Category Archives: New Technology

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.

PerformanceBox vs AP-22 results

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Recently I began testing with the RaceLogic Performancebox gps data logger.  Previously I had been testing with the Race Technology AP-22 accelerometer-based performance meter.  This test is intended as a side-by-side comparison of the two meters on simultaneous runs.  I ran both meters at the same time, on the same runs, then have attempted below to put like-results side by side for comparison.

Related video

The Performancebox is a gps based data logger.  It takes 10 position readings a second and calculates performance data based on GPS satellites.  The AP-22 uses accelerometers and ‘dead reckons’ the position of the vehicle based on acceleration and time.  Both are valid approaches.  The results one might expect to be somewhat different because the meters begin the run based on different rules, and measure the result in different ways.  However, my test results below seem fairly consistent between the two meters.

Summary Results:

PB AP-22
0-60 6.60 6.63
0-60 6.88 6.62
0-60 6.42 6.12
0-60 6.10 6.03
0-60 7.07 6.72

Detailed Results:

PerformanceBox Test Data AP-22 Test Data
MPH Time(s) Dist(f) mph s g ft hp
10 0.90 6.56 10 0.9 0.5 6 55
20 1.85 27.49 20 1.83 0.48 26 107
30 2.73 59.43 30 2.68 0.59 57 198
40 3.78 113.93 40 3.76 0.35 113 160
50 5.12 202.33 50 5.08 0.32 201 189
60 6.60 322.09 60 6.63 0.26 326 193
Pk Pwr: 58.5mph 6.37s 304ft 209hp
Peak G: 30.3mph 2.70s 58ft 0.60g
PerformanceBox Test Data AP-22 Test Data
MPH Time(s) Dist(f) mph s g ft hp
10 1.09 6.97 10 0.92 0.53 6 57
20 1.95 25.87 20 1.76 0.55 24 122
30 2.89 60.62 30 2.69 0.46 59 156
40 3.95 115.38 40 3.74 0.40 113 180
50 5.30 204.91 50 5.08 0.32 202 185
60 6.88 332.43 60 6.62 0.27 326 195
70 8.76 512.24 70 8.49 0.22 505 194
Pk Pwr: 66.2mph 7.71s 427ft 209hp
Peak G: 20.2mph 1.77s 25ft 0.56g
PerformanceBox Test Data AP-22 Test Data
MPH Time(s) Dist(f) mph s g ft hp
10 0.91 5.56 10 0.74 0.62 5 67
20 1.67 22.23 20 1.48 0.56 21 124
30 2.61 56.86 30 2.41 0.47 55 158
40 3.65 110.42 40 3.42 0.42 108 189
50 4.95 196.19 50 4.70 0.32 192 189
60 6.42 315.16 60 6.12 0.30 307 215
Pk Pwr: 64.7mph 6.86s 375ft 228hp
Peak G: 16.3mph 1.19s 13ft 0.66g
PerformanceBox Test Data AP-22 Test Data
MPH Time(s) Dist(f) mph s g ft hp
10 0.65 5.54 10 0.75 0.58 5 64
20 1.42 22.38 20 1.49 0.61 21 134
30 2.36 56.86 30 2.41 0.5 55 166
40 3.37 109.27 40 3.41 0.44 107 198
50 4.64 193.37 50 4.64 0.35 189 201
60 6.10 311.02 60 6.03 0.3 301 215
70 7.77 471.17 70 7.67 0.24 458 211
Pk Pwr: 65.8mph 6.93s 384ft 233hp
Peak G: 19.4mph 1.44s 20ft 0.62g
PerformanceBox Test Data AP-22 Test Data
MPH Time(s) Dist(f) mph s g ft hp
10 1.19 7.48 10 0.93 0.49 6 54
20 2.09 27 20 1.79 0.54 25 120
30 2.99 60.43 30 2.68 0.46 58 155
40 4.07 116.39 40 3.76 0.39 114 177
50 5.44 206.73 50 5.14 0.3 205 178
60 7.07 338.1 60 6.72 0.27 333 195
70 9.04 527.18 70 8.70 0.19 523 171
Pk Pwr: 64.4mph 7.51s 405ft 203hp
Peak G: 25.1mph 14.01s 970ft 0.65g

Conclusion:

The meters tend to read similarly.  The AP-22 results on average for the runs shown were 0.19sec lower at 60 mph.

The AP-22 results appear to be similar to the PB results if rollout is considered.

Smaller-than-a-CTS due in 24 to 28 months? So 2012 or 2013?

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The Detroit Bureau blog has this quote from Steve Shannon (GM Premium Channel Marketing) about the upcoming Cadillac model that will slot below the CTS (Background on “Alpha” Cadillac) :

The project is well underway, he hints, and could reach market “probably in 24 to 30 months.”  Beyond that, Shannon goes mum, though he concedes a variety of body styles are under study, including the requisite sedan, and alternatives including a 3-door hatchback, a 5-door wagon and a convertible.

hmm.  That appears to make the Alpha Cadillac a 2012 or 2013 model.  This is disappointingly slow from my point of view, but may be ‘rapid’ development for GM.

Here was the Motor Trend concept drawing for what the Alpha might look like:

Alpha Cadillac

Alpha Cadillac

So we got the new CTS-V and Sport Wagon in 2009, the SRX in 2010.  2011 perhaps will bring the CTS Coupe, then if 2012 the Alpha Cadillac premiers I suppose that keeps the product release momentum rolling along.

We have more parts in place for the Alpha now, with the new DI 3.0 V6 engine released at 260hp, and a nice 2.8L Turbo V6 on the way at 300hp.