Meet the Current Cadillacs

I have been a Cadillac fan, and follow developments and plans closely.  I know some people don’t — they gave up on American made cars years ago and never returned, or simply don’t focus on automobiles.  Now that Cadillac IS making some very intriguing, exciting Automobiles, you may not be familiar with the current Cadillac line-up.

Cadillac has a good consumer site here, among other sites, but it may be too MUCH information.  This blog entry is intended as a primer on what Cadillac is up to these days in one easy page.  I have included links from each model to the portion of the Cadillac site with more info on that model.  To look in depth at each model there, choose “build your own”; that lets you see it in the various colors available, and select option sets.

The CTS is the best selling Cadillac through Oct 2009, followed by the Escalade Family.  With no further adieu, let’s meet the current Cadillac Line-up:

Cadillac CTS Family:

Cadillac CTS

Cadillac CTS Sedan (4 door)

CTS Sedan:  a fullsize luxury performance sedan available either as a Base model with 3L, 270 hp V6 or as a Performance or Premium model with a 3.6L, 304 hp V6.  Available in rear wheel drive or all-wheel drive (good for cold climates).  Current platform released in 2008 as an update to the 2003-2007 model.  Starts at US$36,730.

CTS Sport Wagon

CTS Sport Wagon (Stationwagon)

CTS Sport wagon: the goodness of the CTS Sedan, but in Sport Wagon format for those who need a bit more room and utility.  Drives like a luxury performance sedan, hauls like a Wagon.  New for 2010.  Starts at US$39,830.

Cadillac CTS-V

Cadillac CTS-V

CTS-V Sedan:  a Cadillac Supercar.  A CTS with a Supercharged, 556 hp 6.2L V8 engine, Brembo performance brakes, Magnetic Suspension, and other go-fast options/touches.  One of the fastest sedans in the world.  Great riding, excellent comfort, faster than fast.  The best car in the world for its price (around US$65K).  Available only in rear-wheel drive, with manual or automatic transmission.  Drive to the track, race, drive home — the definition of a Sports Car.  Cadillac will release a CTS-V Coupe, and may even release a CTS-V Sport Wagon.  If you have the means, this is the best luxury performance sedan bargain in the world.  Starts at US$62,020.

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

Coming SoonCTS Coupe: a highly stylized, updated 2-door model of the CTS Sedan.  The CTS Coupe will be optioned and marketed as a personal luxury vehicle.

Cadillac DTS

Cadillac DTS

DTS:  Traditional full-size luxury.  Front wheel drive, for good all-weather handling.  4.6L Northstar V8 engine.   Last major update in 2000, but year to year evolutionary changes.  Due for replacement, along with the discontinued STS, by the expected new XTS.  People keep buying them, and GM is happy to keep selling them.  The DTS has more rear seat leg room, and has a more ‘traditional’ Cadillac look popular with some buyers.  Perhaps the softest / smoothest riding Cadillac.  Starts at US$46,280.

2010 Cadillac SRX

2010 Cadillac SRX

SRX: Mid-size luxury SUV. Economic, efficient, and attractive.  New for 2010.  The previous SRX ran from 2004-2009, and was a ‘tall wagon’ based on the CTS Sigma architecture.  This new model is on a new platform.  Cadillac still refers to the new model as a cross-over. Available with 265 hp 3L V6 or 300 hp 2.8L V6 Turbo engines.  Front wheel drive (FWD) or All wheel drive (AWD).  Good all-weather, carry-all luxury SUV. Starts at US$33,330 (how cute is that?).

Escalade Family:

Cadillac Escalade

Cadillac Escalade

Escalade , Escalade Hybrid,  Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT:  full-size SUV.  The Escalade Hybrid has a 2-mode hybrid powerplant, and gets 50% better fuel economy.  Escalade ESV is an extended length variant, with more storage space.  Escalade EXT has a pick-up truck like rear section, with a 4-seat front section.  Available with rear-wheel drive (RWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD).

