2006 Cadillac Sts V8 on 2040-cars

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Lego's 18.5-inch Ghostbusters Ecto-1 will make you feel like bustin'

If there's something strange in your neighborhood, Lego has something to help you take care of those non-terminal repeating phantasms or class-five full-roaming vapors. This week, it announced a supremely detailed version of the Ecto-1, the iconic 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance from the 1984 film classic, Ghostbusters. The set is comprised of a whopping 2,352 Lego pieces and when completed, will measure 18.5 inches long. It's one of the more accurate Lego vehicles the company has created, and features a steering box connecting the steering wheel to the front wheels, hinged doors and an opening hood with replica V8 engine inside. Like the movie car, it's packed with ghost-fighting gadgetry. There's a rotating ghost-sniffer activated by the wheels, a gunner seat that deploys from one of the rear doors, and a roof rack stacked with loads of spirit-trapping gear. Lego says it's even got some easter eggs that will be discovered as the kit is assembled. Lego says that two automotive pieces were developed specifically for the Ecto-1: a 6x14 curved windscreen and a five-module steering wheel. These should translate well to other vehicles in the future or for custom builds. Notably, this kit was designed by the Michael Psiaki, who created Lego's James Bond Aston Martin DB5 kit. The set is released as a tie-in with the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie. It was supposed to be released this summer but was delayed until (as of now) June 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As for the Ecto-1 kit, it will hit shelves Nov. 15 just in time for holiday shopping.

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 CT4 spy shots reveal sedan-heavy approach in age of SUVs

You're looking at some pictures of the 2020 Cadillac CT4, which will be smaller than the upcoming CT5. And since they're both smothered in similar-looking camouflage, which is specifically intended to confuse, you might think they look pretty similar. In isolated photos, it's sometimes hard to tell which sedan you're looking at. In fact, when we first saw this car recently, we also thought it was a CT5. Here's how we know they're actually two different cars. Some background: The CT5 is slated to replace the CTS, and to try and find the balance that the old car couldn't achieve in the lineup. Cadillac's former CEO previously stated that this car would also fill in for the ATS, which is on its way out. Whatever it ends up being, it'll have to make a clear case for itself against the CT6 — it can't be too close in size and opulence, or they'll hurt each other in sales. And the CT5 can't be too small, or it will struggle against traditional midsize luxury cars. The CT4 could further complicate matters for the exact same reasons, just in a smaller package. How small can Cadillac make it? It seems poised to replace the wonderful-to-drive ATS, which was as allergic to sales as the XTS. This will give Cadillac a three-sedan lineup: CT4, CT5, and CT6. Let's hope there's enough differentiation between them to prevent consumer confusion and sales cannibalization — and that consumers understand the CT6's promotion via attrition to top dog in the sedan lineup. With all that out of the way, let's look more closely at the CT4 (above left) and CT5 (right). The CT4's greenhouse stops closer to the centerline of the rear wheels than the CT5's. That gives the CT5 a visually longer, leaner look, more of a semi-fastback arrangement. The CT5's rear vanity window should resemble the CT6's, with a glass element behind the door opening. The CT4 will have a more conventional vanity window in the door, like the ATS. Perhaps the quickest "tell" is the size of the side-view mirrors, which are rounder in the CT4 and leaner in the CT5. Out back, the CT4 has a lower cutout for the license plate than the CT5. The exhaust outlets are also different, although that may change for production. Remember, the big full-width rear lights are probably misdirection on the part of the GM camo team. The entire rear decklid of the CT4 has more roundedness to it, while the CT5's extra width gives it more room up top to spread the decklid out a little flatter.