The end of the world as we know it, part II
The same car that has Swade running for cover has those of us in the United States doing the same, but for a very different reason. It involves a Cadillac, a Hungarian-American automotive writer and a somewhat obscure race track in the American state of Virginia.
The car: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V
The Hungarian-American writer: Csaba Csere (pronounced Chubbuh Cheddah), the editor-in-chief of Car & Driver, a venerable American car magazine.
The track: the 4.2-mile Grand Course at Virginia International Raceway, near Danville, Virginia.
So, what involves all three of these things and could quite possibly spell the end of the world?
Cadillac beat BMW. In a mainstream automotive press event.
In fact, I could generalize and talk about how the world is coming to an end because any car beat the Teutonic Plague that is Bimmer in a real-world test of technology run by C&D. These “experts” are people that claim to actually like the current BMW style “language” (or more precisely, the lack thereof). It is not unknown for them to patently ignore the numbers and declare the competing Bimmer or Benz the winner simply because it “feels right” or it has “poise”.
This time, the numbers didn’t lie, and the BMW M3 actually came in third.
So, how did this happen? Well, for one thing, in the C&D Lightning Lap, the test is pretty straightforward; run the best lap times and you win. Simple. Second, the Caddy is that good. I truly believe that. After all, how many cars in this class make 556 bhp? Not very many. Not many at all.
So, in the Cadillac’s category (cars between US$30,000 and US$60,000), here’s the order of finish:
2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z51
2009 Cadillac CTS-V
2008 BMW M3
2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR
2008 BMW 135i
2008 Lexus IS F
2008 Audi S5
2008 Honda S2000 CR
2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8
2008 Lotus Elise SC
2008 Infiniti G37 Sport
2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2008 Volkswagen R32
2008 Honda Civic Mugen Si
I could go on and on. After all, the AMG Benz came in fourth. And, once again, the Nissan experienced brake fade as I’ve noted in snippets in a previous test. Perhaps most surprisingly, the Subaru WRX finished well back in the pack despite its obvious advantages on a road course like this one.
Read the entire article if you want a pretty good overview of some of Saab’s sporting competition.
The end may indeed be near.
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The surprising results from that C&D track day in Virginia may turn some fence-sitters onto Caddy simply due to those numbers. But I think as most Saab drivers know, performance isn’t everything. Utility, smart performance and understated “form follows function” design are what most of us appreciate in our Saabs. Saab and Caddy are on completely different ends of the design spectrum. The phrase “bashed crab” comes to mind when I see a CTS. It wouldn’t matter if the CTS could shame a Bugatti Veyron - it just doesn’t appeal to me in any way whatsoever. A car has to visually appeal to me first before I step inside to gauge it’s performance, fit and finish. The CTS just sends me running in the other direction.
But that’s just me.
Richard
I still don’t understand the logic that if Cadillac does well then it is bad for Saab. Seems to me that Cadillac doing good means GM is doing good and that is a plus for Saab as well. Guess I must be thick.
did anyone see the cobalt ss lay the smack down on cars more than double its price?
Alright, I’m at a total loss here. Saab drivers are not speed demons. This car hasn’t been a staple of the trendy racing set since the mid-80’s and I wouldn’t want the car if it appealed to that demographic as I wouldn’t want to be associated with people who watch “The Fast and the Furious” as something other than an unintentional comedy.
If I were a speed demon I would not get a Saab anyways. You get it for its design, inside and out. And, sure, yes- it’s nice to have that turbo “whoosh” when you want it. But I live in a city so it doesn’t get much use and the practicality of a hatchback is priceless [I have a '02 9-3].
Eggs,
The BMW was driven with an automatic trans and the Caddy with a manual. There’s no excuse for BMWs transmission to act up the way it did… Not acceptable. Period. Could a manual (or properly working manu-matic) shave 0.8% off the time? Perhaps.
I like BMWs. So shoot me. I also absolutely give credit to GM for doing what they’ve done with Caddy. I’d love to drive one to feel for myself what they’re all about these days. (I don’t care for their looks though, so I don’t see myself owning one anytime soon). Now, GM, let’s see some investment in Saab.
I haven’t driven any BMW newer than an e36 M3 or an e34 M5, but seriously, they are some of the best-handling, most fun to drive cars I’ve ever driven. My dad’s e30 M3 is the most enjoyable drive I’ve ever had. Not exactly practical, but wow does it feel good.
If they had the practicality of my 9000 Aero, I might be in one today. Oh, an M3 wagon… that’d be the ticket. An Audi RS4 Avant… Interesting. Oh, so is the Turbo-X in SportCombi guise.
