Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept!

[2o6]

Really liking everything about it.




http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/12/detroit-2010-cadillac-xts-platinum-concept-ready-to-replace-sts/

[omicron]

Not bad, not bad. Not ugly, which makes it better than most new cars launched these days, and there are some pleasingly crisp lines. Unfortunately, the usual FWD large-sedan proportions ruin it - it appears to have crashed into something and lost half the front end:



I also get vague thoughts of older Cadillacs when looking at that flat, wide dashboard design, and that's not a bad thing at all.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Cadillac is really bringing it to hyundai's/acura's and lincolns doorstep with this thing.

[Submariner]

The interior is real nice...the exterior reminds me of a bloated, ill-proportioned Malibu.

[Madman]

I assume this is yet another transverse engined, front wheel drive based GM barge?  Where's the rear drive S-Class/7er/A8/XJ rival we were promised?


Cheers,
Madman of the People

[Submariner]

I assume this is yet another transverse engined, front wheel drive based GM barge?  Where's the rear drive S-Class/7er/A8/XJ rival we were promised?


Cheers,
Madman of the People

They could give it standard AWD...

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I assume this is yet another transverse engined, front wheel drive based GM barge?  Where's the rear drive S-Class/7er/A8/XJ rival we were promised?


Cheers,
Madman of the People

Alive and well, stored in a very large and guarded room at the rencen labeled "wait until next year/next model, then we will show them".

Maybe i'm too harsh, I was under the impression that cadillac(and GM) were looking to position this brand as a top tier luxury brand. In reality it is same old gm, same old "everyon gets a turn with their design and vision of a brand" mentality.

As a higher end ford(face it, a SHO would probably match up nicely performance/feature wise to this) and lower(low low lower) end luxury division this isn't a bad car.

[Pommes-T]

I absolutely love it. If I ever work as a doctor in the USA or Canada, something like this could become my daily driver.

[Hachee]

Overall, I'm disappointed - chiefly because of (as Omicron quickly noted) the fwd proportions.  Completely ruins it, especially as a big league competitor.  (The A8 suffers from this, but for some reason, not nearly as badly.)  I'm also reminded of the Avalon.  They spent all their money on the CTS - unbelievable that GM couldn't commit to doing this right.  Even if AWD is standard, it's simply because they don't want to have a FWD car.

I like the details, and most much of the car, actually, but that front end needs to be stretched six inches.  And yes, the interior is nice, if conservative, and reminds me of a late 70s beige Fleetwood interior!

Sub mentioned the Malibu, which I find really good looking, even with the fwd proportions.  Maybe about 190 inches is the greatest length that can handle fwd, in terms of proportions.

[Madman]

I absolutely love it. If I ever work as a doctor in the USA or Canada, something like this could become my daily driver.

You have very low expectations!


Cheers,
Madman of the People

[the Teuton]

Why is there so much Haterade with this car? It's not like this is anywhere near being as disproportional as the Honda CR-Z.

Cheers,
Teuton of the People

[ChrisV]

I also like this. From the side, the AWD car has similar proportions ot the big Audis, and is failry conservatively designed for a new Caddy, which should serve it well in the rather conservative market it intends to inhabit. Let the hip hop stars and pro athletes have the Escalade, and leave this full size luxury car for the less flashy. And it does look large...

At least the wedginess will make it hard to stretch.

I kind of like the lack of front overhang. Funny how people complain about cars that have overhang, then complain about cars that don't.

[TurboDan]

Just like every American luxury car... it's TOO BIG! Why can't Caddy build something to compete with the 3er or C-Class? And don't show me the CTS, that thing is enormous too.

[Hachee]

I don't think it's hatred - it's disappointment.  I think (maybe I'm wrong), that most of us want to like this car - it's like rooting for the underdog.  This was once a major, prestigious brand, and should be competing with the best.  But as usual for GM, it's compromised because they didn't (maybe even couldn't) commit the money needed to make it truly competitive.  And even if it does everything well, even with the FWD biased AWD, it's let down by the proportions.  Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder, but for the most part, there are certain things NEEDED (and expected) to make a large car beautiful.  It's like people or dogs or babies - what makes them attractive?  Ask people all over the world or look at what's considered beautiful in almost every culture - and most other people will find them beautiful too.  This car needs simply needs more space between the front wheels and the base of the windshield and front doors, especially because the rear overhang looks so long.  

I will admit, however, that it's probably more efficient the way it is, in terms of interior space to overall length.

[the Teuton]

Dan, don't you see what Cadillac is doing?

The ATS is going to be filling the CTS's position, as it will move slightly upmarket in its next iteration. Sure, Cadillacs will still be a little cheaper than their rivals, but you have to start somewhere, right?

This is how I see it:

-ATS - 3er competitor
-Converj - niche, HS competitor
-SRX - Entry lux crossover
-CTS - Will be going upscale to the $40-60something price range more so than it is now
-Escalade - Moving to Lambda in its next iteration with the other big crossovers
-XTS - Probably going from $50-70k, which should be fine.

[Tave]

Just like every American luxury car... it's TOO BIG! Why can't Caddy build something to compete with the 3er or C-Class? And don't show me the CTS, that thing is enormous too.

Cadillac too large? BLASPHEMY!

[ChrisV]

So, an American luxury full sizer that is the same size as the Japanese and Eurpean luxury full sizers, and the complaint is that it's too big? Huh?

