With the cancellation of Cadillac’s DTS and STS lines earlier this year, the brand is temporarily left with a whittled down range that includes only its CTS, SRX and Escalade models. The latter might not seem like a natural rival for the Mercedes-Benz C300 sedan, but the folks in Detroit have decided that the two are worthy of an odd comparison.
In this latest marketing campaign, Cadillac initially gives us the impression that it will pit a CTS-V up against the humble entry-level C-Class. But, as you can see, that’s not quite the case.
It’s an uneven duel no matter how you slice it since we don’t imagine many C300 buyers will be cross-shopping Escalades. On paper, the match up is even more lopsided. The C300, which is offered for 2012 with only all-wheel-drive (although the comparison car looks like a 2011 model), puts out 228 horsepower from its 3.0-liter V6. The Escalade, meanwhile, offers double the displacement with its 6.2-liter V8 and 403-horsepower. Beyond the spec sheet, it’s obvious that the two don’t have much in common since one is a compact luxury sedan and the other is a full-size body-on-frame SUV costing twice as much.
Fair comparison? You decide.
