2013 Cadillac Cts V Coupe 2-door 6.2l Limited Edition Silver Frost Matte 1of 100 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 1981 Cadillac Eldorado with V8-6-4 engine

Skyrocketing fuel prices caused by geopolitical events in 1973 and 1979 led to gas lines, federal fuel economy requirements, and an increasing reluctance on the part of American car shoppers to buy big, thirsty Detroit luxury machines. General Motors had pulled off some amazing technological feats in the past — the small-block Chevrolet V8 engine and Hydramatic transmission being two extraordinarily successful ones — and so Cadillac's bosses figured that a combination of computer wizardry and clever mechanical engineering would give the 368-cubic-inch Cadillac V8 a cylinder-deactivation system and resulting superior fuel economy. Here's a very rare example of one of those 1981 Cadillacs, found in a California self-service wrecking yard. The idea behind the V8-6-4 was that computer-controlled solenoids would physically disengage the rocker arms for one or two cylinders on each engine bank under low-load conditions, converting the engine from a 368-cube V8 to a 276ci V6 or 184ci V4 (that's 6.0, 4.5 or 3.0 liters, respectively, for the metric-system aficionados among us). This sort of variable-displacement magic is commonplace today, but it was science-fiction stuff in 1981. An "MPG Sentinel" display on the dash would let the driver know how many cylinders were active at the moment, and the car would get Chevy Citation fuel economy with Cadillac luxury. The V8-6-4 was the standard engine in all 1981 Cadillacs (except for the Seville, which had the troubled Oldsmobile diesel engine as the base powerplant and the V8-6-4 as an option). Unfortunately, the V8-6-4 worked about as well as the Oldsmobile diesel: very poorly. Within a few years, most owners of these engines had disconnected the rocker-deactivation solenoids and just drove their cars as regular full-time V8s. This one has the snazzy "Cabriolet Roof Treatment" option, which boasted "textured elk grain" vinyl and could be had in one of 17 available colors. Front-wheel drive gave the early-1980s Eldorado plenty of interior space, despite its more proletarian Olds Toronado origins, and these velour-covered seats made for very comfortable road trips. The price tag started at $17,550, or about $51,650 in 2019 dollars. The 1981 Imperial went for $18,311, and that car was based on the same platform as the lowly Plymouth Volare. Meanwhile, A BMW 733i cost $28,945 and a new Toyota Cressida a mere $11,599. The 1981 Cadillacs were just a little too much ahead of their time, it turned out.

Hotter Cadillac CT4-V prototype spied testing at GM's Proving Grounds

Cadillac already teased us once with the hotter CT4-V and CT5-V at the Belle Isle Grand Prix, but these photos are still the best look yet at what's next for the Cadillac V-Series. The car we're looking at in heavy camouflage here is a high-performance CT4, but we don't really have a name to call it at this point. Cadillac hasn't said, so it could be anything. We'll just refer to it as the faster V, as it's certainly looking a bit more racy than the warmed-over CT4-V already revealed. While the styling isn't drastically different from the CT4-V already out there, the front intake and openings look deeper and more aggressive. The middle, raised section of the hood is a little taller and the whole front-end design looks a lot like the one teased in Belle Isle. This vehicle even appears to have the same mirror design as the faster V. The side sills, quad exhaust tips and wide rear tires lend this prototype an aggressive look, but we did note that it doesn't have the big ducktail spoiler we saw teased previously. Maybe Cadillac is trying to keep a low profile while testing. A keen eye will notice a wild apparatus attached to the front, which would serve as a great jousting pole if you were into that kind of thing. We don't know exactly when Cadillac plans to introduce the faster V machines, but we wouldn't doubt if it happened before the year was out. The ATS-V and CTS-V didn't look wholly different than the pedestrian versions of those cars, and this prototype indicates Caddy may follow a similar pattern this time around. All will be explained from GM soon, but for now, we wait.

2021 Cadillac CT5 Review | Is the price (and size) right?

The Cadillac CT5, which was brand new for the 2020 model year, took the place of the CTS in General Motors’ luxury sedan portfolio. Its mission is the same as the car it replaced: compete on equal footing with the German trio of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz along with Japanese brands Acura, Infiniti and Lexus. But it does so with a radically different package than the CTS. In place of the sharp corners and angular greenhouse of its predecessor is a smoother sedan with a flowing fastback shape. The new CT5 is also around $10,000 cheaper than the CTS it replaces, despite the fact that the two are within a few inches in exterior dimensions. So while it may be sized similarly to the cars it used to compete with, including the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class, it's now priced like a 3 Series or C-Class.  Clearly, Cadillac thinks this refined strategy will position the CT5 to better compete against those established luxury players. The car itself drives quite well and is stylish, well equipped, and that price-to-size ratio gives it a unique proposition to attract buyers away from the Europeans. What's new for 2021? The CT5 finally gets CadillacÂ’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous technology for 2021. It's the latest version that includes Lane Change on Demand functionality, but itÂ’s only available on Premium Luxury and V-Series trim levels. CaddyÂ’s sport sedan also gets a 12-inch digital gauge cluster with multiple themes, including a Track theme on the high-performance CT5-V. A new Diamond Sky special edition package will be offered on Premium Luxury CT4 and CT5 models, adding interior and exterior styling upgrades along with all-season run-flat tires on unique wheels. Additional updates include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a console-mounted rotary infotainment knob that enables left and right clicks to more easily navigate the infotainment system. 2020 Cadillac CT5 View 22 Photos   What's the CT5Â’s interior and in-car technology like? The Cadillac CT5 interior can best be described as “nice enough.” Unfortunately, "nice enough" isnÂ’t quite good enough to compare favorably with Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Volvo. We'd say it's not good enough to compare with cross-town rival Lincoln, either, but they won't be selling sedans in 2021.