smk4565

The 535i gets 20/30 mpg. No GM 6-cylinder hits 20 city or 30 highway. Even the 2.4 liter (184 hp) Regal is 19/30 mpg. And according to former GM management, RWD got bad fuel economy. So why is a 300 hp rear driver edging a 184 hp front driver in fuel economy? It isn't weight, the 535i is heavier, it's the ZF transmission. I see 300 hp and 30 mpg as the minimum for the ATS and next-gen CTS. Hyundai has a 270 hp, 34 mpg car now, Cadillac has to one-up all these cars. Maybe 300 hp and 35 mpg is their target, no one has done that yet, but Ford already did 310 hp/31 mpg with the Mustang. Cadillac in 2013 should be better than a 2010 Mustang.

The 528i has had great low end torque forever, the engine is the same as the old car, but they are getting 4 mpg more now. 5-10 years ago when Toyota and Honda had 5-speeds, and GM was rolling out the 3800/4-speed combo, GM defenders said that was good enough, it had good fuel economy, etc. That didn't work out, the DOHC/5-speed Japanese cars continually racked up more market share. Cadillac can use a 6-speed, but when Mercedes, Infiniti, BMW, Lexus and Hyundai are using 7 or 8 gears, consumer perception will be that Cadillac is behind the curve.

I'd agree on execution, that is what BMW does so well. But even the X3 now has an 8-speed, my guess is the next 3-series will as well. The 5-series because of its 8-speed gets 32 mpg. Cadillac has 2 more years to work on the ATS, a 32 mpg V6 should be there.

Badge in the grille for ATS and CTS, raised hood ornament on the big car. S-class has the raised hood ornament so you can line up poor people in the crosshairs before running them down. Gives the car that 3rd world dictator feel.

It needs one other thing to be successful: That right there lets you charge $5,000 more for the car.

8-speed auto on the base model is a must for this car at launch. BMW has 8-speeds on everything above a 3-series right now, Merc has had 7-speed for years and is working on 9. Hyundai is going to offer 8-speeds in 2011. Cadillac can't be behind them right out of the gate. Car needs a V6. I'd wish for a straight six, but I know that isn't happening, so V6 I'll take. But a V6 is an absolute must, the whole segment has one. The ATS can have one turbo-4 with hybrid system to get the greenies, after that leave the 4-bangers to Chevy and Buick. I do hope Cadillac goes for broke on this one, but Cadillac never has on any vehicle in the past, at least not in my lifetime. So I remain cautiously optimistic. Remember also, for this car to be a "3-series killer" it has to be a "CTS killer" as well. Will Cadillac really make a car good enough to make the current CTS irrelevant and obsolete?

I had a Pacifica rental twice on vacations, it is good for that job. What I like about the Pacifica, is it is roomy (2nd row captains chairs), and you have a good seating position without being nose-bleed high. I drove the 4.0 V6 with the 6-speed, not a bad car to drive. When the Pacifica died, the Toyota Venza sort of took its place, maybe Dodge Journey to an extent, but the Journey just seems like a piece of junk.

I'd second the vote on a minivan, assuming it is done right, and not the way the Uplander/Relay/Terrazza/Montana were. To further elaborate on my XLR suggestion, I could see the car going one of tow routes. One being the $50k V6 roadster like an SLK, Z4 or nicer 370Z. Or as a GT sort of car like the Jaguar XK that could be coupe or convertible. In that scenario the XLR would stay at $80,000, but need a lot better execution than just dressing up a Corvette like the last go around. Either way the car came back I'd like.

Cadillac XLR. I think it was the best looking Cadillac of the past 10 years. The price for what you got was the problem. Either the interior and engine needed upgraded, or the price needed to come down. The XLR may do better at the $50k price point against the SLK and Z4 type vehicles with V6 and perhaps turbo V6 power. Cadillac needs a sports car, 2-door, and convertible, the XLR fits the bill and gives Cadillac some sportiness to it's image. And it is somewhat unique, not just another sedan that can get lost in the shuffle.

I don't like it. They just took a car from 05 and added some chrome to it, put the hideous bright work around the lights as Croc stated, and the headlights have a Euro-wannabe look to them. I think the current car actually looks better. Question is, how long is this car going to be on market? Because it is just a mid-cycle refresh of a 7 year old car, if this goes another 5-7 years, they basically have what the Ford Panther platform cars were. Just big, old and dated.

Can you see out the back of it?

My experience with the first round of Epsilon 1 was that, but it is good that Ep 2 has solved that. You can power slide a Jaguar XJ at 70 mph, and you can turn the nannies in the S-class off and power slide or drift it as much as you please. Top Gear had an S-class and 7-series doing plenty of sideways maneuvers on their track. The A8 is weak, and LS will probably run away and hide when it sees a corner, so I don't know about those two.

Well I am glad that the biggest and most expensive Cadillac sedan will have the abilities of the a Buick and a Saab. Not only that, but a Buick and Saab that had already been on sale for a few years by the time it comes out. I'm so glad "the new standard of the world" has set their sights so high.

