Roadtrip Report: Thanksgiving 2009

Didn’t want to miss an invite to have Thanksgiving at my Dad’s place, but also concerned because my Wife is ill and hated to leave her home sick for Thanksgiving.  So Son2 and I set out in the Cadillac CTS at 7 am, had a nice visit and bountiful lunch in Arkansas, then got back in the Cadillac and cruised home to Plano.  We had planned to stay longer, but felt that a quick roundtrip really worked better for everyone.

As always, our 2005 Cadillac CTS made a terrific touring sedan.  Son2 slept in the back both directions, which left me free to make XM radio selections that suited me.

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Me enroute

The fact that you can see the road ahead in my glasses and not my eyes is artistic. Yeah, that’s it.

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The 2005 Cadillac has a 5-speed Automatic Transmission. At highway speeds it cruises at an economical 2,500 rpm.

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Arkansas State line as we passed through Texarkana.  Traffic was reasonable both ways, although on the way back to Texas there were more and more commercial trucks on the road.  Hopefully they all got to have a good Thanksgiving too.

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Virginia puts on a terrific spread. I helped by staying out of the kitchen during preparation.  Lunch was excellent.

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I would like to say I had NO dessert, and ate only healthy things. I would *Like* to say that, but it would not be true.

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Not everyone was able to come, so we missed them. Lovely table setting though.  It was not blurry or whatever the camera phone side-effect we see here is in person.  I blame Son2, because he was somewhere nearby when I grabbed this shot.

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The CTS got a very good 27.2 mpg on the way back to Texas. The 3.6L variable valve technology V6 is a good match for this luxury performance sedan.

Overall it was a good trip.  I am thankful that we had such warm Hosts for Thanksgiving, and that everyone understood why we had to eat and run.  I hope you had a good Thanksgiving where you are.

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

Re: Five cars to be thankful for

As we approach the US Thanksgiving Holiday, this list from WREX Television in Rockford, Illinois of 5 current model Automobiles that one could be thankful for hits home:

3. Cadillac CTS-V

Mothers, hide your children! The Cadillac CTS-V is in town, and it’s like no Cadillac you’ve ever driven. Those who grew up in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s will find it hard to imagine a Cadillac muscle car, but that’s exactly what the CTS-V is. It’s a romping rear-drive sports sedan that has elite cars like the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG dead in its sights. With 556-horsepower from its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine, the CTS-V has the goods to play and win in that stratospheric company. Offering a zero-to- 60 sprint in less than four seconds, this Cadillac is faster than fast.

No argument here.  Good to remember that the CTS-V has a world-class handling as well.  Riding on MR struts/shocks, the CTS-V is perfectly at home driving to GrandMother’s or on the track.  Need to stop?  Try 6-piston vented Brembo brakes up front and 4-piston calipers in back.  This Cadillac is the WHOLE package, as demonstrated on the Nurburgring, the home-track for those German makes.    The only thing this Cadillac CTS-V can’t pass is an opportunity to compete, as it did at the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge.

Read more at WREX:
Five cars to be thankful for – WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader.

More CTS-V info from Cadillac

Their Number 4, btw, is the Chevrolet Camaro SS.  Hard to argue with that choice either.