smk4565

The BRX better get more than 16-18 mpg like the Vue, otherwise it won't be useful in Europe. Diesel and hybrid only could make it work over there, but again, Cadillac's image in Europe is pretty lousy.

They are trading down a segment, the SRX is in the mid-luxury SUV segment, this thing will likely be entry level with the Lincoln MKX. They are going to give up about $10,000 in price tag to boost volume, that just cheapens the brand. If the BRX is $35-40,000, it then is in the same price class with the Enclave and Acadia, and upcoming Mercedes GLK, plus all the vehicles that have been there for a while like the X3, RX350 and MDX. It is a crowded segment. Many people have argued how the Enclave is better than other SUVs because it is bigger and and seats 7 (much like the CTS is better than a 3-series argument because it has 2 inches more legroom). So now the Cadillac will have similar price, same engine and transmission but much smaller than the Enclave. Will GM fans keep saying the Enclave is the best SUV or advertise it as the finest crossover ever, that is a put down to the Cadillac, and weakens the brand more.

Looks like the Vue, which is bad. This has badge job written all over it, and they aren't even copying a good vehicle. The Vue awd V6 is 4325 pounds, the SRX awd V6 is 4320 pounds. They are trading a lighter, superior handling, rear-drive chassis, for an obese, average performing, front drive small SUV. The Vue with a pop up nav screen and 40 gig hard drive and sound proofing will probably top 4450 pounds in Cadillac form, it will be heavier than an SRX V8. I bet the Cadillac MLS follows in 2011, based on the EpsilonII Malibu. The MLS can be a nice roomy front driver (gotta fill the DTS void with a cheaper car), priced in the mid to high 30s with a slushy suspension and compete with the Lexus ES350. They can keep all the Malibu body panels too, just swap grilles and dress the interior up some. Worked with the Cimarron, and Lincoln is on fire with the dressed up Edge and Fusion/Milan, they might put Mercedes out of business with that awesome plan.

They can just call it hybrid, I read Saturn was dropping Green Line and just using Aura hybrid. GM cars already have too many badges and gimmicks, they don't need more badging to designate that is is the Escalade H-series. Those little silver "GM" logos on every car look tacky too. Funny how they can make Escalades and Hummers, but not a rear drive Impala because of gas mileage.

In LTZ form it looks amazing in person (the exterior), better than the CTS perhaps, for sure better than any Buick or Pontiac. That picture of the white base model, with cheap wheels and black plastic rear view mirror looks bad though, I hope they don't produce a ton of base models for the rental companies and screw up a good looking car.

Was this vehicle "designed for action"? It looks like it was designed by Toyota to be a rental version of the Matrix. This thing will probably outsell the G8 and Solstice, no wonder Pontiac's image is garbage. I like how they have to use "designed" and not "engineered" for action. Because there is no real engineering going on at Pontiac, just badge jobs of other cars and adding spoilers and flashy wheels and ground effects.

Very nice looking car, it has the metal grille that the CTS is still waiting for. Back is kind of so-so, but I don't mind it, interior does resemble the Aura a lot. It it still a bit like 80s-90s GM where the 2 cars are really similar, but they are just executing it a bit better now. They have too much overlap in this price range, the Malibu is the best GM car under $30,000, it should gobble up sales from the W-bodies like crazy.

Cheap performance with gas mileage is easy, Mazda and some other brands do it. Downsize (and cut weight) every Pontiac, scrap every pushrod, 6 speed auto standard in every car. 2.4 liter with DI standard, 2.0 liter turbo optional on Solstice, Alpha car and G6 if it is still around. The turbo is 260 hp and was 22/31 mpg under old epa numbers, better mileage than any GM V6. G8 will probably never get small enough, but the 2.0 turbo could probably move it, or 2.8L V6 turbo if they have to. V8 model gets hybrid, maybe light system if two mode is too heavy. A small diesel V6 could also solve some problems, the BMW 330d in Europe averages near 40 mpg, and still has a 0-60 time around 6.5 seconds.

But the GTO had 400 hp and it failed. If the CTS can't handle like a BMW because it is too large, how will the even larger and heavier G8 handle as well as a BMW? I think Holden's have really bland styling inside and out, so I am not a fan of the G8's look. I thought the GTO was too bland, the G8 seems like repeating the same mistake. Pontiac doesn't have a solid image either, from all the fleet dumping the last 5-10 years, getting people to buy a $30-35k G8 could be tough. 25-30k units is probably manageable, but that isn't a big hit.

Car and Driver just tested a 535 awd and had 5.4 0-60 and said they thought without the weight from awd, it would be closer to the 5.2 seconds that the 550i posts. Plus that car is in it's 5th model year, although it had some upgrades along the way, the only major change is the engine. They are benchmarking against a 2004 car. Even the 98-2003 era 540i handles as well as and is even faster than the CTS. The M5 without a speed limiter can go 205 mph, so should the CTS-V get compared to that when the Corvette can't even go that fast? The CTS should be compared to cars in it's price range, if they move it up in price when the BTS arrives, then they can compare it to middle luxury cars.

