Cadillac XTS vs. Audi A8: Fight!

[GTaudiophile]

Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept

 

[MBrown]

Gorgeous.

 

[Vette73]

Looks good. But I am not a hugh fan of the full digital dash.

 

[Jahee]

That is nice.. They need to change the wheels though i think, they look taken from an M5 and don't really suit the car..


Seeing as you didn't bother to link anything regarding the A8..
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/audi/2011-audi-a8-ar82260.html

I prefer this to be honest.. Especially the interior.

 

[PricklyPete]

Looks great....kind of like a tarted up Lacrosse. The powertrain sounds great...would love to hear the gas mileage they expect on it and if there is an electric only range.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Actually, I take away all positive thoughts after reading the Inside Line reader commentary.

 

[exar333]

Wow, that is a great looking car!

 

[videogames101]

Interior is ugly, exterior is excellent.

 

[yh125d]

I was afraid a "bigger CTS" would mess up the styling, but it's not bad for such a big car

 

[Fenixgoon]

after reading a few comments on autoblog, i am a bit concerned for the XTS:

i like its styling on the exterior. the interior is very nice, though i think something a bit more traditional might be in order.

however, the drivetrain on the concept is a hybrid V6 that is setup for FWD and AWD. As one AutoBlog poster pointed out - when you compete with the A8, 7series, and S-class you need a V8 or V12 with RWD/AWD optioning because that's what people expect for the uber-luxo barges. Quite frankly, I'm inclined to agree. I don't think Caddy can afford to undercut the A8/7series/S-class on price alone and be successful - just like the CTS vs the 5series, it needs to have every comparable feature and then some.

 

[Knavish]

That is nice.. They need to change the wheels though i think, they look taken from an M5 and don't really suit the car..


Seeing as you didn't bother to link anything regarding the A8..
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/audi/2011-audi-a8-ar82260.html

I prefer this to be honest.. Especially the interior.

I've seen lots of different automakers with very similar 10-12 spoke wheel designs. My first impression was that they looked like wheels from a Lincoln or Mercury vehicle. They look nice on the M5, but I doubt the M5 had the original 11-spoke wheel.

 

[yh125d]

after reading a few comments on autoblog, i am a bit concerned for the XTS:

i like its styling on the exterior. the interior is very nice, though i think something a bit more traditional might be in order.

however, the drivetrain on the concept is a hybrid V6 that is setup for FWD and AWD. As one AutoBlog poster pointed out - when you compete with the A8, 7series, and S-class you need a V8 or V12 with RWD/AWD optioning because that's what people expect for the uber-luxo barges. Quite frankly, I'm inclined to agree. I don't think Caddy can afford to undercut the A8/7series/S-class on price alone and be successful - just like the CTS vs the 5series, it needs to have every comparable feature and then some.

I believe a a FI V6 in the vein of the ecoboost would be a good base engine, with a solid V8 option on top of that. But yeah, it needs to be RWD/AWD, not FWD/AWD

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

GM will never be able to catch a break. They design a car that isn't supposed to be a rip roaring track machine, it FWD. It's a larger car, it's for old farts that want a Caddy to drive around town in, not a glorified sports car like the CTS-V. It seems many people forget that not every car is designed to be the fastest thing on the road.

 

[ElFenix]

i think i'd take the EB MKS instead.

or maybe even the SHO.

mmm SHO

 

[yh125d]

GM will never be able to catch a break. They design a car that isn't supposed to be a rip roaring track machine, it FWD. It's a larger car, it's for old farts that want a Caddy to drive around town in, not a glorified sports car like the CTS-V. It seems many people forget that not every car is designed to be the fastest thing on the road.

And that's exactly the image cadillac has been trying to get rid of for years

 

[mb]

Do buyers of large luxury cars really even care about rwd? I mean, who buys an S class or 7 series for the sportiness? Plus, as it is, it sounds like it would only be offered with AWD, so it's not like the average buyer would know it's fwd based.

Besides, it's just a concept. Specs aren't final...

 

[zoiks]

American manufacturers should stop putting chrome wheels on a car with a contemporary design. On second thought, they should get rid of the chrome everywhere.