The ATS is the 3 series competitor.

[Laconian]

This is a flagship? At that price, and with all those shared components? Even Lexus set the bar higher for themselves when they released their first LS400, and they didn't have to worry about preserving the image of a storied brand.

AND - what is good about it, exactly? I see some praise here for the appearance. Remember, this is a concept and the looks will change for the worse.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

This thing should be a new impala since it slots along side a taurus in features and size. Hell in 2-3 years when this hits the street the taurus may match or exceed it on all fronts for thousands less.

[the Teuton]

I think you all give Cadillac's customers too much credit. While I would have loved to see the Chinese market SLS make its way here, let's get one thing straight: Cadillac's large car buyers didn't want something sporty. They want something soft and spongy.

I think this car isn't ideal, but it's probably more in line with what North American Cadillac shoppers want in a large car. If Cadillac can give it more power (reported 350 hp out of this hybrid setup), it should be a success.

[Raza]

I'm looking at it and looking at it, and reading the posts....

I just can't care.  It looks like I've seen it before and it's far from exciting.  But I'm not the target market, so that's fine.

[Laconian]

Vertical parts bin engineering is insulting and a very "old GM" way of doing things. I hope we don't have to bail them out again.

What's sad is that even Hyundai can build a much more convincing full size car than Cadillac can.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Vertical parts bin engineering is insulting and a very "old GM" way of doing things. I hope we don't have to bail them out again.

What's sad is that even Hyundai can build a much more convincing full size car than Cadillac can.

The possibility of another bankruptcy/bailout is 50/50 IMO. It all comes down to sales and while last year was weak you can see some brands gain(hyundai) or recover(ford) from the dismal year, GM has done neither. If 2010 brings more negative sales over last year(which sucked) and those magical "we lost money this qtr but only because of one time expenses that if you subtract we would have made money even though this happens every quarter so we are really doing just fine" quarterly earning reports keep coming then it's not too far fetched of a outcome.

[SVT666]

It would be even better if they toned down the chrome.  I wish manufacturers would offer black chrome options or gunmetal grey chrome.

[S204STi]

I'm wondering where this is supposed to slot in the lineup?

[Submariner]

I think you all give Cadillac's customers too much credit. While I would have loved to see the Chinese market SLS make its way here, let's get one thing straight: Cadillac's large car buyers didn't want something sporty. They want something soft and spongy.

I think this car isn't ideal, but it's probably more in line with what North American Cadillac shoppers want in a large car. If Cadillac can give it more power (reported 350 hp out of this hybrid setup), it should be a success.

Vertical parts bin engineering is insulting and a very "old GM" way of doing things. I hope we don't have to bail them out again.

What's sad is that even Hyundai can build a much more convincing full size car than Cadillac can.

Well...we really cannot comment past looks until (if) this vehicle becomes production reality.

The interior looks very good (Though, I find the suede arm rests cheesy).  Assuming build quality isn't rubbish, it could very well become a class contender.  The only thing that really bothers me is the instrument cluster LCD, which looks out of place.  Jaguar is the only manufacturer that has done a good job integrating a full LCD screen into the gauges.

Where this car looses me is the exterior.  It's just all wrong.  The tail is too high, with too much rear overhang...the roofline is awkward, with it's high point just over the drivers head, and the front is about eight inches too short.  If they were restricted by the confines of the FWD platform, they should have sacrificed at least a little cabin space to push the A-pillar back a bit.  It looks like the designers ran out of room when designing the car, so they just slapped on the windscreen thinking people would only view the car at 3/4ths angles.  

[Vinsanity]

Well, at least the styling isn't disappointing. That's the good news.

It's a very handsome car, but knowing what's underneath the sheetmetal, I just can't help but think "Cadillac Malibu" when I see it. It's a fine replacement for the DTS, but although they say that this is supposed to replace the STS as well, I'm under the impression that Cadillac has given up on the STS's mission to build a true E-class/5-series fighter. A 4-door coupe on the stretched gen 2 CTS chassis would've done that job quite well.

I also like this. From the side, the AWD car has similar proportions ot the big Audis, and is failry conservatively designed for a new Caddy, which should serve it well in the rather conservative market it intends to inhabit. Let the hip hop stars and pro athletes have the Escalade, and leave this full size luxury car for the less flashy.

I thought it was Buick's job to cater to the more traditional luxury buyers. But now Buick has a turbocharged sport sedan and a small 5-door hatchback and everything is confusing.

[2o6]

I don't understand what is wrong with a FWD large luxury car when the MB S-class and BMW 7-series are hardly sporty, nor are they used for sport. Make it front-drive and free up room. I can't stand that annoying tranny hump, anyways.

[Submariner]

I don't understand what is wrong with a FWD large luxury car when the MB S-class and BMW 7-series are hardly sporty, nor are they used for sport. Make it front-drive and free up room. I can't stand that annoying tranny hump, anyways.

They are infinitely more enjoyable to drive than say, a DTS. 

[the Teuton]

They are infinitely more enjoyable to drive than say, a DTS. 

You say that like the DTS is a bad driver. It isn't. What it is, though, is boring as hell.

This thing needs something like:

1) a more-than-6-speed transmission because 6 forward gears is no longer cool.

2) Rear-biased AWD.

3) The magnetic shocks from Delphi.

4) A forced induction option.

5) A value proposition better than a Malibu 2LT's.

6) Hope. Lots and lots of hope.