Infiniti versus Cadillac?? Is there a current day comparison?

[98_Q45]

Not so much a question but more of an observation. So, I made the jump to a 1 year newer Cadillac sedan, 1999 (I did NOT trade or sell the Q or intend to...in fact I was slightly annoyed to find out AFTER I sunk a bunch of money into tires, windshield, and oxy sensors for the 45) This be my first American car since 2006

However, it wasn't necessarily something I was shopping for, more of an acquisition from someone that was otherwise going to let it sit and degrade. And considering it is close to mint condition, it only made sense to sell and keep it running.

However, and this goes back to my gran tourismo days lol...the FWD versus RWD challenge. Not to mention the differences between the 2 are stark enough to make a fun contrast. But is Cadillac really a competitor with infiniti? Obviously the demographics on the buyers may differ. But when it comes to luxury/performance...it seems Infiniti aspires more futuristic whereas Cadillac aspires luxury.

That said: I notice right away 1 thing, the Cadillac has more features, but the Q45 despite feeling "plain" in comparison, simply feels like it's built better. The way the Q45s engine fan howls definitely makes it sound "sporty" on acceleration.

That said, I think the "market" has been critical of infiniti enough. I wish I had the credit to get a QX80, and now I get these emails all the time of the latest models coming out. But having something you compare to isn't bad either.

[AZhitman]

I can tell you from person experience that Caddy hasn't built anything worth a damn in at least 5 years, maybe longer. We've had a 2008 CTS, and 2012 ATS, and a 2019 XT4 and they've gotten progressively worse. The XT4 is a dismal, soul-sucking, over-gadgeted pile of Union-built garbage.

[VStar650CL]

I can tell you from person experience that Caddy hasn't built anything worth a damn in at least 5 years, maybe longer. We've had a 2008 CTS, and 2012 ATS, and a 2019 XT4 and they've gotten progressively worse. The XT4 is a dismal, soul-sucking, over-gadgeted pile of Union-built garbage.

Big +1 on the "over-gadgeted". We see plenty of them coming through the Used Car department, and it seems like every one of them shows back up after sale with some "gadget glitch" that we can't fix and end up sending to the Caddy dealer. Heaven help us if the Lyriq generation is as buggy as the gassers, they'll be exploding in people's driveways.

[Bubba1]

Yep, The two brands have been "near luxury." competitors, And both have been in decline in recent years. Cadillac traditionally equips their lineup with more gizmos/gadgets than their competition and sister companies. It's been their strategy to help justify the bloated MSRP with mediocre quality. But if you need to use an old car like a Q45 to make a comparison, that's kinda sad too. Truth is Infiniti's bad press is well deserved. Sorry. There are many reasons including declining reliability, comparatively little investment in developing/improving the vehicles to remain competitive except maybe cosmetics, terrible management/marketing decisions, declining dealer support by the mothership (especially in Canada), a global pandemic, etc. Cadillac shares a few of Infiniti's problems, but has some big ones of their own, including an aging buyer demographic that's rapidly disappearing, spending too way much on styling/gimmicks to try to attract younger buyers without driving away their current base, and not spending nearly enough on improving build quality/reliability to entice younger buyers away from their competition that have been better. While both brands still offer a few competent models, both have devolved to the point where leasing them is a safer idea than buying. That's not a good sign for either. I suppose if you want to try to make each brand look better, both make easy targets for each other pointing out problems. The bigger problem is they are not the only choices out there. Both appear in dire need of a change in direction, including better warranties to make them more worth the premium they want to get.

[VStar650CL]

Yep, The two brands have been "near luxury." competitors, And both have been in decline in recent years. Cadillac traditionally equips their lineup with more gizmos/gadgets than their competition and sister companies. It's been their strategy to help justify the bloated MSRP with mediocre quality. But if you need to use an old car like a Q45 to make a comparison, that's kinda sad too. Truth is Infiniti's bad press is well deserved. Sorry. There are many reasons including declining reliability, comparatively little investment in developing/improving the vehicles to remain competitive except maybe cosmetics, terrible management/marketing decisions, declining dealer support by the mothership (especially in Canada), a global pandemic, etc. Cadillac shares a few of Infiniti's problems, but has some big ones of their own, including an aging buyer demographic that's rapidly disappearing, spending too way much on styling/gimmicks to try to attract younger buyers without driving away their current base, and not spending nearly enough on improving build quality/reliability to entice younger buyers away from their competition that have been better. While both brands still offer a few competent models, both have devolved to the point where leasing them a safer idea than buying. That's not a good sign for either. Isuppose if you want to try to make yourself look better, both make easy targets for each other pointing out problems. The bigger problem is they are not the only choices out there. Both appear in dire need of a change in direction, including better warranties to make them more worth the premium they want to get.

Not often I can say I agree with every word of a diatribe like that one, but in this case.... well said. Listen up, Nissan brass.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Cadillac seems to be deliberately committing suicide, and GM seems to be doing their best to hide in the corner with their fingers in their ears shouting "lalalalalalalalalalaal" while it happens. I'm not even sure Mary Barra knows Cadillac exists.

The brand hasn't made a good decision since before Johan DeNysschen, and the last good thing they did (and didn't immediiately kill) was the third-gen CTS.
Their flagship is a medium-size V6. They sell a rebadged Impala for people who describe themselves as "baller". And 100% of their success comes from a marked-up Suburban. Not exactly industry-leading.

But Infiniti is just as lost in their own way. Hopefully in a post-Carlos world, things will start to turn around. But ditching Johan didn't save Cadillac. It takes more than simply not being terrible to make progress. You have to actually have a good plan and understand it.

I wouldn't buy anything built by either in the last 10 years with the singular exception of a CT6 Blackwing.
But hey. At least neither of them is trying to sell a f@#$ing Fusion with suicide doors for $120k.

[VStar650CL]

Infiniti is just as lost in their own way. Hopefully in a post-Carlos world, things will start to turn around. But ditching Johan didn't save Cadillac. It takes more than simply not being terrible to make progress. You have to actually have a good plan and understand it.

I wouldn't buy anything built by either in the last 10 years with the singular exception of a CT6 Blackwing.
But hey. At least neither of them is trying to sell a f@#$ing Fusion with suicide doors for $120k.

That is too well-said. Color me lmao.