2008
CADILLAC NEW CAR MODEL GUIDE
 Capping
all styling and technical innovations
at General Motors, Cadillac continues
to upgrade its world-class marque. In
2008, look for new designs on Cadillac's
CTS sports sedan and STS touring sedan.
Exclusive Platinum Series models go to
the DTS and STS sedans, plus the XLR luxury
roadster. Also, Escalade the SUV spins
off an Escalade Hybrid, packing a hybrid
propulsion system that improves fuel economy.
 DTS
Cadillac's large-scale luxury sedan in
front-wheel-drive (FWD) format rides on
a stretched platform and provides a deluxe
cabin with extensive appointments. Th
powertrain is Cadillac's NorthStar 4.6-liter
V8 tuned to 275 horsepower or 292 horsepower
through GM's Hydra-Matic four-speed automatic.
Safety systems and chassis control technologies
include six standard air bags, StabiliTrak
and Magnetic Ride Control (MRC). Two new
available safety devices — Lane Departure
Warning and Side Blind Zone Alert —
bring audible and visual warnings to improve
driver awareness. The new Platinum Series
for the DTS loads up on luxury gear with
handcrafted leather.
 STS
Cadillac's mid-size touring sedan presents
a new face in 2008 with revamped front
styling featuring a multi-faceted grille,
lower fascia with new intake port and
air extractors on fenders. The standard
powertrain for the STS is a new 3.6-liter
Direct Injection V6 with variable valve
timing (VVT) for 302 horsepower or the
NorthStar 4.6-liter VVT V8 zipped to 320
horsepower. Both vehicles offer all-wheel-drive
(AWD) traction as an option and a new
Performance Handling Package with the
StabiliTrak skid controller tied to active
front steering and Brembo brakes. Also
new this year is the exclusive Platinum
edition with upgraded luxury touches.
 STSv
Cadillac creates a brand-within-the-brand
for muscle cars sporting the v-badge,
perhaps to denote 'velocity.' In a bold
design, the STS touring sedan scores a
v-badge treatment with supercharged performance
from a NorthStar 4.4-liter V8 boosted
way up to 469 horsepower — making
it the most powerful production Cadillac
ever. It mates with GM's Hydra-Matic 6L80
six-speed automatic transmission. Body
enhancements include a larger front grille
in stainless wire mesh and ducts in the
lower fascia to cool big brakes.
 CTS
This sports sedan made history in 2003
as the first rear-wheel-drive (RWD) vehicle
in Cadillac's fleet since 1979. It is
also the first manual transmission for
a RWD Caddy in half a century. In 2008,
a makeover for the Generation 2 CTS brings
new package styling with a bold front
grille patterned after the Cadillac Sixteen
concept car. The new CTS gets a wheeltrack
two inches wider, RWD or AWD traction
options and a forceful new engine. The
3.6-liter Direct Injection VVT V6 hits
304 horsepower and works with a six-speed
manual shifter by Aisin or GM's Hydra-Matic
6L50 six-speed automatic.
 XLR
Riding on a Corvette platform, Cadillac's
two-seat luxury sports car reflects keen
body shapes as a luxurious hardtop coupe,
which drops its lid with the push of a
console switch. The XLR's exterior theme
of chiseled lines extends into the cockpit
with sculptured bucket seats covered in
leather and trimwork and polished aluminum
metal plus lacquered wood. Go power stems
from a NorthStar 4.6-liter VVT V8 pump
320 horsepower through the Hydra-Matic
6L50 six-speed automatic. Two special
editions roll out in 2008, the XLR Platinum
and XLR Alpine White Limited Edition,
wearing a chrome grille and 18-inch chrome
wheels.
 XLRv
Cadillac's XLR sports car is the foundation
for a special v-badged performance model.
The XLRv stocks a supercharged 4.4-liter
NorthStar V8 with 443 horsepower through
GM's new six-speed 6L80 automatic. The
XLRv rolls on 10-spoke aluminum wheels
in a silver finish and sports a mesh grille,
big Brimbo brakes, recalibrated MRC settings
and revised suspension stabilizer bars.
The aggressive face features a thick bumper
lip, a prominent horizontal mesh steel
panel in modern interpretation of the
Cadillac egg-crate grille and piercing
optics with stacked round projector-type
headlamps, resembling camera lenses mounted
on vertical corners.
 SRX
Cadillac's mid-size crossover utility
vehicle (CUV) rides on a car-based platform
and offers RWD or AWD traction. The engines
include the 3.6-liter V6 VVT for 255 horsepower
or the NorthStar 4.6-liter V8 VVT rated
at 320 horsepower. A five-speed 5L40 Hydra-Matic
automatic with Driver Shift Control (DSC)
goes to the V6, while the V8 ties to the
6L50 Hydra-Matic six-speed automatic.
The cabin layout reveals twin buckets
in the front and a bench for three in
the second row. An optional bench for
two is available, as a third row raises
the rider count to seven.
 Escalade
Cadillac's full-size SUV stretches more
than 18 feet in length and tip the scales
just shy of 3 tons. It carries a leather-wrapped
cabin with seats for seven and upgraded
materials in tonal treatments of Ebony
or Cocoa-on-Cashmere. Either RWD or AWD
traction is applied through a huge aluminum
6.2-liter V8 VVT engine, which delivers
403 horsepower. Standard equipment ranges
from rain-sensing wipers and a power liftgate,
to a remote-control starter and rear parking
assist with options for a deluxe Bose
audio system and a DVD video entertainment
kit. The ultra-luxury Escalade Platinum
edition debuts later this model-year.
 Escalade
ESV
Extending 21 inches longer than the Escalade,
the ESV is a super-size SUV dressed with
Escalade's lavish features plus class-capping
muscle. It also develops high-gross vehicle
weight ratings (GVWR) and tow numbers.
The ESV gets Escalade's 6.2-liter V8 worth
403 horsepower. The engine uses the Hydra-Matic
6L80 six-speed automatic transmission
with power sent to all wheels through
the AWD mechanism. Layout for the leather-wrapped
cabin includes three tiers of seats. Two
buckets go up front, the second row houses
power fold-and-tumble buckets or a bench,
while a split back bench folds or pulls
out like a rollaboard suitcase.
 Escalade
EXT
The Escalade EXT has the big cabin of
a four-door SUV with the abbreviated bed
of a pickup truck and a link between the
cab and truck bed in the fold-down rear
gate. As a unique sport utility truck
(SUT), the EXT variation of the Escalade
can convert from a comfortable four-door,
five-person SUV to a practical pickup
capable of hauling cargo as well as passengers.
Muscle comes from Escalade's high-output
6.2-liter V8 that hits 403 horsepower.
AWD traction is stock on the EXT.
 Escalade
Hybrid
This variation of Cadillac's full-size
SUV is a new hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).
It uses a dual-mode hybrid propulsion
system, which integrates an automatic
transmission with a hybrid-electric drive
system. At low speeds, the Escalade Hybrid
moves using the electric motor or the
gas-fired V8, or a combination of both.
At highway speeds, the second mode works
with all eight cylinders of the engine
pumping when commanded, or with only four
cylinders through GM's Active Fuel Management
(AFM) technology to conserve fuel.
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