Category Archives: Cadillac Models

Cadillac Decade: 2000-2009 Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

As we wind down 2009, let’s review highlights for the last decade of Cadillac luxury and performance automobiles.  The decade had some very interesting Cadillacs.  The reference articles at the end of the post contain a more complete listing of year by year changes that address each model for that year.

I tried to pick out what I consider to be highlights for each year; you may have different favorites.  Please add your year:highlights in the comments below.

2000 Cadillac DeVille DTS

2000: Deville redesigned.  The new DeVille is a trimmer, nimbler execution of a spacious luxury sedan. It is 3 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower than the car it replaces, giving it a trimmer, more athletic appearance. But its wheelbase is actually 1.5 inches longer, and its interior space is virtually as roomy as the 1999 model. The 2000 DeVille is still classified as a large car by the EPA.The Northstar powerplant is redesigned to accept regular unleaded.

2001: Final year for Catera. STS gets HID option, Sport Package

2002: Escalade redesigned, Escalade EXT arrives. For 2002, Escalade expands its offerings with three distinct versions: all-wheel drive, two-wheel drive and a Middle East export version. The eight-passenger Escalade, based on GM’s 1500 Series SUV, debuts in 2001 as a 2002 model. The ’02 Escalade will be the first Cadillac to wear the updated wreath and crest emblem. The five passenger Escalade EXT, with reconfigurable Midgate™ debuts as an ’02 model. It enters at the forefront of the new sport utility truck segment.

MR suspension available late in the model year on STS. Escalade adds the ESV extended model.

2003 Cadillac CTS

2003: Cadillac CTS 1st Generation arrives.  The CTS is fashioned from Cadillac’s edgy, tailored new design vocabulary. Its lean, chiseled body features sheer forms, sharp edges and crisp intersecting lines that at once honor Cadillac’s storied past and point toward its bright future. Built on an all-new rear-wheel-drive architecture, the CTS features a new 3.2L V6 engine and was the first North American vehicle to be rigorously tested at the famed Nürburgring track in Germany.

Last year for front-wheel drive Seville SLS.

2004 Cadillac SRX

SRX arrives: SRX is the latest model to express Cadillac’s bold new design form vocabulary, and echoes the crisp, creased look of its concept vehicle predecessor, Vizón (2001). As the first of Cadillac’s S-series of models, SRX foreshadows and shares automotive DNA with future vehicles like the all-new 2005 STS sedan.

Available in both rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) applications and based on GM’s acclaimed new Sigma architecture, SRX is designed to deliver superior driving dynamics.

“SRX is a true driver’s utility, an innovative entry in a crowded segment,” said Jay Spenchian, marketing director. “SRX is unlike any of the luxury utilities out there. It offers a great look, precise road manners and unprecedented utility.”

2004 Cadillac XLR

2004: Cadillac XLR arrives: Made in Bowling Green Kentuky on a new assembly line in the Corvette factory, the new XLR used a Corvette C6 suspension with a Cadillac Northstar rear-wheel drive engine making 320 hp.  The XLR features a Cadillac first, a hard-top convertible that automatically folds into the trunk.  The XLR lasts until 2010, when it is discontinued.

CTS gets 3.6L VVT V6.

2004 Cadillac CTS-V

Cadillac CTS-V arrives: The CTS-V provides high-performance driving enthusiasts with a serious, credible alternative to imports in the highly competitive, low-volume luxury performance segment, including the BMW M-Series, Mercedes-Benz AMG Series and Audi S-Series. The V-Series has been designed to take Cadillac’s performance credentials to an entirely new level. With 400 horsepower (298 kw), CTS-V is the most powerful production model Cadillac has ever offered. Based on Cadillac’s performance-oriented rear-drive Sigma architecture, CTS-V is a highly refined high-performance luxury sedan designed for performance enthusiast drivers. Like the original CTS, CTS-V was refined and validated at Germany’s famed Nurburgring racetrack to meet the expectations of the world’s most avid driving enthusiasts.

2005: New rear-wheel drive STS arrives: Based on GM’s rear-wheel-drive Sigma architecture, which also is the foundation for the Cadillac CTS, CTS-V and SRX, the STS is designed to compete squarely with world-renowned prestige sedans in global markets.