 

[yh125d]

Do buyers of large luxury cars really even care about rwd? I mean, who buys an S class or 7 series for the sportiness? Plus, as it is, it sounds like it would only be offered with AWD, so it's not like the average buyer would know it's fwd based.

Besides, it's just a concept. Specs aren't final...

I'd say a considerable amount. How many lawyers/doctors who buy cars like this will want to show up at golf friday morning with their lawyer/doctor friends driving a base V6 model? They'd get laughed at by the others in their AMGs and LWBs. And don't discount the willingness of old fogey's to buy the top engine option. My 75 year old grandmother bought a toyota 4 runner a few years back, and although the V6 would have been much smarter considering how far she drives, she bought the big honking V8 one. Also, my 80 year old grandfather bought a new toyota tundra pretty much solely because it had like 4 more ft-lb of torque

 

[mb]

I'd say a considerable amount. How many lawyers/doctors who buy cars like this will want to show up at golf friday morning with their lawyer/doctor friends driving a base V6 model? They'd get laughed at by the others in their AMGs and LWBs. And don't discount the willingness of old fogey's to buy the top engine option. My 75 year old grandmother bought a toyota 4 runner a few years back, and although the V6 would have been much smarter considering how far she drives, she bought the big honking V8 one. Also, my 80 year old grandfather bought a new toyota tundra pretty much solely because it had like 4 more ft-lb of torque

I wasn't talking about engine power.

 

[alfa147x]

Just not a big fan of the vertical head / tail lamps... I still camp with the Audi crowed

 

[alfa147x]

American manufacturers should stop putting chrome wheels on a car with a contemporary design. On second thought, they should get rid of the chrome everywhere.

Could not agree with you more!

 

[GTaudiophile]

after reading a few comments on autoblog, i am a bit concerned for the XTS:

i like its styling on the exterior. the interior is very nice, though i think something a bit more traditional might be in order.

however, the drivetrain on the concept is a hybrid V6 that is setup for FWD and AWD. As one AutoBlog poster pointed out - when you compete with the A8, 7series, and S-class you need a V8 or V12 with RWD/AWD optioning because that's what people expect for the uber-luxo barges. Quite frankly, I'm inclined to agree. I don't think Caddy can afford to undercut the A8/7series/S-class on price alone and be successful - just like the CTS vs the 5series, it needs to have every comparable feature and then some.

Then again, if trends continue and gas prices increase, we may see these exotic V12s and V8s disappear. Even BMW, MB, Audi are going to more hybrid drive trains. It sounds to me that Cadi might be trying to meet where these foreign makes are going.

 

[MikeMike]

The only differences the production version will have, is A: it wont be the platinum edition, however this will come
B: projector headlights, unless you go platinum, then you get the LED lights
C: LCD's instead of the OLED screens on the inside
D: usable mirrors
E: materials on the interior will change slightly for non platinum buyers...
F: the fact that this car will probably cost $60k at base, if not slightly less, so you realise it does NOT compete with the S-class in prices...

 

[exar333]

I'd say a considerable amount. How many lawyers/doctors who buy cars like this will want to show up at golf friday morning with their lawyer/doctor friends driving a base V6 model? They'd get laughed at by the others in their AMGs and LWBs. And don't discount the willingness of old fogey's to buy the top engine option. My 75 year old grandmother bought a toyota 4 runner a few years back, and although the V6 would have been much smarter considering how far she drives, she bought the big honking V8 one. Also, my 80 year old grandfather bought a new toyota tundra pretty much solely because it had like 4 more ft-lb of torque

Buying to impress others = fail.
Buying excess power when you barely drive 45mph = fail.

If most cars didn't have little badges to remind the stupid people they have have a "V8" or "V6" they wouldn't have a clue to what they drive. A base V6 would be OK for most people, but I would imagine the majority of these cars on the lots would be V8 versions. Look for a supercharged version down the road for those who need more power than a standard V8.

 

[yh125d]

I'm not saying buying to impress isn't fail, just saying it's often reality