|
MOTORING: How to stand out from the crowd
(The Birmingham Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Forget the American side of the legend, Cadillac is determined to make it big in Britain.
The US luxury brand has a couple of models in the wings specifically aimed at satisfying what we want from an American car over here.
First up is a station wagon - Cadillac's first estate and complete with diesel engines.
Then comes a high performance V6 saloon designed to rival anything the Germans can offer, not to forget Jaguar.
The estate is a stretched version of Cadillac's Scandinavian-built BLS and is powered by either 150bhp or 180bhp 1.9-litre diesel engines or a 2.8-litre turbo V6 petrol pumping out255bhp.
The BLS is based on the Saab 9-3 - both marques are part of the General Motors empire - and is built in Sweden at Trolhatten.
But this is more than just badge engineering.
It features Cadillac's characteristic vertical cuts in the bodywork, emphasised by similar treatment with the front and rear light clusters.
The estate looks even more dramatic than the saloon and the additional length suits the style. It is long, sleek, purposeful and highly noticeable.
Cargo capacity ranges from 419 to 1,285 litres and that makes the Cadillac very practical with above average handling.
Its proportions are very similar to the Saab station wagon but suspension tweaks give the American version a much more refined and positive feel.
Prices are still to be confirmed but it is likely the BLS estate will run from around pounds 19,500 and will come with plenty of kit including air conditioning as standard.
With a six speed manual gearbox the higher powered diesel will average around 43mpg with CO2 emissions of 175g/km - and it has more than enough punch to deliver a sporty drive.
It is good, but not class leading performance and the automatics are thirstier and dirtier.
Inside the latest BLS features an improved satnav system with better graphics on the colour display screen that sets off the instrument panel.
When it was launched two years ago the BLS was Cadillac's attempt at building a car for Europe as part of a plan to make the famous ail-American marque a global brand.
Phase one of that mission has not gone exactly to plan in the UK with sales of the entire Cadillac range running in hundreds rather than thousands.
Cadillac's operations in Britain have recently been brought under the control of GM UK which is planning to develop the number of dealerships from the current five by the time the BLS estate goes on sale early next year.
Later in the year phase two begins with the arrival of the new CTS sports saloon to rival the likes of the BMW 5 Series, the Audi A6 and the new Jaguar XF.
In terms of looks alone the CTS is a crowd stopper. It takes Cadillac's bold styling into a new dimension and looks more like something from a Hollywood movie set rather than a production line in Michigan.
Again, prices are to be confirmed but it is expected the CTS range will run from around pounds 26,000 to about pounds 35,000 with a choice of 2.8 or 3.6-litre petrol engines.
Diesels are under development and an all-wheel drive version is also on its way.
The 3.6-litre makes the sort of noise you expect from an American muscle machine and so is the performance from the 31 lbhp engine.
Top speed is 155mph and 0 to 60 can be completed in around 6.5 seconds but it has a thirst with an official average consumption of 23.5mpg and high CO2 of 260-plus g/km.
Have fun and drive this car as it feels it should and you can expect consumption closer to 18mpg.
For an American car the handling is much improved and to our tastes but it still is not in the same league as our home grown models.
Significant improvements have been made to the interior styling, which is so often lacking in cars from over there. Excellent hide upholstery and wooden trim combine with state of the art switchgearto make the CTS as different inside as it is out.
Night lights throughout the interior add a touch of class, as does the retractable satnav screen on the top of the dash. There is also a 40-gig hard drive to store your favourite music and the CTS is fully iPod compatible - even the controls on the dash will mimic those on your iPod.
Room throughout is above average but the boot, at 373 litres, is not the biggest around. It is also not flat sided which impacts on its usefulness.
Nevertheless the CTS is going to make a mark in Britain in a way no Cadillac has done before.
Just in looks alone it is sensational.
If you want to stand up and be different then this is the car that delivers.
Copyright 2007 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd , Source: The Financial Times Limited
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West, September 16-18, 2008. Los Angeles, California.
