Cadillac has tried to make us believe its America’s BMW.
To begin, the new Escalade Hybrid is a fine piece of luxury automotive workmanship.
That’s how I ended my recent review of the 2010 Cadillac CTS with its 304-hp V-6, not knowing a fluke in the schedule would bring me the edgy, speed-chewing supercharged 556-hp V version so soon.
2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe Arrives In Dealerships
The Europeans have held a monopoly on mid-sized luxury wagons in the U.S. for the past decade. There’s certainly little to criticize in the European offerings such as the BMW 5-Series Touring and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon. They offer first-class luxury transportation.
If we went back to 1949, when the elegant tail-finned Cadillac Coupe DeVille was Motor Trend’s first Car of the Year, and parked it alongside the utilitarian Chevy Suburban,
It's moments like these that make the auto journalism gig one worth pursuing. Stepping off a plane on my return home from Chicago's auto show, I found a Cadillac CTS-V Wagon waiting for me at the airport. How could anyone be excited about a station wagon, you might ask. Did you see the part where it's a CTS-V Wagon?
Cadillac once represented the unquestioned standard of the world among automakers. High fins, big V8 power, and a level of panache desired by kings made Cadillac the hottest thing in rubber loafers. Those cars caused people to stand back, wide-mouthed, as the behemoths of glitz and power glided by. For a few decades, Cadillac was railed by Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus. One drive in the 2011 CTS-V Coupe and you know Cadillac has come to reclaim the standard.
Cadillac is well on its way to becoming the Standard of the World once again. The Escalade is the gold standard among luxury SUVs, the CTS-V is nearly as fast as a Corvette ZR-1, and the SRX has carved a place in the mid-size crossover segment. A new compact, the ATS, is just over the horizon as are the XTS full-size sedan and finally a flagship luxury sedan on par with the Mercedes S-Class. Success is not keeping the brand from looking to different markets and drivers, especially given impending fuel economy standards. Take a look at the Urban Luxury Concept from the Los Angeles Auto Show.
