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Cadillac Catera arrives with American luxuries, Euro manners
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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Say you're the upscale sort whose taste in wheels tips to the cushy side of comfort but also toward the precise end of mechanicals for no-nonsense performance.
You'd like to buy Detroit steel but secretly admire fancy Euro cars whose prices peg to Germany's deutsche mark.
If that describes the private tug-of-war you face when contemplating your next car purchase, look out: Catera's coming and it's aimed right at you.
Catera?
That's the latest Cadillac to take on European airs.
Derived from the European mid-size Opel rear-wheel-drive Omega MV6 sedan, Catera rides on a beefed up Opel chassis that comes together in Germany and mates with a 200 hp Opel V6 engine built by General Motors in England and a 4-speed electronic GM automatic transmission from France.
Catera's cabin, with twin bucket seats forward and a bench for three in back, contains power-driven controls and plush comfort features.
With its stiff chassis and responsive steering and suspension, the new sedan performs crisp and lively pavement maneuvers in the manner of European sports sedans.
Cadillac's new car comes ashore with price points which compete strongly against the Europeans. During a recent California test drive in a Catera prototype with Catera's brand manager David Nottoli aboard, Nottoli confided that Catera's bottom dips as low as $30,000.
Catera's development represents a shift in Cadillac's traditional marketing strategy and it coincides with evolving demographics among luxury car consumers. As the sun sets on the land yacht crowd, the sun also rises on the Baby Boomer brigade now nearing the age of 50 and in significant numbers moving into the affluent market for near-luxury automobiles.
This recent shift in the composition of the luxury car market becomes apparent when comparing percentage segments of type of buyer.
In 1991, purchasers of traditional large luxury cars like Cadillac's Brougham, Fleetwood and Sedan DeVille dominated the market at 52 percent, while entry luxury customers only accounted for 25 percent of sales.
By 1995, the traditional segment had dwindled to 35 percent while buyers in pursuit of affordable luxury vehicles increased to 39 percent. And so it goes.
Boomer shoppers -- affluent, educated and product savvy -- as a rule don't bring to market any semblance of brand loyalty, according to Nottoli. They read labels, study product comparative reviews, like to shop around.
For their autos, big is bad but mid-size is good.
Regarding point of origin, automakers from Europe -- and particularly Germany -- have the lock on this market.
"Boomers," observed Nottoli, "prefer tighter suspensions and responsive handling. They want cars that are sporty, safe, luxurious and long-lasting."
Cadillac wants to capture a share of this crowd, and as bait it will use Catera.
The fact that Catera comes from Europe and carries Euro-style performance traits gives Cadillac an inside edge, Nottoli predicted.
Catera contains MacPherson struts with stabilizer bar in an independent front suspension system, plus a cockpit rigged with leather-clad bucket seats and a host of comfort and convenience features.
In back-to-back Catera comparative tests against potential luxury competitors from Europe and Japan, the Cadillac performed admirably.
On twisty California canyon roads, Catera exhibited an aggressive posture and clearly surpassed others in terms of lateral stability and responsive ride quality.
On the inside, it's quiet like a Cadillac. Seats feel firm and supportive, as plush features keep you coddled in luxurious comfort.
Catera's also an improvement over the Opel original.
Chassis enhancements and noise-reduction measures by Cadillac fine-tune a vehicle that was already impressive.
For instance, the Omega's chassis was strengthened with additional bracing at key flex points, then the front suspension's lower control arms were stretched to increase stiffness and produce a more athletic ride quality.
Also, modifications were made to control noise and vibration in Omega.
Exterior drip rails and trailing edge of the front hood were reshaped to stem wind noise, a hard-mounted engine cradle and hydrobushings were added to isolate engine vibrations, as extra insulation and seals were installed throughout the car to create a quality of quietness in the passenger compartment comparable to Cadillac's standards.
Omega's twin-cam 3.0-liter V6 -- produced at GM's Elsmere Port Engine Plant in England and designed to sustain high-speed sprints on German autobahns -- serves as power fountain for Catera, but changes in a multi-ram 3-mode intake system generate more low-speed and mid-range torque, which suits America's style of slower driving in fast lanes.
Top speed, electronically limited, runs to 125 mph.
Tests by Cadillac indicate the relatively hefty Catera will send its analog speedometer's needle from zero to the mark of 60 mph in 8.5 seconds.
Catera's transmission, the electronically-controlled 4-speed GM 4L35E produced at GM Strasbourg, France, employs adaptive logic to tailor shifts to specific driving conditions. Finger buttons allow the driver to choose from three shift programs -- normal, sport or winter, the latter with third-gear start to minimize wheel slippage.
Catera arrives with a steel safety cage surrounding the passenger compartment, front and rear crash zones built into its structural architecture, plus side door beams and a collapsible steering column.
Driver and front passenger each get an adjustable 3-point safety belt and two air bags -- one in front and a second mounted on the door to shield against side impacts.
A traction control system and 4-wheel disc brakes with 3-channel anti-lock system also appear on Catera's list of standard features.
1997 CADILLAC CATERA
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1997 CADILLAC CATERA Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size sport/luxury sedan |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size sport/luxury sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
107.4 inches |
| Overall Length: |
192.5 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 3.0-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Rear |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
18/28 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 30,000 to $ 36,000 |
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