Why is the Cadillac CTS Coupe important?

Cadillac pointed out earlier this month that the Cadillac CTS Coupe is selling well.  It has a 27% take rate in the CTS Family, which is well above the industry average of 9% for a coupe model.

A Cadillac is a luxury vehicle, but it is also used by people who have practical needs in their choice of transportation.  One might expect that the Cadillac Buyer has a bit more latitude in choices available to them.   I agree however that the higher take rate for the CTS Coupe is remarkable, if not unexpected.  The CTS Coupe is literally rolling art.  If there are compromises in the design, they were taken in the function, not the form.  The dual central rear exhaust is beautiful.  I am sure it is functional as well, but certainly probably not ideal for exhaust flow.  The rear seating comfort suffers dramatically for the Coupe over the CTS Sedan.

But the CTS Coupe is an important vehicle for Cadillac.

The Cadillac CTS Coupe reminds Team Cadillac and we the Cadillac buying public what Cadillac is supposed to be about — what the core values for Cadillac are:  Beauty, Performance, Advanced Technology.    Cadillac models should take your breath away when you see them on the street.   They are premium models carefully engineered to be aspirational and achieve a luxury performance contact and contract with that young entrepreneur, artist, or business person who can afford one.

 

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe – Dinner Out Test

I took the CTS Coupe last night for an important test — dinner out with the Wife.  We went to Pasado’s in Plano, very near Crest Cadillac who were kind enough to provide the CTS Coupe for me to test this week.  You can find my earlier posts about the Coupe here and here.

The test drive with the Wife is a very different and unique test.  Wives frequently have an entirely different frame of reference and set of sensibilities about automobiles.  Really important, gee-whiz features to me may be ho-hum features to Her, while things that seem pedestrian to me may be deal-makers to Her.   It is all a matter of perspective, and luckily my Wife shares her opinions freely.

First, the Cadillac CTS Coupe is a formal, luxury automobile and fits the bill well for romantic transportation.   This cannot be overstated as an advantage in ‘setting the mood’ for a nice meal out.    I recall leaving a dinner with some friends; as the valet brought my Cadillac, then another couple’s Cadillac, then the imported sports car for the 3rd couple, his Wife asked, “Aw, why don’t we have a Cadillac too?”.  Priceless.

One advantage of the keyless entry on the CTS Coupe is that it senses the presence of the driver key, and allows the doors to open if the key is near.   So my Wife didn’t need to spend time waiting for me to unlock her door as we departed, arrived, etc.  Actually I grabbed her door at each stop, but in day to day use the unlock on proximity would eliminate an occasional irritant.

My Wife is not sold on the hatchback configuration for the CTS Coupe.  I explained how exciting the sculpted shape is to everyone, but it doesn’t do anything for Her.  The new CTS interior was a hit, and the pop-up Nav and XM radio display were well received.  We didn’t discuss the direct ipod connection, but I know that would be a feature she would find useful.

She was pre-sold on the Crystal Red Tintcoat exterior, since she is a Red fan.

Overall the CTS Coupe made a great dinner out car and contributed well for a date experience.   Two doors and two people made it a good fit; if we had another couple along then of course the getting in and out would have added a bit of gymnastics.

Cadillac CTS Coupe — Modern Cadillac Eldorado?

From 1953 through 2002 the Cadillac Eldorado was the premier 2-door Cadillac.  A 2-Door 4-passenger luxury car is truly a personal luxury car and strikes an additional chord with some Owners.  Some like the more sporty styling of a 2-door automobile, a Coupe.  It also suggests that although a full size  luxury car, the automobile is only used for the Driver & Passenger most times — so only 2 doors are needed.

What some don’t realize is that these Cadillacs had it going on under the hood — power and speed.

1953 Cadillac Eldorado

Eldorado. El Dorado:  A fabled City filled with Gold.  Literally, the Gilded (place).  The 1953 Cadillac Eldorado was the ultimate luxury and performance car of its day.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

Long, low, with a tail fin that rose majestically behind, like the exhaust of a jet plane or a rocket. The Eldorado line continued to exude personal luxury.

1976 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

An 8.1L engine, a convertible top, and a football field worth of hood line. The 1976 Cadillac Eldorado made a statement; had a presence.

2002 Cadillac Eldorado ETC

In 2002 Cadillac completed production of the Eldorado.  With the Cadillac CTS on the way for 2003 the line moved to rear-wheel drive, and continued the transition to 3-letter names begun in the 90s.

The XLR appeared in 2004 but like the Allante as a 2-seater was really a different car and a different spirit from the Eldorado line.

And now, enter the Cadillac CTS Coupe — the modern, elegant, efficient inheritor of the Eldorado lineage.

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

I would like to see a Cadillac CTS Coupe Eldorado Edition — perhaps as a Dealer installed option — with specific performance and styling touches & appropriate emblems.