1994 Cadillac Sedan Deville Base Sedan 4-door 4.9l on 2040-cars

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Here are a few of our automotive guilty pleasures

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. The world is full of cars, and just about as many of them are bad as are good. It's pretty easy to pick which fall into each category after giving them a thorough walkaround and, more important, driving them. But every once in a while, an automobile straddles the line somehow between good and bad — it may be hideously overpriced and therefore a marketplace failure, it may be stupid quick in a straight line but handles like a drunken noodle, or it may have an interior that looks like it was made of a mess of injection-molded Legos. Heck, maybe all three. Yet there's something special about some bad cars that actually makes them likable. The idea for this list came to me while I was browsing classified ads for cars within a few hundred miles of my house. I ran across a few oddballs and shared them with the rest of the team in our online chat room. It turns out several of us have a few automotive guilty pleasures that we're willing to admit to. We'll call a few of 'em out here. Feel free to share some of your own in the comments below. Dodge Neon SRT4 and Caliber SRT4: The Neon was a passably good and plucky little city car when it debuted for the 1995 model year. The Caliber, which replaced the aging Neon and sought to replace its friendly marketing campaign with something more sinister, was panned from the very outset for its cheap interior furnishings, but at least offered some decent utility with its hatchback shape. What the two little front-wheel-drive Dodge models have in common are their rip-roarin' SRT variants, each powered by turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines. Known for their propensity to light up their front tires under hard acceleration, the duo were legitimately quick and fun to drive with a fantastic turbo whoosh that called to mind the early days of turbo technology. — Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski  Chevrolet HHR SS: Chevy's HHR SS came out early in my automotive journalism career, and I have fond memories of the press launch (and having dinner with Bob Lutz) that included plenty of tire-smoking hard launches and demonstrations of the manual transmission's no-lift shift feature. The 260-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder was and still is a spunky little engine that makes the retro-inspired HHR a fun little hot rod that works quite well as a fun little daily driver.

Cadillac ATS-V and Mercedes-AMG C63 S pitted Head to Head

Our favorite (and only) Autoblog-alum-turned-Motor Trend staffer is back with another Head to Head video, this time pitting the Cadillac ATS-V with the Mercedes-AMG C63 S. This performance machine shootout is ostensibly a way to figure out which of these new super sedans will earn the right to go toe-to-toe with the undisputed champion of its segment, the BMW M3. In reality, it's just a really good excuse to put three of the hottest sedans on the market on video at the same time... and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. Jonny Lieberman spends time in each of the two new challengers on the road, picking apart their powertrains, chassis and driving dynamics on the kinds of twisty roads drivers of these cars will relish. Then, he hands the keys off to Randy Pobst, who sort of acts as an unmasked version of a certain tame racing driver, except that he talks and has a personality. 0-60 and quarter-mile times are equated, braking performance is measured and scores are tallied before the two sport sedans end up at Willow Springs raceway. Interestingly enough, the car that proves (just slightly) faster at the race track isn't the car that wins the comparison. Curious? We're not going to spoil it for you. Check out the video, above. Then, for more action of these two machines, check out the videos just below. Related Video: News Source: Motor Trend Channel via YouTube BMW Cadillac Mercedes-Benz Luxury Performance Videos Sedan motor trend cadillac ats-v mercedes-amg c63

2021 Cadillac Escalade First Drive | Opulence at a cost

The Cadillac Escalade is one of the most recognizable cars in America, both on the road and in the minds of consumers. It is equal parts profit machine and pop culture icon, and it sits atop GM’s heavy-hitting hierarchy of body-on-frame SUVs. Sure, Cadillac may hold most of the cards in the luxury SUV marketing game, but itÂ’s not the only player. For starters, the Lincoln Navigator is quite good, and it takes a very similar approach to truck-based luxury. Both are flashy, cushy and high-tech, and their tuning acknowledges that driving dynamics will never be the strong suit of vehicles this large – though ride comfort certainly can be. To make matters worse, the Europeans are getting serious about their three-row SUV game, and while they may not offer the same body-on-frame capability you get from the Americans, they more than make up for it with brand prestige and state-of-the-art engineering. With such solid competition, Cadillac was not in a position to just phone in the EscaladeÂ’s redesign. The highlight of that effort is a new platform, shared with the new Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, that finally features an independent rear suspension. There's also the gorgeous and tech-rich interior featuring a 38-inch curved OLED dash screen, a new diesel engine option and – stop us if youÂ’ve heard this one before – Super Cruise. While the Escalade does share its fundamentals with the Tahoe and Yukon, the Cadillac-branded variant of GMÂ’s big truck platform always gets special treatment. Only the very base model is available without a leather interior, for example, and the aforementioned in-cabin tech is exclusive to the Escalade. YouÂ’re also limited to just two engine options: the standard 420-horsepower V8 that's the range-topping option on GM's other SUVs, and the new 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel inline-six that's good for 277 hp and a V8-matching 460 pound-feet of torque. Both are paired with GMÂ’s 10-speed automatic transmission, and thereÂ’s no price difference, regardless of trim.   Like CadillacÂ’s other offerings, the 2021 Escalade has a split trim hierarchy. Above the base model, you can choose one of two paths: Premium or Sport. The Premium Luxury and Premium Luxury Platinum are your more traditional, flashier options, with lots of chrome and a rich, warm interior. The Sport and Sport Platinum are for those who prefer a more modern, subtle aesthetic, with blackout exterior trim and more subdued interior finishes.