smk4565

Impressive, but a 550 hp SUV is pretty pointless. But in true Mercedes fashion, they will build it just because they can. And some crazy rich people will spend $90,000 on it because they have money to burn. When does the SRX-V come out to battle this, oh wait, that is right, the SRX is front wheel drive the a V6.

The A6 3.0T Quattro does 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. That is over a full second quicker than a LaCrosse, that is much quicker than a CTS even. The Audi would run 4 rings around a Buick, a CTS AWD would probably struggle to keep up with an A6. Plus the A6 interior is better than any American car interior. Although I personally don't like Audis, they do a few things well.

Police and Cab companies wouldn't want a CTS because it would fall apart. I've seen 25 year old S-classes with 300,000+ miles on them still in good condition. An American car just won't last like that, the leather will tear and crack, the body panels get gaps, transmission or engine goes, etc. Most car companies don't build a car with the thought that they want it to still be on the road a quarter century later. Mercedes might be the only one that does.

I have not driven an A6, but have driven the A4. I think an A4 Quattro has better handling than a CTS, it at least feels more nimble, but it is smaller and lighter. The CTS does have better ride though. I have not driven the LaCrosse, but I know it doesn't handle better than a CTS. I doubt a LaCrosse can keep up with an A6 Quattro, which is a pretty solid car. Personally though I don't care for the A6, and neither do many other people since the E-class and 5-series outsell it about 8 to 1. Maybe Audi needs to dump that platform and make a true RWD car.

So Cadillac should be able to price a base model CTS with a 4-cylinder at $45k then, and about $51k for a base V6. And then sell 250,000 per year, instead of 50,000 per year.

I just read an article that listed the most profitable vehicles in the past 20 years, the Detroit 3 pickups were the top 3, followed by the S-class. And they only listed cars sold in the USA, so I imagine this was a domestic study. Worldwide the S-class must generate huge amounts of profit. When you build the best car with the best reputation you get people to pay for it.

It said a version of the E-class platform. The wheelbase and track will be way different, and AutoCar is speculating anyway. And the "mass-market" E-class is still more expensive than any American sedan, so it isn't like they are starting with crap.

The XTS isn't going to match a 528i, an ES350 sure, I think Jeremy Clarkson said every Lexus sedan is like driving a bucket of wall paper paste, and I imagine he is correct. If the XTS is $39,000 then handling to beat a LaCrosse, Lincoln, ES350 is fine and will be all those buyers want. At $50k, you can get a 5-series or E-class or A6, Infiniti M, etc. Once you get against the big boys you better bring the A-game.

Have you see the pricing yet? The Ferrari borrowing from Cadillac reminds me of Suzuki Kizashi comparison ads, or Lexus IS350 ads saying they have more horsepower than a C-class. It just shows how they are followers when they have to try to convince people they are in an elite class. Think of a Mercedes S-class ad (or any Merc ad really) what car do they compare the S-class to??? No car, they already know the S-class is the best car in the world and has been for 30-40 years, the competition doesn't matter. On the 2nd point, I have not seen pricing, that is why I said "my guess" is $10,000 more than a CTS, and I posted earlier $46,500 was what I thought the base price would be. Agreed. My first car was a Cavalier and the Cobalt was better of course. But by 2011 standards, the Cobalt is pretty much was the Cavalier was in the 90s.

This is, of course, correct. "Faking" such a thing isn't really possible. Video can be edited... anyway, it's a moot point since the Cobalt is defunct...no one cares. Yeah, if the Cobalt were so great, it would still be here. I never drove an SS model, but the base Cobalt was miserable to drive.

The base price of the XTS will be more than the base price on any other Cadillac sedan. That is what I meant by it will be their top end (or most expensive) car. My guess is the XTS V6 is $10,000 more than a CTS V6.

That's the same scenario with the LaCrosse & the XTS; not at all similar. It isn't the same, because the Camaro will be able to have acceleration and handling like a 3-series or G37 so it should match up well against a Mustang, Genesis Coupe, 370Z etc. The platform won't limit the Camaro's performance. The XTS can't handle like other luxury sedans with the same price point. And the LaCrosse has a lot of the features that the XTS has, the Impala has the same engine/transmission. The DTS is a sales dog, and Cadillac just rebuilt the same car on a different platform. Weak effort.

That was the marketing angle of the Lacrosse at the time, but my belief was always that the LaCrosse competed with the Avalon, Taurus, Chrysler 300, maybe Maxima and Azera. I never saw Buick as a Lexus competitor, the ES350 bases higher than a CTS, the LaCrosse upon debut based around $26 or 27,000.

