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Just found a really cool sit down with Paul Spadafora where he talks about all the features of the new XT5. It is an hour long but only the first 33 minutes or so is on the XTS and it’s features. I was surprised at the Chinese influences that the car has.
Speaking of video. Are you subscribed to our YouTube Channel? We have a bunch of videos that I have taken at auto shows etc. Come check it out and subscribe. I nornally put videos on YouTube a day or so before they make the website.
I just saw a report on the latest thing Cadillac is working on. It looks pretty cool but I don’t see a time when I would possibly drive a car and take my hands of the wheel. The story starts at the 3:00 minute mark if you want to jump right to it.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment.
Here are some photos of the new Cadillac CT6 that are supplied by Cadillac. I really like the extra room in the back seat. It is also the first Cadillac to offer the new 8 speed transmission. The details on that are below the pictures. I can see this becoming the daily driver for many of the people in our Cadillac club as it is what we have been asking for a long time.
Patented design offers seamless performance, supports stop/start tech
DETROIT – Cadillac advances its legacy of technologically driven performance and luxury with the Hydra-Matic 8L45 paddle-shift eight-speed automatic transmission, which debuts with the all-new 2016 Cadillac CT6.
Matched with the next-generation 3.6L V-6, the 8L45 transmission is based on the same acclaimed General Motors-designed eight-speed automatic family introduced on the Corvette Stingray – with the higher-capacity 8L90 version paired with the CT6’s available 3.0L twin-turbo V-6 engine.
“The shift performance of the new 8L45 paddle-shift eight-speed automatic transmission complements the CT6’s new threshold for efficient luxury to help take it to an even higher level,” said Bill Goodrich, assistant chief engineer for eight-speed automatic transmissions. “The shifts are quick and nearly imperceptible, establishing a benchmark for Cadillac.”
The 8L45 eight-speed shares the architecture and design features of the Hydra-Matic 8L90 transmission, but it is scaled and calibrated for the performance envelope of the new 3.6L V-6. It also incorporates components to support the engine’s stop/start technology.
Stop/start shuts down the engine to reduce fuel consumption when vehicle comes to a complete stop, and it automatically restarts the engine when the driver takes his or her foot off the brake pedal.
In addition to stop/start efficiency, the 8L45 eight-speed’s wide 7.0 overall ratio and numerically lower top gear offer an up to a GM estimated 5 percent fuel economy benefit over a comparable six-speed automatic transmission.
A numerically higher 4.62 first gear ratio also helps drivers start off more confidently, with a greater feeling of immediate performance.
“The 8L45 was designed to enhance the CT6’s driving experience, offering a strong balance between performance and efficiency,” said Goodrich. “Perhaps its best attribute will be that customers really won’t notice it – they’ll simply enjoy the CT6’s seamless, smooth driving experience and on-demand performance.”
Compact, mass-efficient design
With four simple gearsets for optimal efficiency and five clutches (two brake clutches and three rotating clutches), creative packaging enables GM’s eight-speed automatic to fit the same space as the previous six-speed automatic, with a lower weight.
The new 8L45’s smaller package size enables approximately 33 pounds (15 kg) mass saving compared to the 8L90 eight-speed – a transmission that was already lighter than GM’s 6L80 six-speed automatic.
Smaller steps between gears, compared to a six-speed transmission, keep the engine within its optimal rpm range, making the most of its horsepower and torque to optimize performance and efficiency.
Ratios compared: Hydra-Matic 8L45 vs. 8L90
Additionally, friction-reducing design features – including synthetic fluid – and lower spin losses via a powerflow that uses only two open clutches per gear and an off-axis binary vane pump contribute further to efficiency.
The torque converter design with turbine damper enhances refinement, particularly during low-speed gear changes, for smoother performance.
Architectural features
More than 1,100 computer-aided engineering analyses were made during the development of the Hydra-Matic eight-speed transmission family – resulting in more than two dozen patents – to ensure strength, durability, performance and refinement.
Architectural highlights include:
A one-piece case with an integral bell housing for enhanced powertrain stiffness
The grounding clutches are located rearward of the middle of the structure, outside the gearsets, and are splined to the case, eliminating the need for a the center support, which reduces weight
The rotating clutches are located near the front of the transmission, with short oil feed channels, to support very fast shifts
A unique oil-storage accumulator is incorporated to support stop/start technology. It ensures the clutches have oil for immediate take-off when the engine is re-started
World-class shift time quickness and responsiveness are accomplished with a Gen II controls system, which works with variable force solenoid technology and three internal Hall Effect speed sensors
The transmission controller is mounted externally and its processor executes hundreds of calculations and commands every 6.25 milliseconds.
The Hydra-Matic 8L45 and 8L90 transmissions are built at GM’s Toledo, Ohio, and Silao, Mexico, transmission facilities. They will also be offered in the 2016 Cadillac CTS and ATS, including CTS-V and ATS-V.
FAST FACT: In 1941, Cadillac was one of the first major automakers to offer a fully automatic transmission. That early Hydra-Matic transmission was also paired with Cadillac V-8 engines to drive M24 Chaffee tanks during World War II.