2006: STS-V, XLR-V arrive:

2006 Cadillac STS-V and XLR-V

STS-V. The STS-V carries the craftsmanship and sophistication of its STS sibling, but at an entirely different level. Designed for everyday driving, the STS-V delivers supercharged, rear-drive performance with an elegant design statement that is unmistakably Cadillac.  Its 4.4L supercharged, dual overhead cam Northstar engine produces 469 horsepower (350 kw) at 6400 rpm and 430 lb.-ft. (583 Nm) of torque at 3600 rpm (power and torque figures estimated). Numerous interior and exterior design changes brand it as one of the V-Series performance models.

XLR-V. The 2006 Cadillac XLR-V ultra-luxury, high-performance roadster sets new standards in power, performance and personal amenities, combining distinctive, bold styling with contemporary luxury, ingenious technology and rear-wheel drive performance. Powered by the Northstar V-8 SC (supercharged), the XLR-V produces 440 horsepower (328 kw) at 6400 rpm and 425 lb.-ft. (576 Nm) torque at 3600 rpm – and the engine’s power is underscored by its ability to deliver 90 percent of its peak torque between 2200 and 6000 rpm. The Northstar SC also features variable valve timing that enables outstanding top-end performance while maintaining the expected refinement and quality associated with a luxury marque.  The XLR-V also features numerous performance, chassis and design enhancements.

2007:  Escalade Redesign Based on General Motors’ all-new full-size SUV platform, the ’07 Escalade features new powertrain, chassis, safety and interior systems. These integrated systems deliver the most powerful, efficient luxury SUV in the segment, led by a new 6.2L all-aluminum V-8 engine with variable valve timing technology delivering 403 horsepower (301 kW)* and 417 lb.-ft. of torque (565 Nm).*

Escalade

SRX received a redesigned interior.  The all-new cockpit is more luxurious and spacious, featuring a new instrument panel, hand-wrapped upper trim, console, center stack, door trim, wood trim, analog clock and steering wheel.

Passion Red Limited Edition XLR. All XLRs, STS receive the 6-speed Automatic.

2008 Cadillac CTS

2008:  Cadillac CTS 2nd Generation arrives with  3.6L direct injection engine making 304 hp; all new design with styling hints from the Cadillac Sixteen showcar.  CTS gets 6 speed transmission.

DTS platinum available. Lane departure warning and side blind zone alert systems available on top line STS.

Alpine White Limited Edition XLR.

2009 Cadillac CTS-V

2009: “V2” Cadillac CTS-V arrives: Supercharged CTS-V with 556 hp.  John Heinricy in an automatic transmission CTS-V Sedan sets a new WORLD record for sedans around the Nurburgring in Germany of 7 minutes, 59 seconds.  Cadillac and Bob Lutz host the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge at Montecello Motor Club (MMC) in New York, where CTS-V’s outrun all challengers.

Last model year for the sigma-platform SRX, which is redesigned for 2010.

Reference Articles:

2002 Cadillac Eldorado

2002 Cadillac Deville

2003 Cadillac Product Line Highlights

2004 Cadillac Product Line Highlights

2005 Cadillac Product Line Highlights

2006 Cadillac Product Line Highlights

2007 Cadillac Product Line Highlights

2008 Cadillac Product Line Highlights

2009 Cadillac Product Line Highlights

Unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed

Posted on by
3

I have been contemplating Automobile cleanliness again.  I totally get personal hygiene.  I am all about being clean, and keeping the area around me clean.  I am also fairly keen about keeping the inside of my Cadillac clean.

2005 Cadillac CTS right rear with Meguiar's NXT wax x2

2005 Cadillac CTS right rear with Meguiar's NXT wax x2

BUT when it comes to the outside of the Cadillac, how clean is clean?  Or really, how dirty is TOO dirty?  How often is the right frequency to clean the Cadillac?  My CTS is dirty right now.  And by dirty, I don’t mean “oh look there is a spec of dew on the car”.  I mean the wheels are gray with brake dust and the car looks like it has been driven around town all week, left at the airport, and quick-parked in the garage.  Very authentic dirt from its normal chores kind of dirt.

