Its a different style than the current caddys. Sure its an OK looking car, but its a step backwards.

 

Excellent explanation!!

Perfectly said.

Cadillac needs to retain it's distinctive cutting edge styling... It's working... roll with it!

 

BMW and Mercedes Benz didn;t get where they are with cutting edge, like it or not styling. Me thinks if the CTS was a little less akward sales would be even greater. Seems Cadillac is attracting new buyers with its current styling at the risk of alienating it's current base and desired (BMW buyer base). Aside from some hip hop stars I doubt many MB or BMW buyers are looking at anything buy maybe the CTS-V. GM needs to beat the German's with better engineered cars...not like it or not wrappers.

The Sixteen may not be as daring, but alot of people seemed to intsantly like it at first glance than they did any of the Art and Science cars..with the exception of the Cein.

 

My first thought when I saw the CTS were "BMW 3-Series" competitor.

I think it's right there....

Perhaps 'cutting edge' styling isn't what got BMW and M-B their reputations, but who's to say that there is not more than one path to the same place?

BMW has a clear, distinctive brand identity... Cadillac is now establishing that with distinctive, cutting edge Arts & Sciences styling, and even moreso, IMO.

As far as better engineered cars... well, I have yet to hear anything bad about CTS, except the occasional interior gripe and lack of power gripe, which are being address for MY2004 anyway. The funny thing aboabout the lack of power gripe is that CTS has better power for 2003 than the base 3-series!

CTS styling and Sigma engineering are winning people over!

 

Cadillac's engineering is great, but I am willing to bet very few people compare it to a BMW. For instance, ride in an Escalade...then ride in a X5....It becomes painfully obvious that the Escalde is a warmed over Tahoe and the X5 is a purpose built luxury/performance SUV.

The CTS is great, and the new STS is gonna be good, but I feel they will need more to be taken seriously...and a styling that appeals to a wider audience.

The Sixteen unlike the Art and Science cars is undeniably Cadillac in appearence...long hood, low roofline, elegent curves, just my opinion though.

 

However, you must've missed the link to the article on the new SRX I posted last week. Seems in this critic's eyes the SRX rode more comfortably and was more stable than the X5 and had less wind/road noise than the all new Lexus SUV (whatever alphabet soup name it has), which was painstakingly developed to reduce interior noise....

 

BMW and Mercedes got to where they are over many years of a built up reputation.

On the other hand, Cadillac had to resort to it's strong styling statement to overcome it's less than stellar reputation, and get people to stop and take a second look. And in one of GM's ingenious acts, it worked like nobody's business! Just think, a combination of new quality commitment, a new looks, and a serious RWD chassis has moved Cadillac from second bananna to Lincoln to near (and very realistically, soon to pass) BMW's position in the market place in less than 3 years!

Sixteen is a beautiful car. But it could wear the Lincoln or Chrysler nameplate just as comfortably. That's where the problem is. A problem you don't have looking at the twin kidney's of the BMW, or the grill and smoothed out conventional bodies of Mercedes.