The XTS will be more expensive than an ATS or CTS, so for the foreseeable future it is their top sedan. The ATS chassis doesn't exist on any car currently for sale. It it new, and the Camaro will be based off the ATS. That I am fine with, the Camaro is a sports car, they should base it off a sporty platform. And the Camaro will have a basic interior, it won't be at all similar to the Cadillac. I was fine with the XLR and Corvette platform sharing, I thought the XLR was a great looking car too, the interior and performance just fell short of the price tag.

No, they make the Pullman now, it is basically a limo. They make an armored Pullman also that you have to special order and clear a background check to buy. But it does come with its own air supply, fire extinguishing system and can withstand 5 grenades at once. And y'all can hate on the S-class all you want, the new one will be awesome, just like every previous generation was awesome and with technology and power years ahead of the competition. I am excited to see what they come up with next. Magic Ride Control is going to blow away everything on the market.

If front wheel drive and corporate platforms are good enough for the most expensive Cadillac sedan, then why not make the CTS off the Malibu platform, and the ATS off the Cruze platform. Where does it stop. If Cadillac replaced the current CTS with a car built on the Regal/Malibu platform and gave it a turbo 4, everyone would cry bloody murder. Yet when Cadillac makes their top end sedan with that formula, people defend it. I don't get it.

Does it have voice commands, park itself, have self closing doors, self closing trunk, Split-view Nav screen, 1000+ watt 7.1 surround sound, does it detect sleepiness from the driver, tell you what the speed limit is, adjustable ride height, adjustable suspension settings, adjustable throttle settings, adjustable transmission settings, adjustable steering effort, LED headlights, night vision, refrigerated glove box or rear refrigerator, power reclining, massaging, heated and cooled seats at all 4 positions, HVAC that works while the car is off via solar power, double pane windows, can you set how many seconds the light over the license plate stays on after the ignition is turned off, 8-speed transmission, V8, aluminum or carbon fiber chassis and body, etc. This car is far from a technological tour de force, it is competitive with a Lexus ES or even GS (which is dated) and a Lincoln MKS or an Acura, but this is far from S-class level technology.

I would agree. A lot of thee iDrive copies are similar, even cars like the Focus have systems like it, and I don't know if any particular one is good enough to sway a car buying decision. Cadillac should focus on tier one brands, even Cadillac said that is what they want to be, so they need to put their money where their mouth is. I disagree a little on whether there is a market for this car, there still is, but I think it is quickly diminishing. This flavor of car works under $40k, the Lexus ES, Avalon, LaCrosse, etc sell in decent volume. However, the MKS sells worse, the Acura RL even worse still, because no one wants to pay $50k for an Accord. I think $50k for a Malibu/Impala/LaCrosse is a tough sell also.

Agreed. Especially when Cadillac is not a luxury leader, they sort of far back in the pack globally. If they want to move up the ladder they need to aim way higher. And at least the 1989 Deville had a V8, not the engine from a Chevy Impala.

Not cause the driver to smash into a power pole trying to figure out how to switch XM stations. You can keep rationalizing all you want but this car is quite ahead of the competition. Maybe it won't be ahead of a BMW 5 on the Nurburgring, but it'll be so much more pleasant. Many of the other luxury cars with driver interface systems either have secondary controls or voice command. And I don't see many German sedans wrapped around power poles. So that doesn't really answer my question as to what CUE does, that MMI/COMMAND/iDrive/MyFordTouch don't already do.

What does CUE do that MMI, COMMAND, iDrive and MyLincoln touch don't do? And reconfigurable instrument cluster is nice to suit needs of different drivers, but it has been done before, and I still prefer real gauges to a screen.

The technology on the 98 Seville was probably greater than the average car than the XTS technology compared to the average car. A lot of cars now have blue tooth, lane departure warning, parking aides, back up cameras. Radar/Lasar cruise control is fairly common among luxury cars, magnetic ride control is what sets the XTS apart from an average car, but the 2002 Seville had MagnaRide, and Acura, Audi, Porsche, BMW, Corvette and Ferrari use a form of magnetorheological suspension.

I want to make a comparison. 1998 Cadillac Seville 300 hp 295 lb-ft torque Wheelbase: 112.2 inches Length: 201 inches Width: 75 inches Height: 55.4 inches Weight 4001 lbs XTS: 300 hp 264 lb-ft torque Wheelbase: 111.7 inches Length: 202 inches Width: 72.9 inches Height: 59.1 inches Weight ??? lbs 14 years later we have a taller, narrower Seville with less torque. How exciting.

City cars will become popular be cause of population boom in urban areas. China and India combined have about 2.5 billion people, I'd want a car I can sell to those markets and to the cities that have populations of 10 or 20 million people.

This car is good for its purpose, I like it more than most in the segment. For the people out there that wants something a bit larger or bit more luxurious than the mainstream sedans this car fits the need, and it isn't overly huge like a Taurus, it is actually smaller than an Accord. And with the Impala being terrible, Regal, Passat and Maxima tuned for sport, the Azera fits in nicely.