Got my tickets through Yokohama. I went to the LA Auto Show this past Sunday and it was pretty damn good. I am sad to see this, but I am really blown away at what Cadillac and Lincoln are pushing now. Lexus was good too of course. The whole show was just a really good one this year. They are really dumping money into R&D and there are a lot of new things coming to the market.

 

I didn't quite check out the Lincoln cars in depth, but I agree with you on Cadillac stepping their game up. Some nice cars and features showing up!

 

Dropping the Town Car, though, has significantly hurt Lincoln in several ways. Time will tell if Cadillac, by doing a similiar discontinuation of the very popular DTS, will also suffer. Both the Town Car and DTS replacements (MKS, XTS) are smaller, firmer-riding, less-comfortable vehicles to drive....and traditional Cadillac/Lincoln buyers have noticed.

 

If Cadillac and Lincoln had kept marketing the Town Car and DTS they'd both be gone by now. Time marches on, expecially in the car business.

 

A number of people, particularly among car-enthusiasts, keep pushing the line that those two cars had to be replaced, but the numbers just don't agree. The MKS, since its introduction, has never had the same kind of wide appeal the Town Car had...it's just not a fitting replacement, except for the useful AWD option. It's somewhat too early to tell with the DTS, but Consumer Reports is not impressed with the XTS replacement....and I have personally seen very few of them on the road. I hear complaints from people regularly about the Town Car, Buick Lucerne, and cadillac DTS being gone.....mostly from those over 50, but occasionally from younger persons, too.

You're right, time does march on....sometimes long enough for automakers to see they made an error.

 

Was there a powered-up model out on the floor where you could check out the new Cadillac CUE system? (It's standard in the new XTS)

I haven't seen or tried it yet personally, but Consumer Reports says it's a mess to operate.

 

I'm older than most on here and have seen a lot of cars that were good IN THEIR DAY come and go. The two we're discussing here have had their day. Not every new model is a home run but Ford and GM will keep working on their large sedans until they get it right for the times. At least I hope they do!

 

[QUOTE=LexBob2;7640813]I'm older than most on here and have seen a lot of cars that were good IN THEIR DAY come and go. The two we're discussing here have had their day. Not every new model is a home run but Ford and GM will keep working on their large sedans until they get it right for the times. At least I hope they do![/QUOTE]

I hope they can at least get to the not so ugly stage soon.

 

The MKS and XTS do have the AWD option for bad weather that the Town Car and DTS lacked for years....that alone, I'll admit, is a big advance. They also have more versatile 6-speed (or more) transmissions instead of those ancient 4-speeds. I haven't (yet) seen the XTS interior, but, from reviews, I understand it's much more plush than the DTS, with notably richer materials. The main problem with both new cars, though (besides the CUE mess in the XTS), is that they have dumped ride-comfort with the low-profile tires. A luxury-car flagship is expected to have a luxury-car ride. Put some 55 or 60-series tires/wheels on instead of the 45's/50s they have now, and the ride may be more befitting that of a flagship. My opinion, BTW, is not alone......Consumer Reports also shares it.

 

Let's not get too far off-topic, BTW. Somehow (me included) we got off in detail about couple of specific cars instead of the auto shows themselves...the thread topic. Yes, I was partly to blame.