Cadillac News: Spying: 2018 Cadillac XT3 Comes Fully Camouflaged
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William Maley, in Cadillac
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By regfootball
DRIVEN: 2019 Chevrolet Blazer LT AWD 3.6 (MSRP around 40k)
HIGHS:
-Blazer name is back!
-Unique, sporty CUV style, drawing inspiration from the Camaro. Be seen. Looks good in person, even in a bad color.
-Nice new interior design, including ball blower vents down low. That will be a godsend in summer. I liked the gauges, displays, controls, and touchscreen.
-Cargo area seemed more useful in size than I imagined. If I recall, the rear seats can slide forward and back to help out with that.
-If you are averse to 4 cylinder engines, Chevy has you covered here. Most of the Blazers will be had with 3.6 v6. And with enough throttle foot, and after you let it wind up, and if the tranny actually kicks down, it scoots pretty well.
-Fans of CUV's that are heavy and sit high will be like pigs in slop in the Blazer.
LOWS:
-There are probably a lot of people that won't be into the styling.
-Drivetrain doesn't seem refined. Sorry, another one of these GM drivetrains with the common 3.6 that underwhelms. Slow transmission kickdown. Feels like driveline has a lot of slop. Lack of useful torque. Grainy sounding, revs slow, throttle response is a dud.
-Interior space is not exactly a middle spot between the Equinox and Traverse. To some it will feel not much larger than an Equinox inside, which is either a compliment for the Equinox (wasn't intended to be) or a rip on the Blazer (maybe that's where I was going). Perhaps how high you sit on the queen perch exacerbates the truckiness of this thing, but it feels narrow in relation to it's size, and it's easier to knock elbows with your neighbor than it should be in this thing.
-There is nothing about the ride and handling that stuck in my mind as impressive. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Now, maybe the RS is better, I don't know.
-Irregardless of whether a vehicle being heavy is a good or bad thing, it's that the Blazer actually feels porky or even porkier than it is / isn't.
-The elephant in the room on this thing is price. This lightly equipped LT was near 40 grand. In the same showroom is an almost equally equipped Traverse for an almost equal price. The versions that are in the high 40's and 50's, it's a real SMH to me.
-An all around feel about the vehicle that it was just a cobbled together parts bin ride (which historically has been GM's PENCHANT). The Blazer is a vehicle that feels old by several years on the market, right when it's introduced.
SUMMARY
No compelling reason to pick this vehicle on the market other than if you are a GM fanboi/girl or you've gone sick on the styling of it. If it's the former, its another case of GM missing an opportunity to provide class competitive or better vehicle refinement and dynamics and missing the mark. If it's the latter, then the styling ends up being the sole purpose for the vehicle to exist in the market. If it doesn't have more than that, than it's hopes for being a long term success are pretty thin. I don't need to dive much more into this one. Reviving the Blazer name and throwing it on something that evokes the Camaro in styling is about all there is behind this effort. Nissan came out with the Murano in 2003? 2004? And Chevrolet finally has something to compete with it in 2019. The list of vehicles that are better options to this for your money, whether 2 or 3 row, are in the dozens. As far as Chevy, if you really want size, immediately bypass the Blazer and just go straight for the Traverse. For performance and refinement, it's entirely possibly that a well loaded Equinox with the 2.0 engine is a much more enjoyable vehicle for a majority of people. And don't forget the GMC options too. Other makes and models, Santa Fe, Atlas, Edge, Passport, all better. I might be here all day if I list all the better options.
It doesn't make it bad to like the Blazer and I wouldn't criticize anyone for buying one. I just think GM mailed it in here, which they seem to be doing with increasing frequency here. All you get here is a name and some style. Bless ya if that's what you want. I may try the 2.5 FWD for contrast, but i think I can 99% safely say one of these will never be in my driveway. Continuing to lose more and more faith in GM and Chevy all the time.
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By William Maley
Only a few months after closing it down, Cadillac is bringing back their Book subscription program. Expected to launch in the second quarter, the revised program will be bringing in their dealers to play a key role.
"Book 2.0 really works even more closely with our dealer network because we think there's a lot of opportunity as you go forward. We're going to base it off the dealer network," said Cadillac marketing chief Deborah Wahl.
"We have to recognize that all of us — from the manufacturers to the dealer networks — we have to evolve our models to keep up with where consumers are."
The first phase of the program launch will see a small number of pilot programs launch in select cities. Interestingly, New York which was one of the first markets for the original Book will not be involved for the time being according to Wahl.
