Wednesday, February 24, 2010

2010 Cadillac CTS-V

2010 Cadillac CTS-V
With John Heinricy, the former head of GM’s performance division, behind the wheel, the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V handled all 12.9 miles of the Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack and its 73-corners in 7:59.32. This is regarded by many to be the fastest lap-time ever run by a production-sedan. With this in mind, we were absolutely psyched to get behind the wheel of this high-performance animal for a full-week.

The CTS-V totally departs the Cadillac image of the soft-spoken, smooth riding luxury vehicle. In fact, it’s the total antithesis. For those who yearn for the Caddy of yesteryear; look elsewhere. If you’re the type of driver who lives for that feeling of a cars raw power turning your stomach upside down with every stomp of the gas pedal, you have met your match. The CTS-V is well-known as the BMW M5 Killer – a monumental feat for any American-made car; but its true. The CTS-V gives cars like the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, and the Jaguar XJ-R a run for their money, and accelerates and brakes every bit better than the BMW M5
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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

2010 Cadillac SRX is here

2010 Cadillac SRX

This is one vehicle that I wasn’t even aware it went on sale in the UAE. The 2010 Cadillac SRX, a distant cousin of the lowly Chevrolet Captiva, carries the torch for the outgoing SRX, which was actually a larger vehicle. We were actually supposed to drive it next week, but a GM man suddenly showed up at my doorstep with the crossover yesterday, and I was like “ehh, okay?”

2010 Cadillac SRX pic

The SRX looks simple in pictures, but in reality, it is an endless montage of edges sharp enough to cut you. The SRX is not pretty in the traditional sense, but still undeniably appealing. It speaks wonders for the team that designed this, considering they managed to integrate Cadillac’s trademark tail-fins onto a compact crossover, of all things.

2010 Cadillac SRX photo

Really, look at that roofline. And those tail-fins.

2010 Cadillac SRX

Yes. LED-encrusted, tube-lit, pointy tail-fins.

2010 Cadillac SRX

And all the chrome bling deserving of a Cadillac. That faux side vent has a “GM” logo engraved on it, but we hear newer shipments won’t have the logo, for obvious reasons.

2010 Cadillac SRX

As befitting a luxury vehicle, the upper dashboard and door innards have stitched leather linings and a fair bit of soft-touch trim. Some wood and some metallic plastic line the cabin, though a cover for the cup-holders would’ve been nice. The cup-holders themselves can be height-adjusted for everything from paper cups to McDonald’s drinks.

2010 Cadillac SRX

The dash design is probably the prettiest in a segment dominated by dullards such as the Mercedes-Benz GLK and especially the Audi Q5. That pop-up touchscreen is easy enough to use, although the a/c and stereo controls below take a bit of hunting to find while driving.

Cadillac SRX

A cool feature is the full-colour animated circular display within the gauges, flanked by “crystals” that blink with the indicators. Also, the coolest bit is that the main screen slides down when not needed, leaving a smaller display in place. It is a Cadillac-exclusive gimmick that we believe first debuted in the new CTS, though we’ve never even driven a new CTS. That car continues to elude us.

Cadillac SRX

The front leather seats are powered and ventilated, though not bolstered enough for hard driving.

Cadillac SRX

Rear legroom is only about as much as a compact car, with headroom to match due to the low roofline, but average-sized peeps like us had no issues. The pull-down centre armrest houses cup-holders and a storage space, while the front seat-backs have flip-up DVD screens. There are also rear a/c vents with separate controls.

Cadillac SRX

Floor space under the powered tailgate is reasonable, but there is very limited upper volume thanks to the sloping rear window.

Cadillac SRX

The 60:40 rear seat folds almost flat to make a larger cargo area. And the front part of that full-length panoramic glass roof can even open like a regular sunroof, better than the half-baked design in the deadbeat Audi Q5.

Cadillac SRX

It’s styling and innovative features that make the Cadillac SRX an appealing prospect, rather than its actual driving capabilities. In a market segment as boring as “crossovers,” the SRX keeps things interesting. More driving impressions will be in the full review, as we go out tomorrow for performance testing during Dubai’s self-imposed “Car-Free Day.” Ridiculous.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe


This here is the ultimate iteration of Cadillac's brand-new CTS Coupe and it will make its first public outing at next week's 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. To the surprise of no one, the CTS-V Coupe packs the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine found in the sedan version. It produces a hefty 556-horsepower and 551 lb.-ft. of torque (747 Nm) propelling the 2+2 coupe from 0-60 mph (96km/h) in just 3.9 seconds.

Potential buyers will have the choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle-shift control, which transfer power to the rear wheels through a limited slip differential.

The V-spec model also gets Cadillac's Magnetic Ride Control with two selectable modes (Tour and Sport) and Brembo brakes with six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston calipers in the rear.

Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept


Meet the Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept that made its world debut at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Officially, the XTS is just a design study that showcases Cadillac's emerging top-of-the-line Platinum series of models, but unofficially, it previews the Detroit firm's DTS replacement in the full-size sedan segment that's pegged make its way onto the market by 2012.

Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept

Cadillac XTS Platinum

Making its world premiere at the Detroit motor show alongside the 556HP Cadillac CST-V Coupe, is the XTS Platinum Concept. GM calls it a concept model, but the 203.5 inches (5,170mm) long XTS is expected to heavily influence Cadillac's upcoming flagship sedan that will replace the DTS, and quite possibly, the STS also.

The full-size sedan, which most likely shares the vehicle platform with the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, keeps all the usual styling cues of modern Cadillacs such as the sharp creases and vertical lights.

The concept's interior blends leather, wood and other high quality materials with modern technology like the Organic Light-Emitting Diode (O-LED) displays that replace the traditional gauges and screens.

Under the Caddy's bonnet is GM's 3.6-liter V6 engine with direct-injection plus a plug-in hybrid system that deliver a combined output of 350HP and 295 lb-ft of torque.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Cadillac's small SUV

Cadillac small SUVCadillac's smaller sport utility vehicle, the SRX, is finally downsized enough to warrant the "smaller" label, and for 2010 seats just five people. The SRX's V-8 and rear-wheel drive platform also are gone.

The updates make the 2010 SRX better able to compete with the top-seller in the luxury, mid-size, crossover SUV segment - the Lexus RX 350. In fact, Cadillac set the starting price tag for the new SRX some $7,000 less than last year's larger, seven-passenger model and in the process undercut the Lexus substantially.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Acura Fan Club

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