My frustrated search for a successor unicorn for my 2010 Mercedes S600 (going on sale soon!) continues. I’ve become enamored not only with V-12’s, but with the latest and greatest technology – mostly some autonomous driving capability for long distance driving. Bought and returned the 2018 Cadillac CT6 Platinum (aka Clotmobile – it’s still on sale here at my Dulles Dealer) and came close to buying a 2019 BMW X5 50i. Different approaches, but both blew me away with the comfort of driving extended distances relatively hands free. But neither were real enthusiasts cars, although I tried to convince myself the Cadillac’s 400hp six cylinder and the BMW’s 456hp made up for that. Neither really were worthy of Cars and Coffee, and nobody came up to me at the gas pump with a “whatcha got there?!”. Sleepers both.
I’ve boxed myself in because while there are unicorns in my traditionally sense (deeply depreciated, low miles, expensive to fix but not my problem with MaxCare), once you tag autonomous driving onto an enthusiast car we’re talking $65,000 and up – no longer a bargain. My deal was instead of a three year old Camry we could be driving eight year old Mercedes for the same price, more fun, no risk. Well, CarMax doesn’t have a search feature for autonomous driving (the term too vague right now) so I dutifully plug in my big four – Apple Carplay, autonomous cruise control, heated steering wheel, and seat massagers – and of the 51,365 cars on lots today, only 75 meet my criteria. Half of them Ford Explorers and F150’s! Today, not even a Stinger GT2 available – an enthusiast car that comes with all that. So what’s the best I can do today?
A 2017 BMW 550XI Gran Turismo (GT)! A car that Car and Driver tagged as a model nobody asked for. But it’s really quite a car if you want a hatchback German sedan or can get over its awkward (to me) profile. (Bracing myself – good chance one of the blog readers owns one and loves the lines. My apologies.) Loaded with a 440hp twin turbo 4.4 liter V-8, AWD, heated and cooling seats, Apple Carplay, auto cruise, seat massagers, heated steering wheel, and a panoramic sunroof, once inside you won’t even know it looks kooky to some from the outside. And it’s less than $40,000! Note – the car made its debut at CarMax for $37,998 and almost immediately shot up to $40,998 – then this week backed off $1,000.
Thought just for fun I’d throw in a 2015 Honda CrossTour EX-L for comparison. The Honda only has a 278hp six but cost lots less. That said, it has a rear wiper! So what’s a Gran Turismo – or GT? Motor Trend says a “GT car fit between a sports car and a luxury car. It should have a big engine, a comfortable ride, a luxurious interior, and elegant bodywork. Not just fast, it needed to be able to handle like a sports car when the proper situation arose but coddle like a luxury car the rest of the time.” The BMW 550XI GT fits the bill, although it could be better looking.
The BMW has a handsome interior, although as a 2017 it’s infotainment screen is smaller and a little dated now despite this 550 model being a new gen. I dig the pre-coffee stained seats. Usually I have to turn them that color myself.
The trunk space looks useful. Maybe this is for folks who want to haul stuff but not lug around a larger SUV like the X5?
I like the motor. Thought I would need M models to be happy (I drove, and loved, a stupid fast 2020 BMW X5 M50i once) but the “base” twin turbo BMW V-8 is remarkably powerful. Test results put it at a mid to upper four second 0-60 mph sprint. This car sold new for perhaps $75,000 and is under $40k today. There’s an awful lot of features available for a five year old car, and if I could get over autonomous driving and the shape, I think it’s a bargain. Maxcare available to 125,000 miles and 60 months. Find this two owner, accident free, low mileage car here in Golden, Colorado.
I can’t help it. I’m captivated by CarMax offering these final year Panther-platform 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis LS sedans. Only 248 spilled over into the 2011 model year. CarMax has had maybe a half dozen since I started blogging. I didn’t blog on all of them so I’m catching up. I have a theory that all 248 of these unicorns will be on their lots at some point so from here on I’m documenting them!
CarMax lists the car as “fully loaded” and gives it a 9 out of 10, but there’s not much going on in there by modern standards. Heated mirrors? CD? Not even Bluetooth. Under “Technology” only cruise control is listed.
Not too many column shifting old school sedans out there anymore. Something satisfying about the “ka-chunk” of pulling it down the PRNDL. Saves console space so kids can stand on the transmission hump and stare out the windshield as the miles go by. Oh wait, that was my generation.
Gargantuan trunk that will hold tons of luggage or multiple bodies. Old joke. I got nothing more.
