Drew Dowdell

Well, I actually like the looks of the Scion TC, but that doesn't change the fact that what Toyota did by creating a whole separate-but-not-really brand was dumb. Same as GM was dumb for building GEO and Saturn. The difference is that I've seen the XTS in person and none of the pictures, not even my own, do it justice. I'm not the only person at NAIAS who has said this. There are some certified GM haters out there that like the XTS once they see it in person. I wasn't too concerned about people bashing the CR-Z because I've seen it in person and it's even worse than in pictures. At this point, people are being nice relative to what their reaction will be when they first see one in person.

Wouldn't the bottom of this class be the Infiniti Q-ship or the VW Phaeton? Just askin.... I don't care what kind of platform any car rides on as long as it delivers the results I want.

I too am concerned with the willingness to bash a vehicle that maybe 4 of us have seen in person.

Correlation is not causation.

Ah... now we get to the truth.....

Tahoe. Actually, it's probably from the still born Saturn Vue hybrid.

4-fix ratios and 2 E-CVTs

Who buy's LSes, S-classes, and 7-series again? Usually people over 65 and rap stars.

The Lacrosse FWD is 58/42, the Lacrosse AWD is 57/43. With a longer rump and batteries in the trunk, the XTS could easily be 55/45. I've emailed a contact at Cadillac to see if they can shed any light on this. If I'm ignoring the transverse v. longitudinal layout it's because most of the buyers will too. If the balance of the A8 and XTS are the same 55/45, what does the orientation of the engine matter?

There are seals specifically for stove doors.

Again, 55/45 weight distribution like the A8.

Oh, I thought you meant there were leaks around the stove door... my bad.

Ethanol as a fuel doesn't make any sense when it's derived from corn...... when it's derived from waste products, algae, kelp, and grass clippings however...... You know what else ethanol is good for? Turbocharged engines. Think it's a coincidence that so many turbos are on their way?

Exclusive? The first Cadillac Station wagon v. a Buick sedan... Which do you think? It had zero to do with drivetrain layout, but bodystyle instead. The CTS and the Lacrosse are two different kinds of luxury. Neither kind is "better" than the other, they are simply two different points on the luxury spectrum. If I had $55k (the CTS-W's sticker price) in my pocket right now to spend on any GM vehicle, I'd pay $34k cash for the Lacrosse and put $21k down on a new Camaro. The CTS, while slightly more entertaining than the Lacrosse, simply wasn't $21k more entertaining. The Lacrosse was easier to live with on a day to day basis and felt as solid and strong as any old S-class I've been in. read: tank like. There was nothing I could do in the CTS that I couldn't do in the Lacrosse and still remain within sight of whatever law I was breaking. If you're worried about being able to drift then I think Cadillac can live without you as a buyer. The Lacrosse is not your grandmother's Buick. I followed an Altima coupe up a set of twisties and stayed on his butt the whole way. Yes it rolled a bit in the corners but that was more suspension tuning than anything else. The Camaro I'm driving now is an incredibly entertaining vehicle, but with a ride completely off the mark for the target audience of XTS. Yet none of these things has to do with drivetrain layout. Again, we have an AWD vehicle that has the same weight balance as the A8. Where are the 14 pages of posts talking about how terrible the A8 drives? If the Cadillac handles equal to the A8 and better than the LS (which is probably the floater of the bunch), Cadillac has a car full of WIN.

I'm starting to agree with Balthazar that had Cadillac called this a "new, exclusive to Cadillac, platform" and "uses an innovative new AWD Hybrid powertrain that can route the majority of torque to the rear wheels" and "due to production line flexibility can be built along side the Regal", we wouldn't be having this fight.

