Monthly Archives: July 2009

Experimental Touring Sedan?

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The Canadian National Post reports that the GM plant in Oshawa is slated to build the new Cadillac XTS sedan.   The XTS is the notional large sedan that will replace the current FWD DTS and RWD STS models with a single highly desirable luxury sedan.

Cadillac went to 3-letter “Euro” names with the CTS/DTS/STS swap.  The names don’t “mean” anything, or do mean things, depending on the day and press release.  For example, CTS means “C-class Touring Sedan”, the C-class Mercedes being the size and competitive range the CTS is aimed at.

The convertible XLR is ‘eXperimental Luxury Roadster’, here using experimental in the ‘has the latest technology’ and not ‘it might blow up’ sense.

So, the new XTS would be an  ‘eXperimenal Touring Sedan’.  Cadillacs have often been GM’s pilot brand for new technologies.  It makes sense to add the very latest options to the premium brand, where customers are willing to pay for premium equipment.  It also allows the manufacturer to prove out technologies on shorter production runs, then release them to higher production models to follow.

I suppose I don’t object to the experimental moniker as long as the sedan that bears the name is experimental, and has some ‘reach’ to it.

Texas Summer

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Enjoying the Light Platinum (silver) CTS and light neutral (tan) interior on hot summer days. Where I park is out in direct sunlight, so there is every chance for the car to be as hot as possible (AHAP) before I arrive. Lighter color Cadillacs, window tinting, and light color interiors help to offset that.

Have a longer commute on my current project, so really enjoying XM radio’s variety. High stress and I tune in Watercolors Contemporary Jazz. Book radio is a favorite for heavy traffic and later commutes. Also I enjoy having a few choices for the news, including the BBC if I need a break from the US perspective.

Can’t wait for solar powered cooling in automobiles to hit the mainstream. Will be much better to arrive back to a cool vehicle after work.

Planning for new Cadillacs

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Still enjoying my 2005 Cadillac CTS at roughly 60K miles, but also musing about what type of Cadillac will be the right replacement next year or year after. The CTS has met all my requirements, in that it gets good mpg and meets my performance goals of around 6sec 0-60 time and handles well.

My default choice for the next Cadillac has been a lightly used STS-V. The STS-V is a bit larger than the CTS, and has a supercharged 4.4L Northstar V8. The main advantage the STS-V would bring is a terrific 469hp, sport tuned suspension, and performance brakes. It would be heavier however, and would get lower mpg.

I have toyed with the idea of picking up a used Cadillac XLR convertible, but still need 3 seats often enough, and 4 seats rarely.

Finally, I have been looking at the new CTS, or a new STS model. The CTS is the looker, but the STS has better standard features and in the V8 model more hp. Neither of these cars however would get much under 6 sec 0-60 mph, so would have performance similar to my 05 CTS. I really would like to get a ‘under 5 sec’ Cadillac next.

The Alpha Cadillac, a smaller-than-a-CTS model, appears to have been delayed a bit. The new SRX with the 2.8L Turbo would be interesting, but I really like the sports sedan as a better fit for my needs than an SUV.

So, either a 2008 STS-V (first year with heads-up display) or a current-year STS seem the likely choices this week.