Yesterday I was invited for another test drive by Alghanim Automotive. I was hoping they would give me some small crappy car so I could give it a bad review and show everyone that if the car sucked I would say it sucked. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Yesterday I took the new Cadillac BLS for a drive and it was far from being crappy.
I picked up a gorgeous silver top of the line BLS from the dealer and drove down to the Gulf Road. The BLS is the smallest car Cadillac makes and the one I drove came with a V6 2.8L Turbo engine pumping out 250HP so it was fast. As soon as I hit the Gulf Road I got a call from a friend who had spotted me. He asked me if I was turning into Jermey Clarkson and he then asked what car I was driving since it looked really cool. Now this came from someone who drives an M3 so you can imagine how good the car must look. Pictures actually don’t do justice to the hard edged geometrically cut car so you need to see it in person to really appreciate its beauty.
I closed the phone with my friend and blasted down the Gulf Road. The Cadillac BLS I was driving came with a 6-speed automatic and paddle shift. I am used to the F1 style paddle shift where you use your fingers to change gear but the Cadillac BLS is the one where you use your thumbs instead. It felt awkward at first but I quickly got the hang of it. The interior seems to follow the styling cues of the new Cadillac Escalade which is a really good thing since it means its very un-American. Everything felt very plush and sophisticated and I just love that in a car.
After a long drive I parked the car and took some shots of the exterior and interior. When I was done I drove back to the dealership and handed them the keys. Cadillac really have come a long way when it comes to aesthetics. There is no other car in the market that looks like a Cadillac, its got a style all on its own. The only downside I could think of with the BLS is the engine sound. I would have preferred a louder grunt from a 250HP engine but I guess many people would rather have a quiet engine than a loud one.
The price of the fully loaded Cadillac BLS is KD11,995 which makes its more affordable than a similarly specced BMW or Mercedes. Its a pretty cool car for a sedan.
20 replies on “The Cadillac BLS”
‘ve alwayz loved the cadi…
i always hated the cadillacs, atleast cadillacs pre escalade.
I’ve really enjoyed the new Caddies! In the states I always rent them if they had them available.. I test drove a cadillac CTS-V (400bhp) and its a monster (6-speed manual)! These designs and engines have nothing to do with the old caddies! This very Euro and very modern! I know some people say its a bit plastiky from the inside, but it feels fantastically smooth! Cool looking car! Maybe you can tweak the turbo! hehehe
they should put some effort for the back design, it’s not unique, just like other budget car
no way, i think the rear is very original. what car do u think it looks like from the back?
I’ve alwayz been a cadillac fan, but y the hell does it cost so much ?
am in love with Cadillac XLR !!!
I’d rather buy a Lumina SS coupe.
I don’t know much about cars, but that looks more like a saab.
Hmmn… embedded advertising and/or propaganda must always be taken with a pinch of salt.
AZIZ…….actually its manufactured in the SAAB factory in sweden…….
Vineeth Menon, This car was actually designed to attract young customers. It was supposed to be affordable, economical, and available for ‘normal’ people.
but here in Kuwait, dealerships price their cars depending on the mood of the lot manager.
“So its a Caddie…? OK, Put 150% profit on it.”
Just like the hummer H3, while the base price is supposed to be somewhere around KD6500. Here in Kuwait they sell it for what? 12K?
They view us as 7ameer Floos, Expecting us to spend so much just for ‘looks’.
I bet if you go to the dealership and ask “Why the hell is it so expensive?” The only reply you’re going to get from the salesman “Its a Cadillac”. And he’ll probably just walk away from you quietly.
What’s the sticker price for a comparably equipped Beemer? (“the” 7ameer floos car par excellence)
PS: H3 sells for 10K
Well most cars when they first come out are rediculously expensive when the new tahoe came out in 99 or 00 it was around14/15 but when my dad bought one it went for 11, and pretty loaded except for leather.. so just give it time and like anything else it goes down.. in the US the mark-up new and wanted vehicles in certain areas.. the thing is they know they will sell! Im not saying its right but they do it and there is no law stopping them! Which there should be! But with time the price goes down!
Here in Kuwait, dealers get better treatment than those in the US, since there is no competition (ie if you want ford there is only one place to find it)…. so not only they get 35% discounts from the factory, they also get rewards that top 15% (which is given to them as cars) depending on the their sales. I bet here in Kuwait most dealers reach the max tier pretty quickly.
In the US, dealers have to sell their cars before the end of the year so they won’t have to pay tax over cars sitting in the lot.
While here in Kuwait, you either pay for the over priced car in cash, or take it aq9ad (through a company/bank that their families own). Btw dealers probably have still 2005 models and selling them with only couple hundreds less from newer models (yes, still above the tag price).
BLS= Bullshit
H3 is just 8 grand… My co. just bought one a couple of month backs
couple of months* back*
My marketing Professor back in university told me one thing when it comes to buying cars ..
“When you buy a car, if you don’t manage to remove at least 2000$ from it’s price, you have been ripped off”
I agree with Aziz, the dealer in Kuwait gets a 35% discount on their cars +15% in cars.. so you cana lways bargain and you can be confident that whatever discount they give you they can still go further below, you just have to show them the money, let them drool and decrease the price even some more..
Salesmen & showrooms have an incentive to sell, the power is on your side guys. Just make sure you go and enjoy your test drive!