The down side – an anemic motor with only 224 hp and 275 ft-lbs of torque. But it will last a long time? Only $19,998 and 40,000 miles. If you really want this car it’s here in Irving, Texas. Amazingly, MaxCare is available for another five years – until the car is maybe 16 or 17 years old – and another 110,000 miles!
Tradition has it that “May Day was celebrated by some early European settlers of the American continent. In some parts of the United States…….small baskets usually filled with ….treats and left at someone’s doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away.”* That’s the best excuse I can come up with this May 1st to post this sort of small European basket filled with treats capable of a fast getaway. A bit of a stretch. A bit of a unicorn.
* Per the historical expert Wikipedia.
The 2013 Mercedes SLK55 AMG, sometimes called the Mercedes Miata, is a two-seater with a naturally aspirated V8 motor. The car was produced as the SLK from 1996 until 2015, after that it was renamed to the SLC model in accordance with Mercedes badging changes, and switched from the V8 to a six cylinder, becoming the SLC43. Only Mercedes itself knows how many SLK55’s were made – I just lost an hour reading Mercedes enthusiast forums where owners themselves are trying to track how special their cars are. The best I can tell is someone is tracking motor numbers by VIN and thinks there were around 3,500 total.
(If you want to see a bit of history, here’s the link to one of my first blog posts ever in 2017, on a 2007 SLK55 selling for $21,998. That would have been a steal – and still under MaxCare!)
The basket of treats mentioned above really includes only seat heaters, Bluetooth, rear view camera, nav, and a Harman Kardon audio system. It’s a handsome cockpit, but not opulent. Analog car like my M3.
The seats do have the very nice Mercedes Air Scarf feature, heating the neck and shoulders (or top of your head if you’re tiny). The seats are also the same color as my M3‘s – not sure what Mercedes calls them but mine are “fox blood”. Creepy name but better than red. Included this picture really to show that unlike the M3, there’s no back seat. No matter how unusable my M3 back seat might be for humans, it’ll still hold two guitar cases and a gig bag. Also, most cars with bolsters this big tend to show wear and tear over the years – these seem fairly fresh.
Hardtop convertibles lose trunk space, some more than others. The protective shell above has to be in the “down” position before the automatic folding process tucks the roof and rear glass into the trunk. With the shell up, it’s easy to fit a large suitcase in there. Even down there’s room for a carry on (or amplifier!) back there. (Side note – I never read the instructions for my convertible and got my roof stuck half closed. Thought I was going to have it towed. Realized I left a six pack of soft drinks in an area of the trunk I didn’t think mattered and it got wedged. Thought about reaching in there to dislodge it and worried I’d be that guy that lost his arm in a freak convertible accident. I got the roof to raise and was able to secure my Diet Cokes. So glad I didn’t have it towed to CarMax and have them ridicule me for years.)
Kudos to CarMax for the rare photo of a convertible with the top down. A little less of a “pug” look. The upside of this being a two seater is unlike the BMW M3, there are no permanently raised headrests looking goofy all the time.
The SLK55 AMG is really about the 5.5 liter hand-built V8. It produces 415 hp, 398 ft-lbs of torque, and per Motor Trend will hit 60 mph in a spectacular 4.2 seconds. (The car in the Motor Trend review looks identical to this one inside and out – how cool would it be if it was the same?) I can attest there’s just something awesome about a high-revving naturally aspirated V8 that can’t be matched by a turbo. The car sold new in the upper $70,000 range. It’s now half that nine years later, and MaxCare is available for another five years and up to 125,000 miles. Find it here just outside Chicago in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Last week I found this beautiful white-over-tan 2014 Mercedes CL550 with only 23,000 miles on it selling for $42,998. Here’s the link to that car. Seems that only a few hundred CL550’s were imported annually, making this a unicorn. And out of nowhere CarMax now has two more CL550’s, a bit older, more mileage, but far cheaper. The first one below is to whet your appetite – the second is a far better car and deal.
The first is a 2011 model with 58,000 miles. All the same features as the more expensive one, less adaptive cruise control. The 2011 model ran with a 4.6 liter twin turbo V-8 rated at 382 hp, a good 47 hp less than the 2014 model. Tradeoffs for $8,000?
I’m always fascinated when CarMax sells high end European cars that are almost a dozen years old and offers MaxCare warranties until the car is almost 17 years old. MaxCare is available for 60 months and 125,000 miles on this one. Find it here in Centennial, Nevada.
