Croc

Honestly, Cadillac sales will never be great until they start producing better interiors. It's sad when I see a new Cadillac design I love, but then get inside at an auto show and the interior not only falls short of the competition, but doesn't even compare to what's offered over at Buick. For the past 15 years Cadillac has failed to produce an interior that combines nice materials with nice design--either they spend $$$ on a cheap-looking design (XLR, for example) or they make a nice design with cheap-looking/feeling materials. They gotta nail both. And knock it off with killing knee room in wide sedans with intrusively wide center stacks that don't even feature much usable storage space.

Biggest issue with LaCrosse is its suspension tuning. Wish it had a firmer, more sporting yet still luxurious ride & handling like the 2001 Aurora. Haven't had a chance to test one with the dynamic driving package, but dealerships don't seem to be ordering that option on any trim level, at least going by what's on the lot.

One of GM's best!

As beautiful as the LaCrosse is, I recently test-drove one, and my 17-year-old Aurora has better ride and handling characteristics. LaCrosse is too soft, and quite frankly it's a bit too expensive for what you get. There's some weird nickel-and-diming with option packages/trim levels, too, which I found off-putting. For example, each trim level gets a different rear seat armrest. One is just an armrest, one has molded cupholders, and then one has molded cupholders AND a rather useless, shallow storage area. WHY?? Seems to me it would have been a hell of a lot cheaper to design and assemble ONE design and put it in every trim level. I also looked at the Impala...and it's really no cheaper than the LaCrosse at comparable feature levels despite a decidedly downmarket interior. No surprise these two aren't really selling. Waiting to test-drive the Regal Sportback later this fall.

The Navigator's main competition is the Yukon and Escalade, I suppose. Also the Lexus LX and Infiniti QX..the big truck-based V8 luxo SUVs. I can't imagine anyone cross shopping the Navi w/ European SUVs, though. As far as Lincoln sedans and CUVs, they target Acura, Buick, and the appliance end of Lexus (ES/RX), I would say... So...basically exactly what Mercury was allegedly attempting to target, then, right?

That interior is plastastic. So I guess this is why Ford got rid of Mercury...they wanted to bring Lincoln further downmarket. Help me here, guys--what does Lincoln compete with? Acura? Lower-end Buick? Help me here...

