Should Cadillac Be Exclusively Rear Wheel Drive?

[member12]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

So no more All Wheel Drive Escalades?

Wait...what?

I was thinking that the Q7, ML, GL, X5, and RX all have AWD options. If anything, I think it should be standard on a beefed up Lambda based Escalade. I think the new SRX may be a step backwards, but it's less of an infraction than, say, a new front drive DTS or STS. People in the snow belt need front or all wheel drive, and most crossover buyers are clueless anyways, so they won't care if Cadillac sells out. To me, they already sold out when they built the first Escalade.

As for voting on this....I think there is room for crossover SUVs to be AWD or front drive based AWD like the Lambda SUVs or the Q7, but I'd much prefer Cadillac take every measure necessary to ensure a good handling car with proper proportions.

I think the "Cadillac" of SUVs is the Suburban or Land Cruiser. I'd prefer to see Cadillac stay with the CUVs or sports sedan based SUVs than just a carbon copy of a Suburban, which should pick up a "back to basics" design language.

And as for Saab's "better" front drive products, I feel that Buick would be better suited to pick that cherry than Cadillac.

I think to ensure good handling and proportions, Cadillac has to do RWD cars. I think the CTS is an amazing product that needs to be followed up with a new STS and eventually a new DTS.

Originally Posted by t-rex

There's room for FWD Caddies. A Lambda Escalade would probably be an improvement over being a tarted-up Chevrolet. Any revived Eldo would of course have to be FWD.

a Lambda Escalade would be a tarted up Chevrolet. I'd still rather see the Suburban (or Land Cruiser, depending if GM is around) be the king of true SUVs. The Escalade would do better on a crossover AWD chassis, but GM is in a pickle by not having a powerful high feature engine to put under the hood. They can't put a 306 horsepower 3.6L in everything.

(BTW, the 3.6L engine will eventually get old.....just hope they don't drop it like they did the Northstar)

And Audi shares parts with VWs....no secret there. As long as they make it significantly different. The Lambda chassis needs a bit more rigidity and noise/road isolation. I'm all for road feel, but based on brief rides in a loaded up (and impressive) Enclave, it would need only a few adjustments to have the amazing ride and quietness of the Mercedes GL, which is probably my favorite SUV now.

I also hope that, unlike every other Lambda, they adjust the wheelbase just a bit to make it look more "fit". They all look huge now to be honest, and they look to me like they can sacrifice a few inches in length and adjust the roofline for a tighter appearance.

The Enclave looks like the more attractive sibling of the Traverse and Acadia, but the new Escalade needs to look more like a distant cousin. I guess that's about as well as I can explain it.

$50K for a 350 horsepower unit body Escalade that can hold it's own on the 'ring, while being able to tow up to 5,000 lbs would be a very nice piece. I think the trick here is 5,000 lbs....most Airstreams come in under that weight, as do most smaller pleasure boats.

[AMcA]

Originally Posted by AndrewGS

Longitudinal drivetrains with RWD/AWD. I'm not worried about BMW, I want Cadillac to compete with Merc.

I want Cadillac to have a look, feel and . . . atmosphere, for lack of a better word . . . of its own.

The minute GM decides that Cadillac is to compete with MB, they'll be taking apart Benzes and coming up with ways to do the same thing, but a little cheaper. And Cadillacs will become "it's a lot like a Benz, but cheaper".

And at that point, Cadillac goes the way of Oldsmobile, because it no longer means anything.

[chakis24]

Originally Posted by AndrewGS

Would you describe the non-AMG versions of Mercedes as performance cars? Cadillac can deliver RWD, top-level luxury cars with comfortable suspensions that aren't "floaty" like the old days, just comfortable and precise. MRC could instantly take you from pure comfort to a sporty ride, as well as going from sporty to pure performance on the Velocity models, like the STS and STS-V do today.

Buick should be basically the same, comfort and precision, but in FWD, with no top-level performance models, at a lower price. Just offer MRC as an option that gives them the same ability to bring the handling and ride up to a sporty level.

sure, theyre rwd. they more performance oriented for that reason alone. they may not be performance cars, but it helps with the image. all mercedes commercials tout theyre racing heritage, you cant do that with a fwd.

