News & Reviews- Make: Cadillac

If you've been wondering if Cadillac is capable of taking on the Europeans in the ever-escalating luxury war, take a closer look at the latest CTS and you'll likely become a believer. I don't care how skeptical you are or how brand loyal to a crested-wreath competitor, this now mid-size premium player will at the very least gain your respect.

If you're unaware of the new larger CTS, Cadillac completely repositioned it for the 2014 model year, which was required after the true D-segment ATS took over the battle against BMW's 3 Series, Mercedes' C-Class, Audi's A4 and the like. The CTS was always a bit larger than these industry standard bearers, making it a great value for those wanting more size for less cost, but its move into the mid-size E-segment was necessary simply to eliminate overlap. Of course, it now butts up against the slightly larger XTS. That model, however, targets a similar retail audience to the Lexus ES, albeit nowhere near the Japanese division's sales success, Read Full Story

Forget for a moment that Cadillac's ever-changing model naming strategy has moved its D-segment four-door's C-segment designation up to E-segment size, dropped a new A-segment named sedan and coupe back into the D-segment, and for some reason previously gave its slightly larger than E-segment luxury sedan a 4x4-style X nomenclature, or for that matter that a completely updated naming scheme will at some future point see all Cadillac's cars rebadged with CT nameplates followed by a single digit relative to size, plus all crossover utilities similarly redubbed XT with the same nod to suffix numerology (the Escalade will escape such rebranding), and instead of rubbing your eyes in bewilderment just consider the domestic brand's rather impressive lineup.

The ATS has out-BMW'd the 3 Series for driving feel and handling, the SRX is doing its job of leading the brand's sales despite the upcoming XT5 soon relieving it from duty, the Escalade is far and away the best-selling full-size Read Full Story

When Cadillac first unveiled the ATS sedan at Detroit's College for Creative Studies as part of a soirée the evening before its full song and dance intro at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, it was a forgone conclusion that an ATS two-door would follow. The then-new ATS meant that the CTS would likely grow in size, which we now know occurred for the 2014 model year, a reality that we expected would more than likely eliminate the much-lauded CTS Coupe and, alas, the fabulous CTS Sport Wagon (RIP). All said the sleeker and sportier ATS Coupe was inevitable.

Where Cadillac dabbled unsuccessfully in compact four-door luxury in the early to mid-'80s, the 2015 ATS Coupe is altogether new territory for GM's topmost luxury division. Prior to either ATS body style, Cadillac's previous CTS appeared to be a winning solution for attracting premium D-segment buyers that were snapping up Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class models at record rates, offering Read Full Story

I have to admit, I'm a changed man. Don't get me wrong, as I'm still easily swayed by the sound, feel and performance of a powerful internal combustion engine, but if it was my hard earned money on the line I would likely opt for a different type of performance, the electrically propelled plug-in kind.

The new Cadillac ELR is the car that's converted me to the church of electric. I've enjoyed numerous EVs and extended-range EREVs before, including the Chevy Volt that shares underpinnings with this crested wreath model, but none of them have made me aspire to own one. The ELR, on the other hand, is so good looking from onset, so beautifully detailed inside, and performs so well in all other respects, that I want to find a way to drive it daily.

The reason I won't likely find a way to do so is it's one key drawback, a starting price of $78,250 plus $1,800 for freight and pre-delivery prep, or more precisely the need to pay more than $80k for what is essentially a Volt Read Full Story

It's rare that I absolutely gush over an automobile. After all, as an automotive journalist I drive about 80 new vehicles every year. And yes, we're talking Porsches, BMWs, Benzes, Bentleys and Bugattis. So when the press folks at Cadillac offered up the all new 2015 ATS Coupe, my interest was piqued because I like the direction Caddy is moving in, but I was not ready for the superb effort that is the ATS Coupe.

The ATS is the baby of the Caddy lineup, with Big Daddy Escalade at the top of the heap, and XTS, ELR, SRX and CTS in the middle. The ATS can be considered in many ways a baby CTS, which in itself is a compliment. So imagine my angst when Cadillac announced that the scorching hot CTS Coupe, with its performance "V" variants would be eliminated from the lineup, replaced initially by the smaller ATS Coupe, with performance models to follow at some point in the future.

I immediately thought "Caddy is punking out. They want a cheaper coupe, and will somehow sacrifice Read Full Story