ShareThisThe bad news is that General Motors is bankrupt.
The good news is that it's still producing some really fine cars and trucks.
Witness the arrival of two new models from Cadillac, the 2010 SRX Crossover and the CTS Sport Wagon. For good measure, consider the new Escalade Platinum Hybrid, a fuel efficient behemoth that maneuvers like nobody's business.
Crossovers and sport utilities have probably done more to redefine Cadillac than even the edgy CTS sedan. The new fleet bears no resemblance to your grandfather's DeVille.
"Along with the upcoming CTS Sport Wagon and SRX crossover, the Escalade Platinum Hybrid represents an opportunity for the changing priorities of luxury consumers who want dramatic design and technology combined with fuel efficiency and functionality," says Mark McNabb, vice president of Cadillac.
With all the changes, the brand has maintained its aptitude for defining luxury. The Escalade Platinum Hybrid's interior is decked out in exquisite wood and leather trim with warm colors and upscale but user-friendly instruments and virtually every safety feature available, which is what you would expect on an $84,935 vehicle.
Things that make you go "Gee Whillikers" include automatic running boards that fold down when you approach the vehicle when you unlock the doors with the key fob.
Other impressors include heated steering wheel, heated and cooled cupholders and a power liftgate that opens and closes either the glass section or the entire liftgate.
Also, there's the DVD entertainment system with screens built into each front-seat headrest along with a roof-mounted screen.
Each front-row headrest screen has its own driver and input controls. The system allows passengers in different seats to watch or listen to different programs. Platinum-level features include the Bose 5.1 Digital Surround system, as well as the eight-inch touch screen for DVD-based navigation and control of the DVD, CD, MP3 and XM Satellite Radio entertainment.
Escalade's two-mode hybrid system boosts fuel efficiency by more than 50 percent while maintaining a brawny 332-horsepower V8 capability. You're looking at 20 mile per gallon efficiency in the city with a bonus mile on the highway and a towing capacity of 5,800 pounds in rear-drive format.
At a full stop, the gas engine automatically shuts down, allowing electric power to take over in stop-and-go traffic. The battery pack is under the second-row seats, claiming no space from freight or friends.
While the hybrid technology is impressive, you should see how this big, eight-passenger vehicle glides through a crowded, nine-story parking garage with hairpin turns. I ran the course recently in a full-size pickup and found I had to back and fill to complete every turn. The Escalade simply whipped through the turns comfortably and quietly with room to spare.
Cadillac calls its Magnetic Ride Control "the world's fastest-reacting suspension system." To control body motion, the system "reads" the road in 1-millisecond intervals and replaces conventional mechanical-valve shocks with electronically controlled shocks filled with a synthetic fluid containing minute iron particles. Under magnetic charge, the iron particles align to provide nearly instant damping resistance.
Frankly, the handling was as effortless as that of a compact crossover.
If a big bruiser like the Escalade Hybrid can move this gracefully, we must harbor great expectations of the new CTS Sport Wagon and the SRX crossover. Both vehicles are going into production later this summer.
SRX will be temptingly priced at $34,155 while the CTS Sport Wagon pricing is not yet available.
As a luxury crossover, the SRX will compete with the Lexus RX that represents the benchmark in ride and handling. The category accounts for one of every four luxury sales in the U.S.
SRX will offer an advanced all-wheel-drive system that continuously distributes torque between the front and rear axles for premium handling, stability and grip in any driving condition. The electronic control unit receives data inputs 200 times every second from more than 20 sensors in the vehicle, including those for the ABS and ESC (Electronic Stability Control) systems. The data processed includes vehicle speed, wheel rotation speeds, lateral acceleration, throttle setting, engine torque, yaw rate and the steering angle.
Meanwhile, the CTS Sport Wagon builds on the reputation of the CTS sport sedan while doubling the cargo space. The new Sport Wagon includes the same 3.0-liter Direct Injection engine that serves as the standard engine in the new SRX. In the Sport Wagon, highway fuel economy is estimated to reach 28 mpg.
When the economic clouds clear, Cadillac could regain its privileged position in the luxury lineup with models that compare favorably or outperform Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes or Audi. But there is no smooth stretch of highway in Caddy's immediate future.
"In a tough market the new SRX and CTS Sport Wagon are the right products at the right time, says Steve Shannon," executive director of marketing for Cadillac. "They offer new dimensions of versatility and fuel efficiency, along with Cadillac's signature design and technical features."
WHAT'S NEW: Platinum version of Cadillac Escalade Hybrid.
PLUSES: Comfort, handling, luxury, fuel economy.
MINUSES: Cost.
BOTTOM LINE: Amazingly maneuverable, fuelishly frugal.
(E-mail Richard Williamson at motorfriend(at)sbcglobal.net)
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