Then again, I buy my cars used, and I like the rarity of the Saabs. My least favorite thing about my past BMWs was the rampant belief that I was spoiled/snobbish/rich. I spent $4000 on it. Less than the most frequent offender spent on his stereo (true story).
I sure do enjoy my Aero. It’s truly a sleeper, and is a lot of fun to drive. I think a Viggen or 9-5 Aero wagon will replace it, but not too soon. It’s just too good to replace right now.
Thanks for the story Eggs. Hope all is well with you these days. (It sounds like football is treating you well. That’s not a bad thing, huh?)
~Peter
This only upsets me because GM has dumped (God knows how many) millions into Caddy just to produce this halo model for the marque. It makes a statement about Caddy’s engineering resources perhaps, but who the hell cares? Is this a smart investment for GM??? You can’t convince me that it is. These funds could have enabled Saab to introduce some REAL WORLD, excellent designs to Saab showrooms. And if GM just HAD to produce a halo model to impress the Europeans, the green light should have been given to Saab to do so. Saab is ALREADY respected and appreciated in Europe because a Saab has always been a driver’s car. This sporting Caddy is just an overpriced anomaly designed to flip BMW the bird, and I don’t think it’s going to pay off for GM.
In order:
“Bashed crab” doesn’t describe the CTS to me. I think it’s quite a looker.
The point isn’t that Caddy is better than BMW, it’s that a major auto rag admitted that at least for one day, that it was better. Again, this is about the magazine, not so much the cars.
Again, this isn’t about “speed demoning” as much as it is about the reaction of the press.
I don’t mind BMW per se, but I think that Bimmers are overpriced and ugly. They also have carte blanche with the press which I find very annoying.
Things that are good for Caddy are generally good for Saab. I’ve said that from the beginning. Swade’s take is that marketing efforts aimed at selling Cadillacs could be better used to market Saabs. In certain cases (BLS, for one), he’s right.
I’ve said more than once that I’m a target customer for the next gen 9-5. With this Cadillac on the market, I may be inclined to buy it instead. It’s that good. You Aussies and Euros can bash American “bling” American style, etc. all that you want. This car is less blingy than any Lexus and potentially less blingy than the BMW 7-series which has that awful, overwrought body work that would be at home on a Pontiac. If you really drop the biases that you have, you’ll see.
I’m with Mo. The big story is that the Cobalt SS was far ahead of anything in its class, and competitive with cars that cost twice as much and have way more horsepower.
Remember, that car has was “engineered by GM motorsports Sweden,” a.k.a. Saab.
The interior may be dreadful, but that car is sweet. A 9-1 with the same chassis and engine and more style would be great.
I just wish they would drop the truly awful short shifter. I wonder if the shift linkage from a 9-5 would fit?
Eggs & Swade, I haven’t seen a new Caddy in the metal but I am absolutely with GM in their support of Caddy. Why???
Because, it makes so much sense in the long run.
Lexus, BMW, MB and Audi,. They have international product that reflects the country of origin. Yes GM has lost their way for too long but, if there is a direction, it is that they must be proud of their heritage, their core brands and values. Cadillac may spell much of what GM has done wrong over the years, but it is also one of their best chances of doing something right. Toyota has spent untold millions (billions?) building a brand out of nothing, purely to rival the best of the Germans.
GM has a jewel already with Cadillac, maybe it needed polishing, and in fact it seems they have facetted it with the CTS. It is imperative that Cadillac becomes a truly global brand for GM.
Currently GM consists of many related but disconnected brands in different countries that is a double-edged sword. On one hand, local branding allows GM to take on some sense and feeling of being native (ie. Holden is Aussie right?). On the other hand GM does not have a unifying global face. They have realised that Cadillac is the key brand to be this face and rightly so.
I am not surprised that Caddy has taken centre stage at the Sydney show to the exclusion of Saab and Hummer. Cadillac is enormously important for GM. What I will find more tragic is if they stop the push and give up. This is a long hill to climb and GM has just started in earnest.
Cadillac is the pride of GM and it may not be everything to everybody but it is honest and it is GM.
As for the effect on Saab in Oz… The arrival of Caddy is the instigator for the Premium showrooms, which will mean that Saab buyers and owners stand to be treated a hell of a lot better than they are now. Likewise getting the car serviced will hopefully no longer mean lining up outside a Holden service-centre.
Eat it, M3. And look what’s ahead of the CTS-V. Go GM.
I’m not surprised where the AMG is. That car is ridiculous, and not in a good way.
Geoff - I drive really fast all the time, does that mean I shouldn’t be driving a Saab?