Discontinued after 2010:

  • XLR : a 2-seat Cadillac personal luxury car.  Corvette chassis, Cadillac Northstar V8, or in the XLR-V Supercharged V8.
  • STS:  a larger version of the previous CTS.  Excellent Sedan, and offers the 302 HP 3.6L V6 or a 320 hp Northstar V8.  Rear wheel drive or All wheel drive.  Higher standard features and more high end options available than on the CTS, but not visually as striking, although much improved with the last update.  STS and DTS to be merged into the upcoming XTS.

Certified Pre-Owned:  The Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned program gives you the advantage of purchasing a “known good” used Cadillac directly from a Cadillac Dealer with an extended warranty.

Also coming soon: (Future Models):

  • Cadillac Converj an extended range electric Cadillac coupe
  • Cadillac ATS or Alpha is a new model that will be smaller and less expensive than the CTS
  • XTS:  [UPDATE] large sedan replacement for the STS and DTS. The XTS has been given the code P1LL, and a 2012 model launch year.

Re: Wagon Ho! Cadillac Explores a New Trail

Regarding this article: Wagon Ho! Cadillac Explores a New Trail | The Jacksonville Observer.

I was wondering about Cadillac’s production volume expectations for the CTS Sedan vs CTS Sport Wagon vs CTS Coupe:

But Cadillac says the wagon will be low volume, with sales reaching “four digits.” Coupe sales will reach five. The sedan had sold nearly 32,000 through October.

So they may be hoping that the CTS Coupe sales will be near or half CTS Sedan sales, as were the Eldorado sales in relation to the Seville through the 90s.  Although there will be some shared customers, I find that 2-door (Coupe) and 4-door (Sedan) customers are surprisingly different ‘factions’, especially on forums like Caddyinfo.com‘s.

cadillac_2010_ctsSport-trans

Also this note:

Young or old, male or female, those who saw the wagon had an opinion. Thanks to CTS, all knew it was a Cadillac. Instant recognition, though friend and foe questioned why a wagon, since those bearing Mercedes and BMW labels are mostly invisible?

This reflects Cadillac’s success at defining their current brand very well.  This is the goal, NOT that all the vehicles look THE SAME, but that any Automobile person would instantly recognize that this is a model of Cadillac.  Good news.

The extended Cadillac Family will soon include:

  • CTS Sedan RWD / AWD
  • CTS Coupe RWD / AWD
  • CTS Sport Wagon RWD / AWD
  • CTS-V Sedan / CTS-V Coupe
  • SRX RWD/AWD
  • Escalade / Escalade EXT / Escalade ESV / Escalade Hybrid
  • ATS Sedan/Coupe/Convertible?  ATS-V?
  • XTS Sedan/Coupe? XTS-V?
  • Converj Coupe

Hmm, I wonder if we WILL see an XTS Coupe?  The Coupe DeVille was a classic example of a large-car 2-door, and there likely is still a market for these.

1993 Cadillac Coupe deVille

1989-1993 Cadillac Coupe deVille

Read More: Wagon Ho! Cadillac Explores a New Trail | The Jacksonville Observer.

Re: Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, Towing with

Aaron Gold took part in jalopnik‘s 24 Hours of Lemons event this year.  For the event he used a Cadillac Escalade Hybrid as a tow vehicle to get his trailered  racer to the venue.  Here is his report on towing with the Escalade Hybrid:

So I’m back from our 24 Hours of Lemons race at Thunderhill, and the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid turned out to be an impressive tow vehicle. It struggled on some of really steep hills and stopping the rig was a bit of an adventure — note to self, check the battery for the electric brakes — but the Caddy was comfortable and, more importantly, stable. As for fuel economy, I averaged 14.2 MPG with the trailer hooked on — not as good as the diesel-powered Dodge, but not a bad figure at all, considering the regular V8-powered Escalade can barely manage that when running light.

Aaron’s Cars Blog, About.com: 24 Hours of Lemons: Towing and race results.

Here was Aaron’s blog post about planning to use the Escalade Hybrid for Towing Green