No, I actually think no Cadillac should be under $35,000. I think the CTS was over sized to begin with, then it got bigger. Now they are mid size in a compact price range. Their sizing is just all messed up. And their flagship has a $43,500 base price compared to $87,000 at Mercedes. I like Cadillac styling, but I don't like when they use plastic like they do to keep that $32,000 base price going. Cadillacs lose value too fast for me to buy one new, I'd look at a used one, but I didn't like the 08 CTS enough to buy one. I am waiting until the 555i is out, and I'll see what Cadillac has then.

Well a CTS DI with all wheel drive is about 6.4 or 6.5 seconds 0-60, I forget which I read, but it was more than the 6.0 for the rear drive car. The BMW 535xi is 5.4 seconds 0-60. The next 5 series is going to have a lot of carbon fiber and aluminum to cut weight, it will be lighter than the current model, and they are have a twin turbo V8 and a twin turbo V10 going in it. So they'll cut weight and speed up the car, I wonder if in 2 years Cadillac will do the same to keep up.

Well I like top engines, so I was comparing 335i to CTS Direct Injection, plus all the magazines post data on those. Road and Track listed 57/43 weight distribution for the rear drive CTS, I was surprised by that also. I know most buy the lower engine BMW because they want a BMW at low cost, but the CTS is going to have most of its sales with the 263 hp engine as well. And the 335i engine doesn't make 300 hp, I read it is more likely in the 330-340 range, but they underrate it, Automobile Magazine dyno tested it at 284 rear wheel horsepower.

The Enclave AWD is over 5,000 pounds though, if it were 4600, it wouldn't be so bad. The SRX V8 is about 4450 pounds, it is 10 times better than the Enclave. The Lambdas are good, but very large, so they compete with the Tahoe too, and GM doesn't have much in the small to midsize 5 seater SUV range. But the CX-9 is good also, and one the Lambdas get options and head over $40,000, they run into Mercedes, Lexus, Acura and vehicles that at least seem prestigious and better, even if they aren't. Most people want to say "I drive a Lexus (or Acura, Mercedes, etc)" rather than "I drive a Buick." The 335i can be pretty loaded at $48k. The 3-series has adaptive cruise control which is about $1800, bluetooth and some options that Cadillac doesn't offer, even on the STS. If you get the same options on a 3-series and CTS they are almost identical in price, plus BMW, free maintenance, crazy high resale value. No luxury car matches the 3-series in performance, so I don't expect the CTS to match it, but it could be closer. And track performance must matter to some people, they are selling 120,000 or so 3-series per year, near half million world wide, they are doing something right.

A volume drop could be good if it means less fleet sales. They sold 229,000 retail and 81,000 fleet, that is a lot of fleet sales in one month, it is 25% of their sales. They need to get that to 15%, maybe make G5 and G6 75% fleet so they can stop fleeting Chevys. It is the rental market that kills it, I don't think the taxi/police cars make any difference. But it also hurts when import drivers rent a car, and it is a base Impala that handles like there is jello in the suspension and has horrid gray cloth, then they think American cars and junk, and can't wait to have their import back when the vacation is over.

Buick calls the Enclave the finest crossover ever, no automotive publication does. I say the SRX is way better, MDX is better, Motor trend said the CX-9 was better. The BMW X5 is a crossover, I think that is better than an Enclave too. I think the Camry has really poor handling and has always been bland, but I will say most of their materials are good for the price and their gap fits are tight. Overall I think it is an average car, but they have an unbelievable brand image going that keeps buyers coming in. The Accord is the best car in the segment, hopefully the Malibu can become #2 (based on reviews, not sales). Performance: 335i/CTS DI 0-60 5.0/6.0 seconds 1/3 mile 13.5/14.5 seconds skidpad .90g/.86g slalom 68.7/66.6 mph 60-0 119/118 feet gas mileage 18.9/17.2 mpg sound at 70mph 66dBA/68dBA weight balance 51/49 for BMW, 57/43 on CTS BMW has a 12 year rust warranty which is rather impressive, I didn't know anyone offered more than 6 year until I saw that. The CTS is just beat by that car except breaking, although very few cars match up well to BMW.

1 magazine once said a G35 was better than a 3-series mainly because it costs less. But the 335i is still the gold standard of small luxury cars by pretty much everyone. CTS lacks equipment and V8 power to be compared to the 5-series and that class, but if it lost to a G35, I would think an M35 would also beat it, and probably worse, the performance numbers would get closer, but the CTS's edge in features/interior would go away. The CTS (4 inches longer than the G35) is still heavier than a BMW 535i or 550i, it was 4150 pounds as tested in Road and Track, that is obese, it is more than an STS V8. Next 5-series is going to use a lot of aluminum and carbon fiber to cut weight, (or at least keep it the same when they add luxury features and sound deadening). A Jaguar XJ8 is just under 3800 pounds, and is 9 inches longer than the CTS and has a V8, yet 350 pounds less. Cadillac needs to invest it weight reduction, then handling, acceleration and gas mileage all go up.

