wounded motor.
Into drive.
We’re on borrowed seconds!
The SRX c-r-a-w-l-s across the freeway to the far side. The go pedal’s level with the carpet.
I reach the right side and the Caddy quits.
Traffic resumes its F1 pace, a discussion with the officer ensues, and ten minutes later the tow truck shows.
The driver shakes his head and says that only days prior some poor guy had similar trouble with his bike. When he tried crossing to the breakdown lane he got hit in roughly the same spot where I’d landed. He died.
So, what caused this fresh new Caddy to breakdown?
The answer arrived yesterday afternoon in a conference call with GM. Their findings are triggering a model-wide update to go into effect directly.
DAMAGE REPORT
On the phone is Tom Sutter.
Mr. Sutter is GM’s chief engineer for the automaker’s V6 engines. Also on the line is David Caldwell, Cadillac’s press manager.
Mr. Sutter leads headlong into a thorough explanation of the wheels that were set in motion following the incident.
“We took this very seriously,” he says. His tone is direct and earnest.
“As soon as it happened, we expedited the vehicle’s shipment back to our test center in Warren, Michigan. We’ve been at this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
He and his team “tore down” the motor, analyzed the car’s black box data, and sent a fuel sample to a third party lab for analysis. Additional tests on a dyno replicated the failure, but they’ve yet to duplicate the incident in real life testing.
The SRX Turbo uses a 2.8 liter, 300 hp V6. This same engine has served for five years in Saabs including the upcoming 9-4X. The engine also powers Germany’s Opel Insignia.
THE BREAKDOWN
Mr. Sutter is describing my incident as a “Mega knock event.”
“We have a high degree of confidence that we’ve sourced the problem,” he tells me, getting down into the gory details.
What happened is as follows and was, apparently, a fluke:
The V6 in the Cadillac requires a minimum 91 Octane.
Lab tests had shown that the SRX was running on regular which meant that yours had inadvertently fed the car 88 Octane gas and not the factory mandated premium.
At some point during travel, between 2000-2500 rpm – or normal highway cruising speed – the engine’s management system had adjusted the air fuel mixture to work too lean causing a retarded spark – but crucially – it allowed for a simultaneous turbo boost which led to a catastrophic pressure build up in the cylinder chambers.
This caused cylinder six to fail quickly -leaving yours stranded.
Mr. Sutter’s team concluded that the resulting pressure in the chamber was four times greater than the stress during full throttle acceleration.
“We’ve been working on a new calibration which should be implemented in coming days,” he says, indicating that this will ensure proper engine management going forward during what we might describe as “lean times” during the fuel consumption of a given SRX Turbo.
Mr. Caldwell stresses that what happened was an extremely rare event and that they’ve had only a couple of incidents that resemble what happened to me in California.
He suggests that the low Octane gas could be considered a contributing factor and not the primary cause of the engine’s failure. But not everyone is careful with their choice of gas (as evidenced by this writer) and high Octane gas isn’t always available in some rural areas.
Surely the car must be engineered to compensate?
Both acknowledge this aspect and say that the SRX’s management system should have adjusted to accommodate for the lesser grade petrol and their system fix will ensure that it does going forward.
Nevertheless, Mr. Sutter maintains that the low Octane gas was the primary trigger in my car’s failure.
“Ever since we’ve switched to low displacement, turbocharged engines, we’ve noticed a sensitivity [to Octane levels].”
The 2.8 liter, turbocharged V6 was created at GM’s Pontiac, Michigan center in tandem with Saab staff in Sweden who engineered the turbo.
While most Saabs require only regular unleaded, the Cadillac SRX Turbo’s V6 represents the highest output version of this particular powerplant, hence the requirement for higher grade fuel.
NEXT STEPS
As this article posts, GM is conducting field tests on six SRX Turbos in Death Valley to ensure that the recalibration they’ve devised will prevent a repeat of the failure when the vehicle runs on regular unleaded.
Once finalized, Cadillac will implement the engine management adjustments to the SRX assembly line so that new SRX Turbo units rolling off the line going forward will benefit from the update.
Current SRX Turbo customers will receive the update at their Cadillac dealer during service, though the company has not yet decided how it will inform customers on the need to getting their car updated.
We should receive word on their customer plan within the week. Also, GM will provide Automobiles De Luxe with another press car to complete our review. Expect our full take on the 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo next month.
Here’s hoping for a smoother road test.
—-
Ed. Note: Special thanks to OnStar, Chris at Page One, and California Highway Patrol for their greatly appreciated help.
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.”
