What's fun about the Internet is that these classic magazines frequently share the content they have been generating through the decades. As a nice accompaniment to that Escalade story, here's a Car & Driver review of from March 1980 when GM introduced a diesel-powered Cadillac Seville. The story is titled Tested:1980 Cadillac Seville Elegante Diesel Oozes Luxury
The subhead reads: Slow and plush as it may be, Cadillac's new Seville embraces sybaritic excess.
The word sybaritic means self-indulgent, or "fond of sensuous luxury." Interesting word. Yes, that has historically been associated with the Cadillac brand. What C&D suggest, though, is that in an era when everything else is downsizing, is this maybe too much car, too much bulk, even for Cadillac?
The second paragraph implies that the verdict is still out:
"Looks are the Seville's big calling card. In each of us there is a corner that loves ostentation in something. For those who love it in cars, the Seville awaits judgment. Cadillac is awaiting, more anxious than ever. Thumbs up or thumbs down?"
The way the story is written, it seems like the magazine, or the author(s) of this review are fearful of being decisive. Do they like it or no? The story is fraught with ambiguity because the 1980 Seville is so different.
Different can mean different things to different people. The 1980 Seville may be perceived as bold or, on the other hand, odd. In either case, once you've read this far you are no doubt intrigued, as one might be about a mystery story. What happens next?
The magazine lets readers know that the staff is divided on how they feel about the car, but in agreement that the folks at GM are gutsy. "We must congratulate its designers, however, for bravery and a willingness to lay it on the line. Mating a bluffly upright front end with a rakish windshield and a hunchback behind is the stuff of legends, good or bad, and the dream of those within The Firm who would hope to be credited with an instant classic. Guts are in good supply at Cadillac."
After spending some time discussing the engineering, C&D shares details about the diesel power plant under the hood, the means by which GM aims to meet CAFE requirements. Diesel engines would be installed in 50-60 percent of the Cadillac Seville's that year.
They label it "a gimmick car" with a "four your pleasure detachment from reality." That reads like a slap to me, or is it? For people being chauffeured this feeling of detachment might be precisely what you are looking for.
The latest audio technology is onboard, though nothing like what we've come to expect 40 years later. The automatic climate control and the seats all whisper success. Or is it excess? Detail upon detail is braided together by the C&D team and you do get mesmerizing images dancing in your head like sugar plums.
The authors take turns criticizing a number of features, frequently prefacing with a positive first. For example, in this paragraph about the lack of oomph.
Cadillac's glow plugs prepare the engine very quickly for starting, even in cold weather taking no more than five seconds to get the job done. The engine's dieselness seems unobtrusive until the need for fuel or more than marginal performance arises. Its lack of pop is a painful shortcoming in busy traffic.
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The descriptions are first rate, and though there are barbs, the article strives to tell it like it is. At the end, the three authors add the personal takes on the experience. Mike Kneppe and Rich Ceppos share a couple paragraphs each. David E. Davis Jr. simply share a pointed piece of perceptive wit: If the Seville is the answer, I obviously misunderstood the question.
Read the full story here:
Tested:1980 Cadillac Seville Elegante Diesel Oozes Luxury
Related:
1980 Seville was as advanced as American cars got—arguably GM's most technologically savvy production platform ever up to that point. It was front-wheel- drive, a by-product of sharing parts with the new-for-1979 E-body (Eldorado, Toronado, and Riviera)—a big step up as Seville shed the Chevrolet-based bones of its previous generation.
ReplyDeleteThe new chassis was lighter than the outgoing rear-drive Seville's, yet was roomier inside, for both passengers and cargo. Four-wheel-independent suspension wasn't something that GM messed with much beyond Corvette; neither were four-wheel disc brakes. Seville had both, standard.
The Oldsmobile-developed front suspension utilized torsion bars, in the Toronado tradition, with anti-roll bars fitted front and rear. Electronic suspension leveling was part of Cadillac's package from the outset. Steering was power-assisted recirculating-ball, but was tuned for just three turns lock-to-lock.
With front-wheel-drive, and the softer-than-Autobahn-ready tuning, the chassis' equipment list, at that time, reads like that of a Mercedes sedan that would have cost 50 percent more.