[Dr. Show-Me]

Until Cadillac decides what it SHOULD BE, it is relegated to what others think they should be. To me, Cadillac should be the best car GM can produce, whether it is quietist, best infotainment system, fastest, most luxurious, best handling, most stylish, and so forth.
Without its own identity, it's a copy of ....... fill in the blanks.
It isn't a question of front or rear or all wheel drive. The driven wheels should meet the car's goals and role in the line up. I think awd should be at least optional of most of Cadillac's vehicles, and rwd is fine for the performance sedan versions.

[sigma]

There should be absolutely positively nothing that Cadillac offers as FWD. It hurts the performance image of the brand. Offering FWD just muddles the identity that Cadillac needs so badly right now.

[AndrewGS]

Originally Posted by AMcA

I want Cadillac to have a look, feel and . . . atmosphere, for lack of a better word . . . of its own.

The minute GM decides that Cadillac is to compete with MB, they'll be taking apart Benzes and coming up with ways to do the same thing, but a little cheaper. And Cadillacs will become "it's a lot like a Benz, but cheaper".

And at that point, Cadillac goes the way of Oldsmobile, because it no longer means anything.

Would you rather Cadillac keep going it's own way and being a brand of random models that have no real relevancy to the market? What is the CTS, an excellent car, supposed to be competing against? How about the BLS? DTS?

Cadillac needs to compete against the luxury side of Mercedes-Benz. No B-Segment cars, no vans, no military vehicles, no class-8 tractors, no taxi-spec cars, just the small, medium and large luxury cars and SUVs.

I'm not saying Cadillac should copy Merc, but it would be nice if they actually did buy a few and dissect them to see what real luxury cars are made of. Cadillacs have a bold, unique American style, but they lack the substance of the global competition, and that's one reason their global escapades of late have failed.

[Dr. Show-Me]

Do you think Cadillac can outhandle BMW? I doubt it. But does that mean they're a failure if they don't? No, of course not. Can Cadillac out luxury DB? Maybe, but not at the prices GM charges. Cadillac needs to be itself, not somebody's copy.

[tbirderic]

Originally Posted by Dr. Show-Me

Until Cadillac decides what it SHOULD BE, it is relegated to what others think they should be.

Well said, well said.

Originally Posted by AndrewGS

Would you rather Cadillac keep going it's own way and being a brand of random models that have no real relevancy to the market? What is the CTS, an excellent car, supposed to be competing against? How about the BLS? DTS?


I'm not saying Cadillac should copy Merc, but it would be nice if they actually did buy a few and dissect them to see what real luxury cars are made of. Cadillacs have a bold, unique American style, but they lack the substance of the global competition, and that's one reason their global escapades of late have failed.

Yes and yes. I'm all for a RWD Cadillac, but at the end of the day it's not about FWD, RWD, AWD, XWD. It's about having a range of luxury cars with a a consistent theme from the $29,995 base model all the way up to the $100,000 ride.

The only luxury car manufacturers that I can think of that do not have consistency with drivetrain choices are Lexus and Cadillac. I think that says a lot.

[eurohazard]

Originally Posted by Dr. Show-Me

Do you think Cadillac can outhandle BMW? I doubt it. But does that mean they're a failure if they don't? No, of course not. Can Cadillac out luxury DB? Maybe, but not at the prices GM charges. Cadillac needs to be itself, not somebody's copy.

Didn't the CTS-V hand the BMW M5 its own ass? I'll search before I claim it as fact though.....yep, and yep.

[47nites]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

Didn't the CTS-V hand the BMW M5 its own ass? I'll search before I claim it as fact though.....yep, and yep.

cadillac needs to be itself not someones copy amen!

[Dr. Show-Me]

Eurohazard, the CTS-V is far and away the best performing sedan Cadillac has produced in a long time, maybe ever. Name another Cadillac that outhandles BMW.

[Exploder]

Eurohazard, the CTS-V is far and away the best performing sedan Cadillac has produced in a long time, maybe ever. Name another Cadillac that outhandles BMW.

Um, he was agreeing with that thought.

[Dr. Show-Me]

What we have here.... is a failure to communicate.

[aldw]

In order for Cadillac to be what it needs to be, a Caddy has to have better handling than a BMW and better luxury than a MB, while having better fit and finish and greater reliability than any of the German makes. RWD/AWD only are necessary elements to achieving that.

[Myke]

All Cadillac passenger vehicles should be RWD, while it is acceptable to have AWD SUVs. There should be no FWDs what so ever. A true, traditional luxury car company must have RWD.