I agree that interior and exterior style are most important to most people, but the car's weight hurts it. The CTS's track numbers are well behind it's competitors except for the C-class, and the CTS's gas mileage is rather so-so as well. Sales were up a ton over the old model that has slowing sales toward the end. Plus STS sales drop every month, the CTS I think it taking sales from it, as it should the STS is terrible, although it has nice seats, better than the little ones in the CTS.

Well the Enclave isn't the best in class either, the Mazda CX-9 gets better reviews than it. The Lambdas suffer from the same weight problem as the CTS. Reputation of cars/brands is huge, I agree that is why Lexus sells cars and Buick and Pontiac don't. GM's brands needs a better reputation, to do that they need to dump low image models, mainly the cars that are fleet sale gods. Camry has reputation on it's side, so it can outsell the Accord, Malibu doesn't, so it better be the benchmark if they want to get new buyers, otherwise the import lovers will just buy more imports. I know the CTS doesn't compete with the 5-series, as much as some people want it to, but it doesn't really compete with the 3-series either, because of the huge performance gap. The Cadillac lineup is all messed up, GM's slow transition and too many models to fix is hurting their chances to truly compete with the imports.

Toyota's quality will be fine I think, they don't get lazy or complacent. Even though they slipped they are still top 5 out of 37 car brands, it isn't like they are Dodge. Either way, if I were GM, I wouldn't be waiting for Toyota to screw up, I'd assume they are going to try hard, so we have to also. 2008 Accord is better than the 2008 Malibu, Malibu looks better, Accord has better interior, more power, more fuel economy, more resale value and about 16 years in a row of 10 Best awards from every car mag there is. The Malibu is a big improvement, better than most, but not the class benchmark. How many Malibus are sold in Europe and Asia? To beat Honda and Toyota, they need to sell them outside the US, and go for 500,000+ per year world wide. Great cars sell at that level. (without rental fleet sales) Buick sales are down 23% this year, the Lexus RX easily outsells the Enclave and the Lexus is more dated and costs a lot more. If I am GM, I am not looking toward Buick to ensure a good future. CTS has the best styling theme of any entry to middle luxury car, however use of cheap gray plastic and cheap base wheels (and lack of fog lights on base car) leads to an average execution of a great design. And Road and Track just rated the G35 better than the CTS, the CTS needs to get on a diet fast. The next 5-series is going to be crazy good, if Cadillac wants to compete with it, they need have a lot of work to do. The 535d is coming here, it is just as fast as a CTS and gets better gas mileage than an Aveo or Malibu Hybrid, not to mention a twin turbo V10 M5. I am still waiting (and hoping) for Cadillac to get the hardware to compete with the upper echelon of luxury cars.

It is time to get rid of Saab and Hummer, the sales of both are tanking hard, I don't see why they keep introducing models and spending money to advertise for vehicles no one wants. Pontiac and Buick are struggling also, Buick is down about 23% on the year and will sell under 190,000 units this year. If they give up Hummer and Saab and focus all those resources to Buick and Pontiac, maybe they can save those 2 brands. At the rate they are going, all 4 brands will be dead by 2020. The other brands are doing fine, I am not too excited about the CTS's increase over the old model yet, because it is still new, and the STS sales are going to nothing, so I'm not sure they are really beating the competition in any way. If next October the CTS is a year old and goes up 10% in sales, that will be impressive.

Wagons don't sell, especially American ones, and they aren't image boosters, no surprise to the the Magnum die. I am surprised they aren't dumping the Aspen and Durango too, maybe after they launch the hybrid versions and see people still don't want them, they'll give up on them later down the line. Crossfire and PT Convertible hardly sell, makes sense to dump them. The PT is mainly a rental car now, I could see that going in a year or 2. I think Chrysler is in trouble, the Dodge Journey I don't see as being a hit, and the Sebring/Avenger aren't doing much. They have Jeep and the 300C and minivans, hard to survive on that.

Notice how BMWs never have plastic body cladding or super sized wheels, or those vinyl or canvas carriage tops that Devilles always have. The classy approach seems to work for them and Mercedes, I don't know why Cadillac doesn't try to be like them, and less like Pontiac and Chevy from the 90s. That CTS sport is horrid looking. The IS-F is horrid looking too with a bad interior, but it does to 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, it is impressive in that regard at least. I bet their handling lags behind the Germans though.

It looks better than the current one, it is a good blend of Camry and Yaris, so it fits right in. I don't like the styling on any Toyota, I think they are all ugly, but the Toyota faithful will like this car, and they got a better engine option finally and 5 speed auto optional, so it will be competitive for sure. Probably isn't a better car than the Civic but it will outsell every other compact because it is a Toyota. The current, really dated Corola is the #3 selling car in the country, I am sure this one will maintain that spot.

I think the IS-F is ugly and the interior of the IS is rather cheap, too many shared parts with Toyotas. But the fake exhaust tips aren't much worse than the fake air vents on the Cadillacs or Buicks. Lexus and GM are just trying to dress up their cars to chase Mercedes and BMW that make cars that are expensive and not just try to look the part.