Cadillac will introduce two critical new products for the coming model-year, including the 2010 SRX and the 2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon.
There was a time, not all that many years ago, when General Motors’ Cadillac division seemed on a roll. It received initial raves for the edgy styling of its first CTS sedan and promised to follow with a wave of additional products sharing the so-called “Art & Science” design theme.
But things didn’t work out quite as planned. The SRX crossover and the current version of the big STS sedan didn’t click with consumers, while efforts to make the marque a serious player in Europe simply didn’t gain much momentum. So, Caddy’s got a lot riding on it as it prepares to roll out two new products that could be critical – not just for the brand, but for its parent, GM, which has announced that Cadillac will be one of only four divisions it will keep as part of its corporate downsizing and restructuring.
The 2010 Cadillac SRX is, without question, the most important new product making its debut in the coming months. While the division’s general manager, Steve Shannon, declined to mention its key competitor by name, the original SRX did little to displace the leader in the strong and growing luxury crossover-utility vehicle segment, the Lexus RX350. But after a decade of import domination, Shannon insisted, during a Wednesday preview, “There’s an opportunity” to topple the king of the CUV hill.
As TDB has reported, of all the nonsensical opinions held by enthusiast writers, none is more pervasive or wrong headed than the proposition that luxury vehicles have to be rear-wheel drive. The Lexus RX series, built from the Camry no less, demolished that assertion a decade ago. Not only did the RX300 catapult Lexus to the number one sales spot in the U.S. luxury segment, where it still resides, but it ended the reign of body-on-frame, rear-drive trucks as the basis for luxury vehicles. And Lexus had customer satisfaction and quality levels that embarrassed German and American makers. It still does.
Cadillac, once the uncontested U.S. luxury vehicle leader, is coming off a disastrous rear-drive SRX model built from an aging platform. It’s finally seeing things the way Lexus envisioned. The next-generation 2010 SRX crossover is built from a GM front-wheel-drive architecture that promises relative efficiency in a mid-size package for five adults.
It’s harder to anticipate what opportunity awaits the 2010 Cadillac CTS wagon. When first conceived, planners were hoping to use it as a wedge to pry their way into the European luxury market, where wagons are in high demand. With Caddy scaling back – at least temporarily – its effort to penetrate the Continental market, the new CTS spinoff will have to make a go here in the States, where wagons haven’t exactly been setting the market on fire.
More on the new models after the jump.
The 2010 Cadillac SRX -- shown here at its preview with GM executive Troy Clarke -- will be going up against the luxury crossover leader, the newly-updated 2010 Lexus RX350.
What’s clear is that Cadillac has to expand its line-up – and do so with as many solid hits as possible. Long gone are the days when the brand dominated the American luxury market. If anything, it’s difficult to even get U.S. buyers to consider Detroit metal. That’s especially true, Shannon acknowledged, in the handful of U.S. zip codes that make up the overwhelming market for high-line CUVs, like the Lexus RX, which recently went through a complete redesign.
The Japanese maker took a surprisingly cautious approach to what was once a breakthrough product, and that could give some room for Caddy to flex its design muscle.
The original SRX shared the same Sigma platform as most of the rest of the Cadillac line-up, including the CTS and larger STS. For 2010, the 5-door, 5-passenger CUV gets a new look as well as an all-new platform not shared with any other GM product.
The original Caddy crossover was, in Shannon’s words, a “tweener,” not quite SUV, CUV or wagon. The new model is decidedly crossover, though it shares many of the basic Art & Science design cues of the new CTS. That includes the strong, vertical head and taillamps and the formidable Cadillac grille. The 2010 model sits taller and prouder, with bold wheel flares surrounding 20-inch wheels and tires, implying both strength and motion. The sleekly curvaceous roofline provides more headroom for passengers, even as it lends the SRX a more refined, coupe-like appearance.
The cabin is well-appointed in real wood and hand-sewn leather, with a judicious use of chrome accents. The tall center console is jewel-like, a term that has been greatly over-used by automakers, in recent years. The heavy use of dull plastic parts, which helped doom the current STS, have largely been banished.