Didn't look at the 3, but the 4 certainly has one: RE: Cloud storage--great in theory, until you remember that an internet outage, server glitch, or hacker attack can render you without your music. You also give up ownership rights to the Cloud operator, in many cases. No thanks. I buy the music, I want the content, and I want to still have access to the content even in the event of a technological failure. Plus, with all the drama about the NSA having backdoor access to Cloud services, I really don't want the government knowing I actually paid for Heidi Montag's debut album...whoops, cat's out of the bag on that one now! Interesting as I did not look at the M4, figured what they did to the M3 4 door would be the same for the 2 door M4 coupe. Interesting that they have different seats with the fold down arm rest. I still believe that CD players will be gone in 2 years or so, I have not seen a single new car model that has a cassette deck. Those have been gone for a long time as far as I have seen. The ATS has Multiple USB ports especially in the center arm rest console that allows charging but also ease of plugging in your USB thumb drive and loading music onto the built in 40GB storage of the NAV/Stereo unit. This is far easier and more reliable than a CD player. Yes it requires you to prep by stripping your music off the CD and onto the thumb drive, but you will get better reliable playback. I understand the points you are making, but I also feel you are wanting to keep things status quo in a business that is clearly moving forward fast. I do see how a center fold down arm rest with pass through to the trunk would add versatility to the car. Then all I drive due to my Shrek size is full size SUV's. So space is never lacking when it comes to carry something. I don't know the exact year of discontinuation, but I know Mercedes-Benz still had casette players in their vehicles 10 years ago, and casette sales were virtually nill well before that. I remember this because CD players were still an extra cost option, and I remember thinking, "Who the hell uses casette tapes these days?" Ironic, huh? I've never had a CD player fail on me, so I'm more likely to argue that the failure of flash memory is far more frequent. CDs can be scratched, yes, but most scratches can easily buff out with a Disc Dr. or something similar. It's not so much wanting the status quo as it is trying to find something that fits my needs--I don't care that I may have to pay an obscene amount just to get a CD player, but don't make me have to pay for something that's functionally useless. I have several friends who are in the music industry, and while digital sales/music have blown up the last few years, CDs aren't going anywhere. They're portable, they're great to just hand out to people (think: demo CDs for upcoming artists), and everyone has a player. USB sticks are so easy to lose/misplace, and are so tiny that labeling them is a chore. Being in Los Angeles, parking spaces are really tiny because space is at a premium--maximizing space and utility in as small of a package at possible is extremely desirable. Being able to squeeze into that last little bit of curb space before a driveway or red zone because your neighbor parks like an asshole to try to take up 2 spots on street sweep day is also very desirable. And for those who are still skeptical of the utility of fold-down armrests with pass-thrus, you must not go out at night with many women because women tend to carry these things called "purses" that contain, like, their whole life, yet are "too bulky" to carry into every restaurant or club while still going with their outfit. A pass-thru is great for a lady to leave her purse in the trunk, hidden from view, without having to go outside the car, pop the trunk, and draw attention to herself doing so...and then retrieve it quickly/safely/easily upon re-entering the vehicle for the ride home. A hot-looking car designed for attention and sex appeal--like any good coupe--should, IMO, have these important, thoughtful details, at least available as a chargeable option. Similarly, that's why I still drive my beautiful 2001 Aurora--not only has her design aged extremely well, but that car was designed with a lot of thoughtful touches and attention to detail that are greatly appreciated by my passengers along with myself. Indeed, I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard, "I love riding in your car," "She's THIRTEEN years old?!" or "I can't believe they stopped making these" because then I would have quite the tidy little sum to make it rain lol Of course, maybe that was the idea, since I'm neither in a huge rush to get a new car nor do I plan to get rid of her in the event I eventually do purchase.

Didn't look at the 3, but the 4 certainly has one: RE: Cloud storage--great in theory, until you remember that an internet outage, server glitch, or hacker attack can render you without your music. You also give up ownership rights to the Cloud operator, in many cases. No thanks. I buy the music, I want the content, and I want to still have access to the content even in the event of a technological failure. Plus, with all the drama about the NSA having backdoor access to Cloud services, I really don't want the government knowing I actually paid for Heidi Montag's debut album...whoops, cat's out of the bag on that one now!

It would seem to me that you are simply destined for a BMW 428i... Luxury line, probably in Imperial blue with the Venetian beige leather. You can have the rear seat armrest and centrally located single CD player (6-disc isn't on the option sheet from what I saw) and give your backseat passengers the best experience possible after ducking and contorting their bodies to enter into the cramped backseat. I suppose there's also the Audi A5, the only other entry in this segment to offer a rear seat armrest, but I think you'll find its even more cramped. Atleast neither are FRS/BRZ levels of cramped. BMW designs, while much improved over the past decade, still leave me cold. When a Cadillac rolls past, the design grabs you. In Los Angeles, BMWs are dime-a-dozen; they're the Toyotas of the successful professionals.