The XTS isn't supposed to out-handle a CTS, but in a way that is my point, why build a land barge that will get ridiculed and doesn't fit with the rest of the lineup. And you are right, a 7-series can't handle with a 3-series, but a 7-series can hold it's own, and it has ride quality. You can power slide a 7-series or S-class, can't do that with a LaCrosse/XTS type vehicle. I haven't driven a Lacrosse, maybe it can handle better than the Aurora, but it is also 10 years newer. My next car will be rear wheel drive, front wheel drive already hit it's limit. I bet the LaCrosse still has a lot of body roll to it, it is heavier than the Aurora, and is Epsilon 2 really any better than the G-body platform? Epsilon 1 twisted and shuttered over bumps like a plate of jell-o during an earthquake.

I agree they are more flexible, they are in much better shape than they were, and can actually compete now. I just don't like when people use bankruptcy as an excuse. It is like the Pirates complaining that they don't have as much money as the Yankees. They are all in the same league, so you just have to deal with it. Yes, Mercedes has an unfair advantage globally, but that is how it is, so Cadillac just has to overcome that somehow.

For luxury cars, I find the CTS average at handling (but I drove an FE2 AWD, which could be the problem), I doubt the XTS handles better than a CTS, so I have zero interest in a car like that. Silent is nice when cruising around, but performance/luxury should be able to sound like a race car when you want it to. That is the one good thing about a Maserati, when you wind it up the noise it makes is insane.

There are two problems with Cadillac's situation. Yes, GM went bankrupt, but their competitors (who are much better managed) did not. Mercedes isn't going to sit still, and consumers aren't going to have sympathy for Cadillac, they will buy what they feel is the best product to suit their needs. You can't cry about bankruptcy, because that was a self inflicted wound, and they just have to deal with it. The second problem is Cadillac is constantly chasing, by the time the ATS comes out, there will be a new 3-series and C-class right after, and they'll push the bar even higher. Every time Cadillac does something to catch up, the market moves again and then they have to chase and play the wait til 2013 card. In 2013, it will be, just wait til 2015, when the new CTS comes, and the story never ends.

But a V6 doesn't sound like a V8, and the smoothness isn't there. The BMW inline-six has the intangible "it" factor and I'd take it that engine over a lot of V8s, but the ford and GM V6s just can't match a V8 in sound or intangibles. And the XTS is a barge with wheels, it can have 500 lb-ft, but it is still a barge with wheels designed for seniors in Florida where roads are straight and flat.

The 7-series is a legit contender, the A8 is underpowered, weak, and bland. My personal favorite is the XJ, I like how it looks, I like that is light weight, and it is an alternative to the Germans. But the S-class is still the gold standard and most prestigious, and best selling of the group.

Arguably??? It is the best of the breed. S-class sold 6,000 units last month world wide, I don't think any Cadillac model achieved that. In 2007, they sold 91,000 S-class sedans worldwide, that is a bigger number than what the CTS sold. It is a hard car to go after, because most flagships are niche volume cars, the S-class has volume, so they can pour money into it every 6 years.

Hold up there, no car can out corner the Chosen One Sonata.

The problem or challenge with luxury cars though, is image matters a lot. Flagships and supercars build image. That is why Audi has the R8, Mercedes has the Gullwing or McLaren SLR, and the V12 7-series and S-class are important. They make the brand aspirational, and lift the image of it. Infiniti has with the G37 and M37/56 what Cadillac seems to be aiming for with the ATS and CTS. Infiniti also has no flagship or supercar, and look at how their brand image lags seriously behind the Germans. The G37 and M56 are very competitive cars, but the 3-series and E-class are the sales champs, because brand image and badge do matter. So I think Cadillac making the ATS and CTS with nothing above them isn't enough to really go after the Germans, that is a way to go after Infiniti. The problem is, Cadillac can't afford to spend $1 billion on making a mid-engine V12 supercar so they can sell 800 of them a year. They can't afford $2 billion for an S-class competitor that will sell 5,000 units a year. It is hard to get image without cars like that, but at the same time it makes zero financial sense for Cadillac to build a car like that.

Well he wanted a large, rear drive V8 car that is quiet, the Genesis fits that bill. Most people can't afford a V8 German car or Jaguar, and the Charger/300C (which are poorly made) are the only American options left, the Genesis is a nice alternative. I've driven the Genesis and CTS, the feature list is similar, the Genesis has a better stereo and is roomier and more quiet. And 429 hp and 18/26 mpg vs 304 hp and 18/27 mpg, is a mismatch. The Genesis just gives you a lot for the money, it isn't as good as a German sedan, but the number of V8 rear drivers that are affordable are diminishing fast.

Genesis gets a 429 hp V8 and 8-speed next year, and it is rated at 18/26 mpg. And that car is more quiet than any Cadillac or Buick.

I agree with Sal, that Lexus builds a better Cadillac than Cadillac, and Cadillac's lineup is looking more like Lexus, minus the LS460 and supercar. It seems that GM wants to make Chevy/Cadillac look like Toyota/Lexus. But what worked for Toyota in the 90s and 2000s, may not work for GM in the 2010s.