Buyers in this segment want a mix of functionality and high-line styling in their interiors, and upon initial inspection, the 2010 SRX seems to live up to that quest. A neat touch is the new, reconfigurable LCD screen visible in the center of the instrument cluster, which can read out a variety of data, including turn-by-turn information from the voice-operated navigation system.
We’ll have to wait for more specific information on much of the technology being added to the crossover, though we have been told the SRX will get a hard-drive-based audio system with integrated iPod and iPhone controls. There’ll also be an “Ultraview” sunroof extending over both rows of seats.
Two powertrains will be offered on the new 2010 Cadillac SRX, including the 2.8-liter turbo-V-6, shown here driving an all-new All-Wheel-Drive system.
Two powertrains will be offered, including a Direct-Injection, 3.0-liter V-6, making 265 horsepower and 223 pound-feet of torque, and an optional new 2.8-liter turbocharged V-6 turning out 300 hp and 295 lb-ft. The 3.0-liter engine will be mated to a GM 6-speed automatic, the turn 2.8 to an Aisin 6-speed auto.
Both powertrains, in turn, will drive a new Haldex All-Wheel-Drive system that can shift up to 100% of its power to either the front or rear wheels. And up to 85% of the torque going rearward can be delivered to one wheel or the other.
While Cadillac officials tried to downplay the imminent threat of a GM bankruptcy, they acknowledged there are a lot of people who might steer clear of the automaker’s products, at least for the moment. But, you can overcome that, insisted marketing manager John Howell, “If you give them a fair price to begin with.” And there, potential Lexus buyers may find reason to check out Caddy’s new offering, which will carry a base price of $34,155, or $3,500 less than the new RX350 (Click here for more on the Lexus crossover). A heavily-equipped SRX, said Shannon, will push the numbers up to the low to mid-$40,000 range.
While Caddy is waiting for final government figures before announcing the fuel economy of its new SRX, it’s boasting about the 28 mpg Highway mileage it expects of its 2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon, with the new, 270-horsepower Direct-Injection 3.0-liter engine. It’s a downsized version of DI 3.6-liter motor also available on the new wagon.
Originally conceived as a way to gain traction in Europe, Caddy also hopes the CTS Wagon will build momentum here at home.
Industry analysts have long debated the potential for a wagon comeback in the States. There is, however, no debating the strength of the design in Europe, and it’s European makers, such as BMW and Audi, who have kept the segment alive on our side of the pond. Sales totals, last year, were a meager 26,000, so with Cadillac scaling back its effort to gain ground “over there,” it will play it cautious at home, building only what the market asks for, rather than trying to build demand on its own.
The entry, which hits showrooms over the summer, is part of a fast-expanding line of CTS variants, which includes not only the original sedan and high-performance V-series, but also the sexy CTS Coupe, scheduled for a mid-2010 calendar-year introduction.
The 2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon will fit twice as much cargo as the CTS sedan. Fold down the rear seat and you'll double again its cargo capacity.
There’ll be no V- version of the wagon, incidentally. But buyers who want a bit more sporty feel can opt for a 6-speed stick, rather than the 6-speed auto gearbox. All-Wheel-Drive will be offered as an option.
The swept roofline boost interior headroom compared to the sedan, but the biggest appeal is cargo capacity. With the rear seat up, you can fit in 25 cubic feet of “stuff,” or twice as much as the sedan, and when you fold the back seat down, you’ll double again that carrying space. A trick cargo management system will be offered, operating much like the movable tie-downs commonly found in large pickups. There’s also a small space for concealing valuables under the load floor. And roof rails will support additional cargo carrying options.
Like the SRX, the wagon emphasizes the strong vertical cues of the Art & Science theme, notably including taillights that wrap the rear glass.
How much? Caddy General Manager Shannon isn’t ready to say more than that the 2010 CTS Wagon will come in “slightly higher” than the ’10 sedan, which carries a base price of $37,385. But it will also be better-equipped, he quickly added.
Can the new offering really help rebuild the once-vital U.S. wagon market? It won’t be easy, but with a mix of eye-catching design and tremendous functionality, the 2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon could prove a real sleeper.