The long awaited debut of the 1982 Cadillac Cimarron had finally arrived. Not only did Cadillac boast that they were the large car luxury leader, but now they were making claims to fame on the compact market. No other domestic made vehicle offered such luxury in a compact car, so in an attempt to rival the European markets that offered BMW, Audi, and smaller Mercedes versions,
Cadillac introduced the world to the compact Cimarron. A four-cylinder
engine and four-speed overdrive manual shift with floor lever; also
available was the three-speed turbo hydra-matic version.
The overall look of the Cimarron rivaled it’s sister car, the Chevy
Cavalier, the finely meshed crosshatch chrome grille with quad rectangular
headlights, as well as the rear with horizontal tail lights were featured on
this new Cadillac. Standard options for the Cimarron included air
conditioning, power windows for both the driver and passenger sides, leather
wrapped steering wheel, power steering, and an AM/FM stereo radio. As well,
options were available that boasted a stylish Vista Vent roof and vacuum
type cruise control. Base price for the new Cadillac was right at $12,000.
Other Cadillac’s that year were receiving some improvements, as well. A new Fuel Data Panel was standard with the new HT-4100 engine. This display showed the miles per gallon fuel economy, the average miles per gallon, estimated driving range of the fueled vehicle, as well as the amount of fuel used. Most Cadillac’s had an outside temperature display, as well.
Total production for the 1982 Cadillac year was 235,584. Although, not a remarkable year for Cadillac, it was one of the top sellers for General Motors that year. Cadillac was celebrating its eightieth year of being the leader in luxury vehicles. A new 4.1 V-8 boasted a lighter weight luxury vehicle that got an average of 22.1 miles per gallon, an average of 4 miles more than the 1981 Cadillac models.