This 2014 Mercedes CL550 has been on and off the web for months, I believe. I’ve started to write about it and paused, either because I was including it in a lengthy blog about a bunch of cars and changed my mind, or it went into “Currently Unavailable” status. It’s been back for a few days so here we go. The CL class started way back in 1992, and this 2014 is the final year of the third generation spanning 2006 to 2014. The successor to the CL is the S-class coupe. As far as I can tell only 237 2014 CL550’s were sold. A unicorn?
From the B-pillar forward (if it had a B-pillar!) it would be the same cockpit as an S-class sedan and looks and functions the same as my S600. I’d feel real comfortable here. Not lost on me it’s the same color combo as the CT6 I just gave up. Grrrr. I’ll get over it.
The CL550 is AWD (4Matic), and has auto cruise control, seat massagers, heated and cooled seats, and a Harman Kardon sound system. The coupe is such a pretty car from the angle above. From the front I always thought it a bit porpoise-like.
The CL550 is powered by a 4.7 liter twin turbo V-8 rated at 429 hp mated to a seven speed automatic, good for sub-five second 0-60 mph runs. The car sold new eight years ago for probably $120,000 and is now depreciated to about a third of its sales price. I like that. MaxCare is good to 125,000 miles and the max of 60 months, and with the ultra low mileage on this car – only 23,000 – you could cruise 20,000 miles a year worry free. Not a bad deal for $42,998. Rare car and out the door for under $50,000. Find it here in Kearny Mesa, California.
Brace yourself. What follows is too much information about Cadillac seats and clots. And too many shots of my chicken legs. A few weeks ago I wrote this piece about buying a 2018 Cadillac CT6 and setting off the next day on a business trip to North Carolina. I was falling hard for the car and Super Cruise, the industry best Level 2 autonomous driving. Hands free for miles and miles of interstate driving on I-95 south. Made only one stop in Ashland, Virginia on the 300+ mile drive. I fidgeted with the seat trying to get better leg support but didn’t think much about it, until late the next day after a four mile run near Fort Bragg. The back of my knee hurt in an oh so familiar way. I’ve had blood clots twice, the first in 2014 and again in 2019, after which I’ve been on blood thinners. Thinking another clot unlikely I ran another pair of four milers that week unsure if it was clots or a muscle strain. By the time I drove back to Virginia I was pretty sure and headed to the emergency room, where I was diagnosed with another “acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT)” – a blood clot. Got a shot in the belly and changed blood thinners and made my 3pm music gig at a local brewery.
In between my 2014 and 2019 clots, with no blood thinners but getting up often, I’ve flown to India and back non-stop (each way, not the entire loop!), to Africa, and to South America. On thinners I’ve driven cross country twice in the Mercedes S600 and even knocked out a thousand mile day solo. I thought I knew how to manage. But on the 2018 Cadillac CT6 Platinum seat above, the intersection of the seat bottom bolster, the seat bottom, and the metal bar crossmember that should extend (but don’t) intrudes on the bottom of the leg just above the knee, and (for me) makes it impossible to get comfortable. And I’m 90 percent sure that pressure gave me a clot. Press the button and there’s a faint sound of a motor doing something, but movement is imperceptible.
The Dulles CarMax service folks were superb in taking a quick look at the car and sending it out to Cadillac for inspection. Sadly, per below, Moore Cadillac advised the seat is not supposed to extend despite the manual, the controls, and the infotainment graphics below suggested it should. They reported back that it works just like all the other Cadillac CT6’s. Disappointing. I even joined the Cadillac CT6 online forum to ask for help, and other owners confirmed that the seat bottom just don’t move. That despite the shot below of the infotainment display indicating extension and the owners’ manual confirming it should. Moore Cadillac just pissed me off. Pretty much offended me with their answer.
For comparison, I checked out a BMW X5 and Mercedes E300 seat, and both extended significantly compared to the immobile Cadillac seats. Below you can see what a normal Mercedes seat does. A cheap E300.
Unfortunately, the 2018 Cadillac CT6 Platinum with Super Cruise that I bagged after it dropped $4,000 one night had to be returned. And for what it’s worth, the Dulles CarMax business office processed the return in less than 30 minutes. Pain free (unlike my leg). A refund check for the car and a refund check for MaxCare are on their way. They had me drive it into the service bay to check the mileage and it was a wistful 100 yard cruise. It’s a really nice car with near Mercedes luxury at a decent price. The seats just (literally) came up short. I suspect for a less than six foot driver they’d never know. The car should be available again soon. Meanwhile, I’ll be driving the S600.
