Robert Hall

Yes, the Cadillac was definitely more of a cushy luxury car (albeit in a smaller form than the battleship Cadillacs of the day)...not remotely a nimble sports sedan like the BMW... it would probably compare more favorably with a Merc S class, though I think the Merc 450SEL was the best all around luxury car of the mid to late '70s...(it's the one I would want had I been in the market in 1975).

Interesting...the Seville was a radical departure for Cadillac in the mid '70s...but it was still way too heavy and large to be a legit competitor for the 5-series of the day (which was cheaper, lighter, faster, and undoubtably a better handler). Today's STS is much better matched to a comparable 5-series of today, IMHO, though comes up short in some aspects (lack of a manual transmission option).

Chrysler had a single fender pentastar badge on Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth models for at least a decade or more from the mid-60s to the mid-70s... some of the '90s cars that did it had them on both sides, like the Grand Cherokee (embossed in the plastic cladding).

I assume they are chosen by the corporate wide badge-engineering committee... they meet every Thursday, 10am I think... :)

Honda should bring the European 5-dr here..it's even more unusual looking...

Cool...this is the vehicle I saw the prototype of at Starbucks here in Denver last month.... California plates, same fascia, same wheels and quad tailpipes.

The biggest problem with most 2dr SUVs (except for the XJ Cherokee and the old large Cherokee) is that they usually have pickup doors that are too short to allow easy ingress/egress to the back seats.. I used to have a Bronco II and that was a problem with it..

Yes, most SUVs are just wagons with ground clearance (and some have truck-like BOF construction)... the key differentiators over a wagon that a minivan has are the sliding doors and taller body.

The Patriot looks like what the XJ Cherokee could have evolved into (instead of the Liberty).

Yes.... Dodge hasn't had a traditional crew cab since the '72-93 generation trucks.... the '94-02 didn't have one, and the 4dr in the current line is really the club cab (extended cab) with forward opening rather than rear-opening doors like everyone else...

I saw some doctored spy photos in a British magazine (Autocar or Auto Express IIRC) about 6 months ago of a regular 3-series coupe..the taillights looked pretty much the same as the sedan, which is what I would expect...

GMC already has the Denali...same thing with better styling, IMHO. I don't care for the Escalade, but it has been a big success for Cadillac... I certainly wouldn't mess with that formula now. It brings in a different group of buyers than the Cadillac car models.

I think the time is right for premium compacts in the US...it will be interesting to see if the A3 does well and then the 1-series...

Australia, I assume...

Nice to see someone mention the '61 Cadillac...much cleaner, more beautiful design than the over-the-top '59, IMHO... the '60s were GM's high point from a styling and design perspective IMHO....so many beautiful cars--the 1st and 2nd generation Rivieras, the Toronado, the '67 Eldorado, the '63-67 Corvettes, the original Camaro and Firebird...the '65-66 B-bodies (Impala, Grand Prix, Bonneville, Wildcat, Starfire, etc)...

It may look strange, but the future isn't supposed to necessarily look familar.... in an era of $3+/gal gas in the US, this may be the right car at the right time...

Quite a few.... look at the UK, for example...considerably smaller market the US, but probably more makes sold there than the US....(Proton, Puegeot, Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Skoda, SEAT, TVR, Diahatsu, Ssangyong, to name a few)...

'tiny'??? They look huge...look at all the open space around the tires...

GM needs this in the US..offer it in FWD and AWD versions, aim it at the A4, TL, Maxima, S40... Keep the CTS to compete with the 3-series, C-class, G35 and IS.. Cadillac could then address the FWD, AWD, and RWD compact sport sedan market.

Yeah, the dogleg C-pillar look has caught on in the last few years...I don't know if it is partially automakers trying to emulate the BMW Hoffmeister kink, or simply a practical design trait to make rear seat ingress/egress easier by making the upper opening larger....

Yeah...it's laughable...I'm afraid a lot of people make dumb vehicle choices...who really needs an obese, 5000-6000lb SUV or truck as a daily driver? Very few people do, yet they keep buying them....

The Lucerne would have made a good LeSabre, I think...

I theory, yes...but I suspect a lot of people that lease these obsese beasts really can't afford them.....

The LaCrosse is probably getting a lot of the old-line Buick buyers (i.e. people trading in their Regals, Centurys, LeSabres). Vanilla sells....

R&T is probably my favorite US car mag overall...I've subscribed to it and C&D since 1977 (when I was 7!), Automobile is probably my second favorite, and then C&D... I've never really cared for Motor Trend.. Of the UK mags, my favorite is Car, then Top Gear, then Evo..