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2016 Cadillac ELR gets more power, $9,000 price drop

Cadillac has announced a series of updates to the ELR for 2016 that promises to make the plug-in hybrid luxury coupe a more desirable proposition. Perhaps chief among them is a price drop of $9,005 compared to the slow-selling 2014 model. The news follows an announcement yesterday that the Chevy Spark would get a $1,500 price drop. Cadillac is quoting a net price for the updated ELR at $58,495, which is obviously substantially less than the $75k it was asking for the previous version. But it's important to note that the new price is listed after US federal tax credits. The 2014 model came in at $67,500 after the full $7,500 tax credit, so math tells us that Cadillac has slashed the price on the 2016 ELR rather dramatically by about nine grand with a new MSRP of $65,995. One big upgrade on the performance front is a 25-percent boost in output from the hybrid powertrain that marries a pair of electric motors to a 1.4-liter inline-four gasoline-burning generator. The increase is said to be enough to drop 1.5 seconds off the 0-60 time, now quoted at 6.4 seconds. It'll travel for up to 39 miles on electric mode alone, but with the generator spooled up will go up to 330 miles before needing to stop. The engine management software has also been updated and the regenerative braking system reconfigured as well, but GM's luxury division didn't stop at the powertrain, fitting the 2016 ELR with a raft of other enhancements. Visually there's a new grille with the marque's latest emblem embedded. The suspension has been stiffened, the steering recalibrated and the brakes optimized for better feel. Cadillac is also throwing in the previously optional Driver Assistance package of active safety systems as standard, with adaptive cruise control available as an option. And the infotainment system comes with OnStar, 4G LTE connectivity and on-board Wi-Fi. There's even a Performance Package available with 20-inch performance tires offering 10-percent better lateral grip, four-piston Brembo brake calipers up front to help reducing stopping distances by 12 percent, recalibrated dampers and steering and a thicker-rimmed steering wheel. Because of the higher rolling resistance tires, however, the Performance Package kills four miles off of the electric driving range.

2021 Cadillac Escalade's EPA highway fuel economy is worse than before

EPA fuel economy estimates for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade are out, and the news is mostly not good. The redesigned SUV sees slim to no improvement in the Feds' city ratings, and its highway numbers are considerably worse than before. These are estimates for the standard 6.2-liter V8. Figures for the no-cost-optional 3.0-liter turbodiesel six have not been released yet. Specifically, the rear-wheel-drive 2021 Escalade has estimates of 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 17 mpg combined. Compared to the outgoing 2020 version, powered by the same 6.2L V8, those numbers represent a 1 mpg improvement in city (the lone piece of good news) but are 3 mpg worse on the highway. With all-wheel drive, the 2021 Escalade can't even get out of the teens, with EPA ratings of 14 mpg city, 19 mpg highway, and 16 mpg combined. That's the same city rating as before and a 2 mpg decline versus the 2020 model's highway rating. For further comparison, cross-town rival Lincoln's Navigator with its 3.5-liter turbo V6 manages 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway (RWD) and 16/21 with AWD. No one expects an ultra-large, body-on-frame, three-row SUV to achieve Prius-like levels of fuel efficiency, but it's pretty rare these days to see such backsliding with a fresh redesign. Here's hoping the diesel variant will have a happier story to tell. Related Video:

2020 Cadillac XT6 fuel economy announced

Thanks to the EPA's fuel economy website, we finally know how frugal the 2020 Cadillac XT6, the brand's first three-row crossover, is with gasoline. The most efficient is the front-wheel-drive version, getting 18 mpg in the city, 25 on the highway and 20 in combined driving. The all-wheel-drive XT6 is just barely behind it with 17 mpg in town, 24 on the highway, and 20 combined. Both versions share the same 3.6-liter V6 with 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque and the same nine-speed automatic transmission. These numbers put the Cadillac XT6 very much on par with the competition. Both the four-cylinder and V6 versions of the Audi Q7 get 21 mpg combined, just beating the XT6, and both feature standard all-wheel drive. The Q7 with an inline-four makes less power at 255 horses while matching the XT6's torque at 273 pound-feet. The V6's 329 horsepower and 325 pound-feet beat the Caddy, though. Both Audi and Cadillac have almost the same starting price at about $53,000. Every version of the Acura MDX tops the XT6, including the least-efficient MDX A-Spec, which manages 21 mpg in combined driving. The non-A-Spec all-wheel-drive model gets 22 mpg combined, and the front-drive MDX hits 23 mpg. But the best is the Sport Hybrid that delivers 27 mpg combined. All of the non-hybrid MDXs are less powerful and less torquey than the Cadillac, though, at 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. The Sport Hybrid is a bit more powerful and torquey than the Cadillac with 321 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque. The Acura does start at a lower price of just over $45,000. The XT6 does beat one of its three-row crossover rivals, though. Its 20 mpg combined rating is comfortably ahead of the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class's most efficient V6 version at just 18 mpg. But the Mercedes also delivers 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and there are even more powerful, but less efficient, V8s on offer. The Mercedes is much more expensive than the Cadillac with a base price of over $70,000.