boblutzfan

The exterior and interior look great. Bring this car to market ASAP.

Surprisingly the Motor Trend Article was pretty good and fair. They indicated the fact that the Escalade is missing the tilt/telescoping wheel that this price class should have, as well as the smart key found in many cars from the Prius to Cadillac's own STS. All in all I agree. Even when price isn't an issue - the Escalade is hands down better. When you compare the interior pics, the Escalade looks better integrated while the RR looks very cluttered. I'll take an Escalade ESV in black. Thank you.

The Texas State Fair will probably be the intro for the Chevy Trucks. I predict that the new LA Auto Show to be held in November will be the sight of the new GMC line up to include the new trucks and Acadia. This fall is going to be a good one for GM.

This is not Josh's fault. It was Edmunds IL that said it would be revealed on March 28th - another forum said it was being revealed at 4:00 PM EST at a design studio on the March 28th. Josh reported that the car was coming long before IL but never gave a reveal date. Josh you are in the clear on this... I will admit I was excited to see something yesterday and very disapointed when I didn't.

Hey Now - do you know anything about the rumored Buick that was to break cover today?

Today is the 28th and nothing. This has been a huge let down.

Agreed. This should be removed from the main page before another "Outlook" distaster erupts.

Where did you see the floor plan?

I don't have a problem with the corporate stereo - I just wish they didn't use it in every car from the DTS, SAAB 9'5, Tahoe and Impala. I wish the higher end brands had a unique stereo. For example, the Lucerne shouldn't have the same stereo as the Impala. Thankfully Cadillac has several other stereos that are different from this one (except for the DTS) The NAV units look nice though.

Sounds good. Thanks for clearing that up. So any idea when the updated STS will be introduced? How about the CTS mentioned above?

Actually if you reread my comments - you will see that my math is correct. If the 2008 CTS is introduced at the NAIAS with a January 2007 sale date as an early 2008 - then it would be an even five year run. I'm not sure how you are getting six years. January 2002 to January 2007 - that is a five year span. Even if it doesn't go on sale until spring or early summer (there are conflicting reports of the SOP) then it is still less than six years.

Cadillac needs to upgrade the STS both inside and out to get it ready to be ahead of the CTS in style and material quality. I predict that we will see the 2008 CTS and STS early next year at NAIAS or Chicago with an early sale date like they did with the Escalade and with the original CTS. Next January would make a nice 5 year run for the CTS. I just hope that the SRX upgrade that is due this summer doesn't use the STS center console like the STS and Escalade. Cadillac needs something more fluid and "new" for the SRX to keep in relevant. The SRX is a great car in search of a worthy interior.

I know this isn't an Outlook or CTS thread - but I am curious. How have you seen both of these cars? Do you have any idea when the CTS will break cover? We haven't even seen camoed mules running around - much less pics of the interior.

Looks good. I can't wait to see this when introduced. I predict that GM will introduce the new Trucks at the Texas State Fair in September and introduce the Acadia at the LA auto show that is now being held in November.

Actually I would be the first to complain about a foot brake in any car. I prefer the hand brake. A hand brake is a safer back up because you can modulate the brake unlike a foot break which is either all on or all off. It is acceptable in a luxury car - but a family car or performance car should have a hand break - no questions asked.

We will find out in a few weeks when the Aura will go on sale. While I like the Aura better than the Malibu and G6 - I would get the Saab 9-3 over the Aura. It to is Epsilon based - but has a much better interior than any of the other offerings. Even the Aura has too many Malibu/G6 pieces that make me worry it won't be as good as it needs to be. The 9-3 SportCombi is a nice ride with a great engine. I have seen a few driving around San Antonio and think it is a nice looking SAAB.

The V8 news is disturbing - I had heard the UV8 was delayed or cancelled. I have gone to Ah-HA website and it is gone. Does anyone know what happened?

Chrysler has been using a canvas top stretched over the hard top to disguise the folding hard top while testing. That is probably what you saw. My understanding is that it will be folding hard top only - no coupe and no soft top.

I have sat in the Azera and was impressed. Your post is so bitter that you lose credibility. The Azera may not be for you, but it isn't that bad. It is worlds better than many GM, Ford and Chrysler cars when it comes to features and interior quality. I am a GM man first and foremost, but I must say, the Azera has a better interior (in terms of material feel and layout) than 75% of GM cars. Only the Lucerne, DTS and STS are better. GM and every other brand for that matter should be nervous at the quality of cars that the Koreans are turning out these days.

Great read. Automobear has some great points. I would love for the mainstream media to do a story on CR - but you know they wont. The mainstream media has been party to the perception gap that exists. Unfortunately I think the only solution is for GM, Ford and Chrysler to continue to produce high quality products that compete well with the Japanese and wait for the perception gap to close in time.

I'm sure the price is similar but I would imagine that the BLS is more expensive than the 9-3 in Europe. Even so... having them in the same price point adds more confusion to what vehicle to buy. Bad idea for the US market either way.

Another reason that the BLS would be bad for GM is that many Cadillac dealerships share space with Saabs in US showrooms. It would not be good for either brand to have the 9-3 and BLS on the same showroom floor.

It is as close to the 9-3 as the Escalade is to the Tahoe the Navigator to the Expedition, Zephyr to the Fusion, ES350 is to the Camry or the Aspen to the Durango. All have different sheetmetal and upgraded interiors but are based on a cheaper model. Call them what you will, but they are based on cheaper models and are not a hallmark of a high end brand. I have already stated my opinion on full size luxury SUVs - rebadges are acceptable since they are not necessarily hallmarks of european sport sedan luxury makes. I don't see Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Infiniti or Lexus bringing entry level sports sedans to market based on cheaper FWD sedans. Yes, Lexus has the ES - but the real entry level is the IS250 - which is unique to this market. Cadillac doesn't need the BLS in the US - it would be better to develop an IS/3 series competitor - meaning that it be RWD.

The CTS is similar in price to the 3 series yet it is closer in size to the 5 series. The problem with the current CTS is that it does not compete with any BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Audi, etc when it comes to the interior design, quality and materials. I think this argument about the CTS is gettting out of hand. It is an old car that is slated for a redesign soon. Wasn't this thread originally talking about the BLS?

Correct - the CTS is closer in size to the 5 series. If GM wants to go after the 3 series then they need to spend the money to develop a RWD car and not try to compete with Saab, Acura and Volvo with a FWD entry level car. The BLS does not compete with the 3 series - neither does the CTS.