Here’s the link if you want to track the car – it’s not yet back on the market. Suspect there’s work to be done to clear the title.
Been writing novellas about multiple cars in (infrequent) blogs so here’s a simple one. CarMax has a total of 1,291 manuals transmission cars out of a 47,000-plus inventory, and only 173 V-8’s mated to manual transmissions. Most of them are Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers (so resisting the urge to postpone this post to include the lone Cadillac CTS-V with a V-8 and manual!) this one comes across as a nice affordable unicorn to me. A 2012 Audi S5, with both a 4.2 liter V-8 motor and a six-speed manual transmission. The last year for the V-8 in an S5. “Only” $27,998.
The manual transmission was actually standard on the 2012 Audi S5. And the V-8 was also offered only on the 5-series among the S-line. The S6 and S8 kept the wonderful Lambo-ish V-10 until 2013 I believe, and the S7 was introduced to the US in 2013 with a V-8. The 5 started using a supercharged six cylinder in 2013 and you’d have to move to the RS5 to keep a V-8. The 4.2 liter V-8 only produced 354 hp and a 0-60 mph sprint in just under five seconds. But I’ve heard an S5 wail on an exit ramp near my home and it was a glorious vintage power motor sound. That was before I knew it was not a 450 hp motor and quite surprised.
Other than the motor and transmission there’s nothing all that special about the 2012 Audi S5. Bluetooth, parking sensors – not even a rear view camera, heated seats, AWD. It’s a lot like my 2013 M3 in concept (last year for an old school V-8). But it’s a nice 10 year old driver’s car and if you want to shift a last of its kind here you go. Sold new for maybe $55,000 and with relatively low miles and MaxCare available up to a full 60 months – but only 125,000 miles, this car could be used for 15,000 miles yearly until it’s over. That would make it MaxCare covered until it’s 17 years old. Not bad. Find this three owner New England car currently here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Stuck at home while my house is being painted. A bit cooped up (ha!) so did a quick run through of the fun coupes in my saved file and hoping to complete this before the fumes get to me. As I write CarMax has 1,679 cars nationwide officially listed as “coupes”. I could easily get wrapped around the axle finding Camaros, Corvettes, Mustangs, M3’s, Infiniti Q60’s that fit the bill but there are just so many of them. So I’m going with these three Audi TT’s, and this weekend perhaps a 1 of 1,418 model worthy of it’s own page. If you can guess what it is you win.
This 2012 Audi TT RS has been available for quite some time. The little coupe has a 2.5 liter five cylinder turbo pumping 360 hp. Car and Driver calls it a “mini-R8”. The dual clutch version tested in Europe sprinted to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, and later the US model six-speed manual transmission TT RS hit it in 4.0 seconds flat – disappointing only in comparison to the dual clutch – still faster than my 911 was! Top speed was limited to 174 mph. The first gen RS only came to the US in manual mode. Only 641 were imported in 2012, and about the same for 2013 before the car was discontinued. The TT RS was reintroduced to the US market from 2018-2022, when it ended again. Even with the second generation, annually only a few hundred of the TT models were sold as RS. A unicorn.
Car and Driver panned the TT RS for highway drone, but otherwise loved the almost 1g of AWD lateral grip and rip snorting performance once past the turbo lag. The only other criticism? “The TT RS is so competent,” we reported, “so coldly immune to human clumsiness as to diminish the role of the driver.” I tried on a regular TT once, and while getting in and out was as challenging as any low slung car once inside I was surprised how roomy the cockpit was for my 6’4″ 225 lb frame.
The 2012 Audi TT RS sold new for almost $60,000. For a ten year old car with 71,000 miles it’s still a bit high priced. But it’s a bit unique with only a dozen or more for sale across the country. As with other older European cars, MaxCare is only available for 48 months and capped at 125,000 miles. I’d buy it, and enjoy this mini-R8 for 13,500 miles a year – plenty of space for a daily driver! Find this one owner, accident free Audi here in Garland, Texas.
