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Ford Expedition, F-150 Limited and Cadillac V Series | Autoblog Podcast #583

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. First, they talk about the cars they've been driving, including the Ford Expedition, Ford F-150 Limited and the Mini Cooper JCW Knights Edition. Then they discuss the news, including Ian Callum stepping down from Jaguar, Cadillac's V cars and the latest in the saga between FCA and Renault. Autoblog Podcast #583 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving: Ford Expedition Ford F-150 Limited Mini Cooper JCW Knights Edition Ian Callum resigns from Jaguar Cadillac V FCA backs down from Renault merger talks Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Mystery shoppers love Infiniti, hate Tesla

Infiniti, followed by Lexus tied with Mercedes-Benz took the top two spots for best sales experience according to mystery shoppers from the latest Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, while EV manufacturer Tesla recorded the lowest overall score. Not surprisingly, premium brands dominated the top ranks. Including the three already mentioned, luxury brands occupied seven of the top ten spots and included Audi, BMW, Porsche, and the only American brand to crack the upper echelon, Cadillac. Toyota, Volkswagen, and Nissan rounded out the first ten positions. The news for domestic automakers isn't good. Aside from Caddy, the only other star-spangled automaker to score above the industry average is Chrysler. The rest of FCA, most of GM, and all of Ford fell below the line. But Pied Piper's mystery shoppers handed Tesla the biggest walloping – the company is ten full points below the next lowest brand, Volvo, and its score of 86 is 17 below the average of 103. It's baffling, considering the company's touted direct-sales model. "Tesla leaves me scratching my head," Fred O'Hagan, Pied Piper's president and CEO, told Wards Auto. "They own all of their stores, so you would think each one would be doing the same thing. But they're not. Tesla is consistent in its inconsistencies." O'Hagan added that there's a "huge variation" in Tesla's store-to-store effectiveness, and that in some cases, shoppers found showroom workers that acted more like "museum curators," Wards Auto reports. It might be popular to call Tesla the Apple of the car world, but based on Pied Piper's work, the brand has a long way to go to emulate the uniform shopping experience of an Apple Store. The news might be bad for Tesla, but even for the brands that scored below average, there's cause for celebration. Only Tesla and Mini lost points in this year's rankings, and only Mercedes and Lincoln held steady. Every other brand, including Infiniti, which topped the index for the first time, gained at least one point. The biggest improvements belong to Porsche, Land Rover, and Mitsubishi, which all jumped five points. Pied Piper's annual Prospect Satisfaction Index uses mystery shoppers – over 6,100 this year – from across the country to assess dealers and generate rankings from over 50 individual factors. News Source: Pied Piper via WardsAuto Green Audi BMW Cadillac Chrysler Infiniti Lexus Mercedes-Benz Nissan Tesla Toyota Car Buying Car Dealers study

2021 Cadillac CT5-V makes a few changes for its second year

An order guide for the 2021 Cadillac CT5-V reveals a number of small changes to the sedan's formula going into its second year on the market. Starting with the superficial, the $1,225 Red Obsession Tintcoat exterior color and the $625 CT5-V-exclusive Royal Spice Metallic depart after this model year. They'll be replaced by Infrared Tintcoat and another color exclusive to this model called Rift Metallic. Since all but Summit White and Black Raven are cost-option Premium hues, the new colors should be expected to add to the price. Materially, the interior finish spiffs up with better-quality Modena leather stitched around the steering wheel rim, and Senza leather on the wheel center.    Next year, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay will come standard, a promotion over the current wired systems. Getting around the infotainment screens will be easier thanks to a rotary dial that can slide laterally to choose menu items. The digital radio moves up to SiriusXM 360L, providing 4G streaming functionality. For the younger drivers in the family, the Teen Driver System will include Buckle to Drive. On the current CT5-V, the Navigation and Bose Premium Audio Package adds the Cadillac user experience with navigation, a 15-speaker Bose audio system, and an eight-inch configurable Driver Information Center display between the dash cluster gauges. For 2021, the eight-inch display is discontinued, so the package gains wireless phone charging. A new Technology Package replaces the current eight-inch DIC with a 12-inch configurable digital gauge cluster that sprouts a head-up display taken from the Driver Awareness Plus Package. The Technology Package will be included in the Platinum Package that right now costs $6,290, and that automatically adds the $4,190 Premium Package and $1,950 Driver Assist and Advanced Security Package. Based on current prices, the order guide indicates the Platinum Package will cost at least $12,430. Because of such bundling, the same package on the 2020 CT5-V 'roids up the MSRP by $13,730. Without ordering the Platinum Package, both the Navigation and Technology Packages will require the Premium Package.