By the way, now I recognize a difference between the FE3 performance brake pads and the FE1 baseline brake pads — lots more brake dust from the ‘performance’ AC Delco pads.

I also manage to procrastinate on this topic when I consider whether it really is better for the environment to take the car to a car wash to be cleaned or to clean it at home.  Then I don’t do either one.  Still not clear to me which side is true on that one.  Then when I decide to take it to the Auto car wash, I feel conflicted between spending money to have it cleaned and giving the money to the food bank, so I don’t do either one.  I am all about ambivalence and inaction on this topic.  Technically I sent money to the NTFB food bank, but not specifically the $10 I saved by not taking the car through the automatic carwash and avoiding this whole thought stream.

I see enthusiast cars — the ones I think my car should probably model — on the road that look like they have never been dirty,  or if they were once dirty then it was immediately corrected.  Corrected with great prejudice, so that they ended up from the experience gleaming even more sharply than they started kind of cleaning.

Also, it is in the cold here this week, so not a good time to work in the driveway.  And I don’t have the right lighting (or ventilation!) to wash the car well in the heated garage.  And the garage is not all that heated, or roomy.  Lots of excuses, which even I recognize as just excuses, or perhaps as side-projects.  Finally get the more lighting I need in the garage, clean out the boxes stored there to allow for more room, etc.

So, if you are a “Car Enthusiast” how often do you clean your favorite automobile?  Once a week? Every morning? Only when it gets “bad”?  Clean it in the garage with a waterless process, or in the driveway, or at a carwash?

Update: Steering the Cadillac ATS #NewGM

Posted on by
Reply

Automotive news has a good article about changes at GM to the way that purchasing is organized.  Here is a link to the original article: GM purchasing gets a re-engineering – Automotive News.

The Cadillac ATS (new vehicle on the way that is Smaller than a CTS, also known sometimes as Alpha, or BMW Fighter) steering info:

Stephens said the integration already is paying off. GM executives point to their recent selection of a more expensive power-steering supplier over a cheaper offer because the winning supplier offered a more desirable technology. That decision — for a future rear-wheel-drive Cadillac sedan that GM employees call the “BMW fighter” — was made jointly by purchasing and engineering, Stephens said.

This was previously mentioned in this article Re: GM to lavish cash on new vehicles [Like the ATS], although from a different point of view.  Clearly the ATS is getting some interesting steering setup that will allow it to meet or exceed state of the art steering ‘feel’.  Because the ATS is aimed squarely at the BMW 3-series, steering feel and performance can be a make-or-break attribute for this new Cadillac.  Spending money on a terrific steering system is perfectly value added, because it may directly influence purchasing decisions.

One of the slogans that Mercedes uses for their E class is “Built to a standard”, not to a price point.  By this they would like to suggest that the vehicle vision and specification were attained with cost as a dependent variable to the selected design.  This appears to be what Cadillac is doing with the ATS as well — building it as a better, more capable Cadillac, seeking best value rather than the lowest cost supplier in each case.  This makes tremendous sense to me, although I am somewhat troubled with  highlighting this as a change — I would have expected it to be the way that GM was previously making Cadillacs.

The article goes on to detail that Engineering and Purchasing have now aligned their organization structures and are co-locating their personnel so that they can more easily team with each other and with suppliers.  All good, and certainly good to start doing now if it was not already being done.

The article also mentions Amerigon thermoelectrics.  Amerigon makes the heating/cooling elements for Cadillac seats.  They also offer heated or cooled cup holders.  They use a peltier effect system.

BENEFITS OF THERMOELECTRIC HEATING AND COOLING:

  • Ability to cool or heat by simply reversing the current flow
  • Solid-state, few or no moving parts
  • Rugged, highly reliable assemblies
  • Very effective for automatic temperature control
  • Quiet, small, lightweight
  • Environmentally safe

It will be interesting to see what else GM has in mind for this system. Perhaps we will yet see the return of the heated washer fluid reservoir, or heated/cooled steering wheels.