Midway between San Francisco and Sacramento along Interstate 80 sits the Fairfield, California CarMax – a CarMax that in my humble opinion gets far too many unicorns. Too many because it is too far from me on the East Coast. Search my archives and you’ll find more than a few references to cars out in Fairfield – my favorite being this Jaguar XJ8 that made an epic journey of transfers over the course of a year from Florida to Fairfield. Today I was pleased to see two nearly identical 2012 Jaguar XF’s in Fairfield, one a naturally aspirated V-8 and the other a supercharged V-8. Only $4,000 and 90 horsepower separate the two. Given I’ve been writing ridiculously lengthy and infrequent blogs I’m keeping this one minimalist. Here’s the pix and some facts. Enjoy.
The 2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged sold originally for about $65,000. It sported a 5.0 liter supercharged (duh) V-8 and would hit 60 mph in under five seconds. It was positioned nicely between the regular V-8 below and the more aggressive XFR with 510 horsepower. It’s a handsome sedan with plenty of performance yet not overly aggressive. About a year and a half ago I last blogged about a 2013 Jaguar XF Supercharged here, and it was selling for about the same price. Can’t believe there was once a first year 2009 for only $14,998!
Here’s the link to this 2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged in Fairfield. It’s a one-owner, accident free car. Throw in MaxCare and you’re out the door in the low $30,000’s, with a fast, attractive sleeper.
Last week the pieces fell into place to go nuts and pick up my next two unicorns. One is my daily driver and the other my business car. The journey has had many twists and turns, and both cars are compromises – but for me, pretty darned good placeholders until the opportunity presents itself to acquire what I really want. I’ve had the chance to put some miles on both cars this week, and I am not unhappy. Just broke. Let’s go to the cars.
A 2013 BMW M3 (E93) hard top convertible surfaced out of nowhere at my local Dulles CarMax priced at $41,998 with only 32,000 miles and I immediately reserved it. The last year for the V-8 M3’s, low miles, and reasonably priced. The description said red interior – I hate red interiors – but the pictures did not look like someone bled out inside. You may recall the day I bought my Jeep I also drove to New Jersey to test drive an M3 that went badly. I’m so glad I gave this one a second chance.
The sales rep in New Jersey had no idea how the SMG transmission worked, and neither did I. The car revved and lurched at every stop light and I was embarrassed to look like I wanted to race everyone. When I arrived at Dulles, Ryan, my favorite service rep ever who also owns an M3, showed me how simple it was to put the car in “D” and drive like a normal guy. I test drove the car and in seconds it was clear this could easily be my daily driver. Hit the “M” button on the steering wheel and it screamed. Hit it again and I was back to daily driver mode.
Not sure the photo does the interior color justice. The photo looks more orange than red, and I thought what the hell, I’m from Baltimore and it’s almost baseball season and maybe I could accept this as Orioles colors? I think the color is “ox blood”, but it really looks like just brick. It’s not at all offensive and almost pleasant. Unique. The bolsters are not yet worn. I once owned a 2002 BMW 330CiC and the left bolster showed the effects of big bodies sliding in and out. This one not yet.
I’m pleased that with the top up there is plenty of trunk room for daily errands, and even a suitcase would fit in here. Top down, maybe a gym bag or two.
The 414 hp naturally aspirated V-8 is a joy. Old school. High-revving. Torque is low but most M3’s hit 60 mph in less than five seconds. Unfortunately, the additional weight of the hard top convertible hurts acceleration a bit and probably has it at five seconds flat. It’s still a joy getting to sixty.
Why an M3? Here’s my logic. It’s a convertible, and sort of takes the place of my recently sold 1971 Fiat 124 Spider for drop top driving. Second, it’s an enthusiast sports car, and sort of takes the place of my 2008 Porsche 911 I sold last year. That’s the only reason I call this car a compromise – I really want another 911 but the prices are upwards of $80,000+ for a 2017 991.2. Could be a while until 2017 911’s are in my price range. Last, I’ve concluded a daily driver sports car doesn’t need auto cruise control or seat massagers (although Apple Carplay would be nice), and should be legitimate enough to not embarrass me at cars and coffee. The V-8 M3 fit the bill. For what it’s worth, I thought there was something funky about the exterior and Ryan immediately noticed it has an expensive aftermarket carbon fiber package inside and out. The side panels don’t bother me too much and the front air dam I’ll probably tear off parking at some point. but the lip on the trunk just looks boy racer and has to go. It’s not me, and I actually like the subtle lines of the original M3 trunk. It’ll have to go. Also, in the glove box was a recent registration from an owner in Gaithersburg, Maryland, not far from me. The CarMax pictures were with California plates. Apparently, the car was transferred from the West Coast, bought, and returned. I do not know why. I did buy Maxcare (not cheap at almost $5,000 for $50 deductible up to 125,000 miles) , so I’m not at all worried that there’s a problem. I’ll let you know if there is.
