Caddy's executive thrust

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), April 14, 2006

Byline: By Ian Johnson

Once regarded as an unattainable gas-guzzler in Britain, Cadillac is on track with a new model to carve a slice from the market sector dominated by BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

The new Cadillac BLS kicks in with prices between pounds 21,473 and pounds 31,398 and is an all-singing, all-dancing executive express with a highly individual styling.

Cadillac wants to leave its old image of the 'American Rolls-Royce' behind and get in there with the movers and shakers that dominate the management car parks.

The BLS goes on sale this week at a revamped 19-strong Stratstone dealer chain run by the giant Pendragon group.

BLS presents the image of modern American luxury with one difference ( it is built in Europe at a Saab factory in Sweden.

It shares the factory with Saab models but although there is a degree of General Motors interface between the two cars, the BLS is a quite different animal.

This is a Cadillac designed specifically for the needs of Europe. It hits the ground running because the company's sales in Western Europe last year rose by 73%.

It also marks another first because it is the first-ever Cadillac with a turbo-diesel engine. There are petrol engines available, but all eyes are on the diesel which offers a formidable new choice.

This is not one of the most pretty cars in the sector, but it is one of the most dynamic in styling.

The diesel is impressive. The four-cylinder unit is of 1.9-litres and whacks out 150bhp.

It delivers a fine mix of dynamic performance and low fuel consumption. On the combined cycle it turns in 46.3mpg ( a lot different to a Cadillac from the 1970s which could only just manage 14mpg.

It also has a choice of four-cylinder 2.0 and 2.8 V6 petrol units.