Actually the 2009 CTS-V beat the 2008 M5 in a test made by Road&Track (http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=31&article_id=6963). There will be a new updated M5 soon though, but for now the CTS-V is the “king” in its class.
As for the car&driver test, the LL2-group is very diverse and I doubt that many of the cars in the group is “competition” for SAAB, who seem more focused on putting out fuel efficient and environmentally friendly cars.
It’s not just Cadillac. GM is starting to sell Chevrolet outside the Americas. If the CTS is that good, then there is also promise for the upcoming Alpha platform small RWD Cadillacs.
I think the General may be big enough for all of us and I think it is because this global platform thing originally discussed more than ten years ago is actually getting done saving tons of R&D cash. It might also be because they have a strong leader at the top.
Based only on reading this site we possibly have:
Fall ‘09 the ‘10 9-5
Fall ‘09 the ‘10 9-4X in the US later for the World
Fall ‘09 Astra/Delta in Trollhattan
Fall ‘10 the ‘11 9-3 (Delta)
Fall ‘10 the ‘11 9-9 (Epsilon) - that’s never been mentioned on this site - SW
Fall ‘11 the ‘12 9-1 (Delta) or whatever it’s called, plus convertibles, wagons et al.
Then there are rumors of Sonnetts and the like.
That should keep us all entertained.
On the other hand, if SAAB is that smart, why does it take so long to put a lift kit and cladding on a 9-3 Wagon. Maybe we will just have show cars.
MarkS said: “These funds could have enabled Saab to introduce some REAL WORLD, excellent designs to Saab showrooms.”
Yes, those fund could have been used to produce a production car for Saab. Then again, the millions that Saab spends in concept cars could have (read: should have) been spent on making production Saabs. Both Saab and Cadillac have product development budgets the only difference is in the way they choose to use that budget. Cadillac choose to build a production car, Saab has chosen to make concept car after concept car. Who is at fault here?
I’m not a fan of GM wasting money on trying to distribute Cadillac world wide, so yes, some of that money is wasted. I just don’t approve of the frivolous spending that Saab itself does on cars it never produces. Instead, they should be making a car that can not only generate interest in the brand but one that can return an investment through sales to the general buying public.
gordon, what the hell is a 9-9
?
“Fall ‘10 the ‘11 9-9 (Epsilon)”
Gordon: To use a line from an Aussie movie which also played in the US (The Castle), “you’re dreaming”. With reports like this on GM today, I think they will consolidate and shed excess baggage which could likely include Saab. I don’t think GM are in a position to gamble with anything at the moment and keeping Saab won’t raise any real revenue for them for some time to come, and that’s if their gambles pay off.
Markac - I honestly don’t think GM will be selling Saab any time soon. They need their smarts.
The 9-9 was mentioned in that GMInsider’s feature on Saab, and it pops up occasionally when people speculate (read “journos who don’t really know anything about Saab make wild guesses”) about Saab’s future lineup.
Here is the GMInsider piece that talks about a 9-9. It’s pretty old at this point.
Yes. Dreaming. It’s true. If your glass is half full, then you can just put all the best case estimates together. This looks like a pretty good program. If, in fact, SAAB buyers are the richest, smartest GM buyers going, then the best way to sell more Cadillacs is to put them in the same showroom next to a fleet of new innovative SAABs. To sell those big CTS’s (to say nothing of STS and DTS), you need a 9-9. Here we come in all smart and rich looking to trade in our delightful marvelous beloved 9-5 and we walk out with a Cadillac. Who’s the smart one now, me or Bob Lutz.b
With Honda S2000 CR and Lotus Elise SC at least two proper sportscars are being driven around track and got somehow in this silly list. All the others are modified taxis with motor transplantations, would-be coupés & fashion items. And all the testing of exhuberant supercars is done for fun of the journo’s themselves & the magazine selling figures.
Next to the real sportcars only Impreza & 135i-yuppie-mobile deserve any attention.
A real 9-9 has a smart FWD chassis and at least features 3 saab-assembled two-stroke 3 cilinders with optional svc combined with the obvious twinturbo - all BioPowerd of course. And maybe possibility for XWD in 2015.
But that is before the renaissance bean counter give orders to use a V8 or a so called downsized V6 from the GM shelf, not to mention the RWD and the eventual preproduction model in 2019.
Markac: The stock market in the U.S. started tumbling again this morning as soon as the opening bell rang. GM has answered pundits by releasing a statement which said, “bankruptcy is not an option”. However, the television news channel I’m watching (CNN) is asking “then what is?”. They were out interviewing long-time employees at a GM Powertrain plant who are obviously nervous about the direction this is going. The bold headline on the Detroit news read simply, “Auto Fears Grow”.