About a month ago I wrote this piece about my discovery of the Cadillac CT6 Platinum model, with a 400 hp twin turbo six and tons of modern features. I took home a 2016 model and loved it. When I returned it I was just learning about Super Cruise, Cadillac’s industry leading self-driving technology, and thought I needed to find a 2017 model with Super Cruise. I would have been wrong. Dulles CarMax service tech James is a GM guru and told me I had to find a 2018 model and showed me the plastic arc on the steering wheel indicating Super Cruise. Kept me from making an unforced error. I found a 2018 CT6 in Charlottesville, white with black interior, and had it transferred. Loved it. Loved Super Cruise. But when I tried to use the automated parking feature it kept trying to back into spots that already had cars in them, so I returned it to be fixed before I made a decision. It was also $58,000 – a lot of money and not too much less than a Mercedes S560. While waiting, though, a 2018 CT6 that was white over tan, my preferred old man colors, showed up in Huntsville, Alabama as “coming soon” for the same price. The transfer fee was $249. The next day I saw the transfer fee increased to $349 and as I was getting agitated over the rise – the car dropped $4,000 in price to $53,998. I had no idea why. I still don’t. I immediately booked it for transfer, and when it arrived I bought it. MaxCare was less that $4,000 (the car is still under manufacturer warranty) and with the price drop, I’m viewing it as free!
The Cadillac CT6 Platinum is also a compromise, in that I really want another V-12 Mercedes. There just haven’t been any at CarMax in a long, long time. It’s time to sell my S600 and I need a long distance highway cruiser with all the modern features – adaptive cruise control, Apple Carplay, seat massagers, HUD, and tons of leg room. I also wanted enough oomph to not miss the V-12 too much and I was hopeful the twin turbo six cylinder would give me that, with 400 hp.
The cockpit in the CT6 is comfortable and luxurious. Like the S-class, it has almost too much leg room in the front. The infotainment is a little clunky, in that some controls can only be accessed by reaching for the touch screen and it seems a long ways away. There is a touch pad by the gear shift but odds are I would crash before scrolling to where I need to be on the screen. I have been a little frustrated getting in and out of the car. With long legs the front seat is way behind the B-pillar and I feel like I’m squeezing in and out of the narrow opening. The “easy exit” feature moves the seat forward in such a way that only really small people could ever use it. Possible that’s adjustable and maybe when I take the time to read the manual I’ll figure it out.
Rear seat room is somewhere between an S-class and E-class in Mercedes. There are a nice pair of DVD screens that rise from the front seat backs, and a box of headphones and remote controller was in the back seat. Nice. The rear side window sunshade is manual, which seems primitive compared to my 12 year old S600. The rear window sunshade automatically drops when the car is in reverse and returns up when in drive – nice.
I’m currently on a business trip to North Carolina and left the day after I bought the car. The motor is the only thing really giving me pause. In “Touring” mode it is luxury car quiet and as strong as any six cylinder on the road. But I wanted more zoom and left it in “Sport” mode much of the time since I bought it. Yes, it will do 0-60 mph in almost the same time as my V-12 Mercedes. But it’s “growl” sounds an awful lot like the 1981 Citation X-11 V-6 my best friend once owned, and that brings back bad memories of all the GM failures of that era. I’m hoping, though, after watching Cadillacs dominate endurance racing at Daytona, that the motor will hold out.
The highlight of my drive from Northern Virginia to North Carolina was Super Cruise. It’s possible to literally drive a hundred miles and never touch the steering wheel. Driving I-95 through downtown Richmond Super Cruise executed some tight left and right curves flawlessly, even braking on its own to keep me safe. I only needed to touch the wheel to change lanes to pass. At dusk I had Super Cruise going, along with night vision, adaptive cruise control. seat massagers, a podcast on Carplay, and a rotisserie chicken cooking in the glove box (just checking to see if you’re paying attention). I was delirious with the drive. I was also getting a whopping 28 mpg gas mileage at 78 mph. So when I start feeling disappointed in the 3.0 liter six cylinder as only being adequate, and I realize gas is well over $4 a gallon for premium here, I’m becoming comfortable that this car is a pretty good compromise – and I have the M3 for when I want an old fashioned V-8 powerplant. One week in, I am not unhappy.