I will admit that the ergonomics of getting in and out of the car are awkward at first, but after just a week with it, I've become and expert at it even in tight spaces. Not even an issue now. When I have the driver seat configured for my 5'10" self, I cannot sit in the back without my knees hitting the back of the front seat. I also have to crouch a little or my head touches the roof. The balance of the chassis is sublime. You sit so far aft relative to other vehicles that it feels the two ends of the car are rotating around you when you make a turn. Assembly wise Chevy gets an A. Fit and finish is perfect. Ergonomically, the only challenges are getting into and out of the Camaro. Once you're in, everything is easy to reach and use. I'll say this, I have never been a Camaro or F-body kinda guy. I gravitate to the CTSes, Lacrosses, and XTSes. This Camaro is so much fun it has me re-thinking those preferences. I don't have a kid (yet) so there is no logistical reason I couldn't have one of these as a daily driver. Those of you who know my vehicular preferences will realize what kind of high praise that is. Think.... 68 giving serious consideration to adding a 4-door FWD 4-cylinder to his fleet.

If the CTS was on EPII and AWD standard with the ability to direct the torque to the rear like the Regal GS does, I wouldn't have a problem with it as long as it continued to run with the Germans on handling performance. The CTS is also designed to be a sportier car than the XTS is intended. If the ATS were to end up on Delta II with AWD standard and they have it out handle the Cobalt SS, as long as it looks like a Caddy like the XTS does, I don't have a problem with it happily smacking around A4s all day. All of that because I don't care which way the engine is oriented... or even what fuel, if any, it burns, as long as it gives me the results I desire. Cadillac could produce a 10,000 rpm, 5 liter, diesel, 1 cylinder and I wouldn't care as long as it had the refinement and power I expected from the car.

I still fail to see how if the car is AWD, the orientation of the engine makes any difference to the percieved value of the car. Engine can be on the roof for all I care, I just want the power and the handling, the comfort and the refinement. We've already extrapolated that the XTS will be balanced roughly the same as the A8, so what difference does the direction of the engine make?

Isn't RWD just as "generic"? Here in Pittsburgh you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a 3-series and we're soundly a GM town. I can't imagine what it's like in the "import" towns. You don't get much more generic and ubiquitous than a Crown Vic.

The value in defending the car is that the attacks are unjustified. Cadillac produced a handsome car with all of the technogadgets people like SMK demand and people are in here harping on aspects of it that no one in the target market will care about.

You mean like all of those "fleet special" cabs that underpin the E-class and S-class? Or the loss leader, VW Jetta competitor 3-series that underpin the M3. Doesn't it bother you how the M3 is based on a car used in german rental fleets that only has a 2 liter engine, cloth seats and crank windows? Doesn't that change your perception of how good a car the M3 really is? Doesn't it bother SMK that his beloved Jaguar XF is on a platform used by a lowly Ford thunderbird that belly flopped hard in the U.S.? When you land in Frankfurt airport, does the value of the E-class in the U.S. dramatically diminish when you see all of those orange and cream colored E-class cabs sitting out in front?

Really? In just the RDV or everything? I had a first year 3.6 and had no issues with it.

What defines "failure"? Will it pry people out of V12 Benzes and BMWs? Doubtful, but then again it wasn't intended to do that ... ever. Will it pry people out of lower end S-Classes and 7-series? Possible... even more so if gas creeps back up to $5 a gallon. Could it grab someone like my grandmother who currently drives a 7-series but for years bought Park Aves? Certainly. Could it pull in people who's jaw hurts from yawning so hard while driving their LS? Highly likely. Will it ensure owner loyalty of any current STS or DTS driver? Most certainly, keeping current customers is as important as pulling new ones in. If Cadillac can do both with the same car, then great! Do many people outside of car enthusiasts care about "FWD proportions"? As long as they aren't in the extreme, no not really. Could anyone outside of car enthusiasts tell you from looking at the car that it was FWD, RWD, or AWD? highly unlikely Would they care either way? Unless they are in the snowbelt or a car enthusiast, probably not. Cars are mostly subjective purchases. If someone finds the car attractive, in their price range, and has the features they want/need, they'll buy it. Most don't care if it's FWD or RWD.

The XTS is AWD.

it sounds like you need a stove pipe cleaning and a new door seal.