Cadillac has a history of making fine, modern automobiles…
Solitaire, 1988
Cien, 2002
Sixteen, 2003
Ciel, 2011
Elmiraj, 2013
…that never make it to production.
Seriously, Cadillac’s concept portfolio contains more beautiful futuristic, drool-worthy designs than BMW has ever actually produced.
And then they’re like “nah…we’re going to take a Chevy and put some bits of chrome on it”.
It’s like promising someone a Tuscan vacation and taking them to Olive Garden.
pictured: not tuscany
Is the food filling?
Yes.
Is it edible?
Yes.
But the whole point of buying a Cadillac is not to have an Olive Garden experience.
“Competency” should not be a brand’s hallmark, it should be assumed.
“aaaand….it drives too!”— this shouldn’t be a bonus, it’s not 1918
But in recent years, Cadillac has been making some genuinely good cars, with high performance, strong reliability, and catchy looks.
The CTS was good and the Escalade was good and the CTS coupe was very good.
Of course there are criticisms, and of course they don’t look good from 100% of the angles (the CTS coupe has an ungainly, unfortunate rear quarter where the tire looks toyishy small in particular) but they’re at least more than “competent basic transport”.
rear wheel looks like it belongs on a funny car, but otherwise it’s well-designed
And in the most recent model offerings, Cadillac has really hit it out of the park, design-wise. The new Escalade is gorgeous, the CTS is really quite captivating, and the ATS coupe is the best car design they’ve produced in decades.
this. this is how a modern cadillac should look.
Where Cadillacs always succeeded was in the interior, and where they cut the most cost in recent years was in the interior.
The wood trim in particular was laughably fake, the leather felt like sausage casing, and the chrome bits flecked off at the touch of a finger. It’s not that the design was all that bad, it was just clear that the materials were Buick leftovers and offensively subpar.
who are we even kidding here
With the recent generation of cars, Cadillac has decided to charge Mercedes prices for their recent car offerings.
It’s acceptable if you’re buying a Mercedes, which is more technologically-advanced than your iPhone, unfailingly reliable, supple, smooth, and effortlessly elegant.
But you’re buying a Cadillac–something that’s *supposed* to be all those things, but ends up usually falling short of the mark because Eisenhower is no longer in office.
Make no bones about it–the Escalade saved Cadillac in the same way the Navigator saved the still-barely-surviving Lincoln. These are luxury automakers that will always make large and powerful vehicles with everything the company has to offer and that will be their bread and butter.
check out that view. beautiful.
Which leads me to the upcoming CT6, which is supposed to be the car that will finally restore Cadillac to its former glory. It may be the most important vehicle they’ve made in the past three decades, and they can’t f**k it up.
Top Speed has some renderings of the vehicle, and my God, it’s beautiful. Based on the Elmiraj concept, a vehicle I’ve fathomed buying lotto tickets until I can thrust $1 million in cash at Cadillac to make my own, it’s everything a modern Cadillac should be–imposing, proud, elegant, advanced, powerful.
In other words, I’d sell my left nut to buy one.
But how do I know my nuts will stay intact?
Because look at the spy shots.
What we have here are spy shots for a reimagined version of the XTS.
It’s a fine car, and while a little ungainly from the back (Cadillac should pay $50k a year to someone who can constantly look at their vehicles from the rear 3/4 view, raise their hand, and say “no, that’s not quite right”) is acceptable.
But Cadillac is not supposed to be just…”acceptable”. Buick is acceptable. The XTS should be a full-size Buick. The CT6 should not be a full-size Buick.
If it’s going to command S-Class and 7-Series prices, it has to be at the top of its game–unfailingly well-built, seamless interior with high-grade materials, and elegant.
this small portion of the door panel of the new S-Class has more detail, quality, and craftsmanship than most entire vehicle lines
Don’t tell me the market is not there. At least 30-40% of S-Class, 7-Series, and A8 drivers would drive a Cadillac if it looked and felt expensive. Most of them, especially older buyers, feel stuck in the cycle of purchasing those cars and moan loudly about the difficult-to-use tech and questionable service experience.
Don’t believe me? Look at Lexus, where they took the car their rivals were making, duplicated it, made it as simple to drive and use as possible, and made service visits like a hotel concierge experience for slightly less the price of the competition.
It’s not hard, Cadillac. Don’t let me down.