You all are missing my point RE: the 6-disc changer--I honestly couldn't care less about having one as long as I have a functional single-disc player, which the ATS does not have. While you, the driver and owner, are seated in the driver's seat, you cannot safely use the single-disc CD slot because not only is it located inside the glovebox, but it is mounted on the far outboard side of said glovebox. In other words, unless you are Gumby with stretchy arms, you cannot load/eject a CD at all from the driver's seat without seriously compromising your ability to keep your eyes on the road and pilot the ATS safely. My point was that I could forgive this egregious ergonomic nightmare if the far-right, completely out-of-reach glovebox-mounted CD slot were multidisc because I could learn to deal by simply pre-loading a few discs and safely cycling between them while behind the wheel. As it is, not only is the CD slot completely useless virtually all of the time I would use it (read: all the radio presets are on commercial breaks and/or attempting to subject me to Katy Perry's caterwauling), but I would still be having to pay several hundred dollars to even get it in the first place. THAT is what I find so objectionable--that I would have to pay for a feature (which I honestly wouldn't mind in and of itself) that is practically, functionally useless because of its poor ergonomic location. By the way, I'm laughing at the predictions that CD players will be gone entirely in 5 years--casette players were still in cars well past the point of when casette tapes stopped being manufactured, and optical discs are still being manufactured, and most certainly will still be manufactured, 5 years into the future. No CDs pretty much means Apple and its iPod would have a monopoly in the distribution of music, and record labels would never risk something like that as Apple would have carte blanche to charge whatever exhorbitant prices they wanted. Lastly, regarding the fold-down armrests, I would actually prefer a full-length, full-height console between the rear buckets, but in lieu of that (for ease of ingress and egress on the passenger-side for both rear seat occupants, I assume) a fold-down armrest would be fine, too. Not only would one greatly enhance passenger comfort for the two miserable f@#ks stuck back there, but one with a small storage compartment is always a great place to store things you don't want attracting attention from prying eyes in parking lots. Fold-down armrests also provide opportunities for a pass-thru door, which has a variety of practical uses, too.

Honestly, Cadillac is supposed to be the "Standard of the World," so when it falls short, to me it's all the more glaring. Look, I lusted after the CTS coupe only to find a crappy interior (especially the back seat). The excuse given was that the CTS coupe was a pre-bankruptcy car, so some cost-cutting should be understandable. I called bull$h! then. Now, we have an ATS coupe, post-bankruptcy, with neither a proper rear console, nor a folding rear armrest. I'm sorry, but the CTS coupe is not a valid basis of comparison; indeed, Cadillac set to meet/exceed the 3-series with this car, and unfortunately the lack of attention to interior details is a dealbreaker for me. I wanted to like the ATS sedan, but the lack of a 6-disc CD-changer blew it for me since the only CD player was located in the glovebox as far from the driver as possible; had it been at least a 6-disc changer, I could have forgiven that. Now, the ATS coupe is deficient in the same way the pre-bankruptcy CTS coupe was, and is still deficient when compared to the European competition. Please, someone in the auto industry correct me if I'm wrong, but adding a rear armrest (at minimum) or a proper rear center console couldn't cost more than $500 per car AT MOST--at the price ranges the ATS competes in, $500 is chump change; yet, a proper rear seat isn't even an option here. More glaringly, the sedan has a proper-height, fold-down armrest. Why should coupe owners have to pay a premium yet sacrifice in passenger comfort the few times they have passengers? Shouldn't the odd rear seat passenger get the same amenities as in a sedan, especially with the pricing premium? Unacceptable. Hey, it's no snot out of my nose...I just really want to get a new car, but until GM can build a suitable upgrade, I'll just stick to my 14-year-old Oldsmobile Aurora that continues, to this day, to get plenty of compliments from my passengers--both front seat and rear seat. While I'd love to part with $50,000 on a new car, I'll just continue onward babying Princess Aurora as long as I can. Saves me money, right? But I'm sitting here, a potential new car sale, who refuses to "upgrade" with a compromise. Get it together, GM. I want you to succeed, and I want to be a Cadillac owner ASAP...and I want to make an emotional purchase I may or may not actually be able to properly afford...but I refuse to compromise in the process.

Bull$h!. Maybe that logic flies in a brand like KIA or Hyundai, but this is Cadillac...or at least it's supposed to be.

Looked at photos of this the other day, and it looks like GM f@#ked up again--just like the outgoing CTS coupe, GM apparently thinks back seat passengers don't get an armrest or center console. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

Awesome, thanks!

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