Cadillac was one the first automakers to launch a subscription program back in March 2017. For $1,800 per month, a subscriber could pick from a number of Cadillac vehicles and swap in/out with no long-term commitment. The fee also covered various items such as maintenance and insurance. But Cadillac surprised everyone when it announced they would be shuttering Book back in November.
“We are hitting the pause button for a brief time to make some tweaks to Book [by Cadillac] based on our learnings,” a spokesman for GM said at the time.
It was unclear why Book closed down. Cadillac said there was a small group of customers that took advantage of swapping vehicles. There was also talk that certain aspects of the system, such as the back-end became a bit too costly. Dealers were not too happy about not being involved in this program. Cadillac handled many of the details such as delivery and service.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
View full article
-
By William Maley
Only a few months after closing it down, Cadillac is bringing back their Book subscription program. Expected to launch in the second quarter, the revised program will be bringing in their dealers to play a key role.
"Book 2.0 really works even more closely with our dealer network because we think there's a lot of opportunity as you go forward. We're going to base it off the dealer network," said Cadillac marketing chief Deborah Wahl.
"We have to recognize that all of us — from the manufacturers to the dealer networks — we have to evolve our models to keep up with where consumers are."
The first phase of the program launch will see a small number of pilot programs launch in select cities. Interestingly, New York which was one of the first markets for the original Book will not be involved for the time being according to Wahl.
Cadillac was one the first automakers to launch a subscription program back in March 2017. For $1,800 per month, a subscriber could pick from a number of Cadillac vehicles and swap in/out with no long-term commitment. The fee also covered various items such as maintenance and insurance. But Cadillac surprised everyone when it announced they would be shuttering Book back in November.
“We are hitting the pause button for a brief time to make some tweaks to Book [by Cadillac] based on our learnings,” a spokesman for GM said at the time.
It was unclear why Book closed down. Cadillac said there was a small group of customers that took advantage of swapping vehicles. There was also talk that certain aspects of the system, such as the back-end became a bit too costly. Dealers were not too happy about not being involved in this program. Cadillac handled many of the details such as delivery and service.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
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By William Maley
For almost two decades, Cadillac has been undergoing a transformation of sorts to become a threat to likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The various models and changes have been met with mixed reactions. But the latest move to make Cadillac the lead brand in General Motors' electric car offensive marks a big change. According to an executive, this is the brand's last chance at success.
“We don’t have any chances left with taking Cadillac to a really new place. This is pretty much it,” said GM President Mark Reuss to Reuters.
“So we really have to hit the ball here. It’s my job to make sure we do.”
Cadillac previewed their first EV on Sunday night during the press preview of the XT6 crossover. No name was given, but the model appears to be a small or midsize crossover. It will be the first vehicle to use GM's dedicated BEV3 platform that has been designed to underpin various types of vehicles and drivetrain layouts.
When asked how long it would take for Cadillac to transition to an all-electric lineup, Reuss said it is too early to tell. He expects a combination of electrified and combustion engine models “for quite a few years” in the lineup.
Reuss did not elaborate what would happen if the transition to electric faltered.
“All I’m focused on is what we’re doing right now…” Reuss said, “and getting momentum back in Cadillac.”
Source: Reuters
View full article
-
By William Maley
For almost two decades, Cadillac has been undergoing a transformation of sorts to become a threat to likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The various models and changes have been met with mixed reactions. But the latest move to make Cadillac the lead brand in General Motors' electric car offensive marks a big change. According to an executive, this is the brand's last chance at success.
“We don’t have any chances left with taking Cadillac to a really new place. This is pretty much it,” said GM President Mark Reuss to Reuters.
“So we really have to hit the ball here. It’s my job to make sure we do.”
Cadillac previewed their first EV on Sunday night during the press preview of the XT6 crossover. No name was given, but the model appears to be a small or midsize crossover. It will be the first vehicle to use GM's dedicated BEV3 platform that has been designed to underpin various types of vehicles and drivetrain layouts.
When asked how long it would take for Cadillac to transition to an all-electric lineup, Reuss said it is too early to tell. He expects a combination of electrified and combustion engine models “for quite a few years” in the lineup.
Reuss did not elaborate what would happen if the transition to electric faltered.
“All I’m focused on is what we’re doing right now…” Reuss said, “and getting momentum back in Cadillac.”
Source: Reuters
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