The Cadillac continues to be a hit with our intrepid traveller, Ian, as well as women children and…pump attendants. But would a wrong turn make the faithful Caddie a hit with the chaps from the AA?You can’t take a car on a trip without making one bad route decision at some point. Mine came one crisp -4 degree morning, just outside Harrismith. The Caddie had purred its way down the N3 from Johannesburg in cruise mode – it was a dream. I think I am the brand representative for Cadillac, as I received interested comments and compliments on my vehicle. “Oom, oom het ‘n mooi kar, oom” shouted one youngster from the back of an old Opel Kadett. I laughed.
At another stop I caught a youth taking a photo from his cellphone of my car, while a petrol attendant asked whether he could use my car for an hour so that he could impress a lady. I continue to act the part, although my route decision from Harrismith to Verkykerskop, onto Memel in Kwazulu Natal did begin to concern me around the half-way point. I was heading for Newcastle and decided on the back road. Little did I realize that it was an uneven, hellish gravel track and that the only other vehicles were “bakkies” from the local farms.
I therefore carefully negotiated my way over rock and stone, gravel and sand – all the while knowing that I did not want to be responsible for a breakdown in this remote part of the country. The Cadillac BLS 2.8T, to be honest, handled the road perfectly. While the driver was nervous the Caddie was steady and comfortable. Although I think it is suited to the tarmac and an assault on urban existence, it did not feel out of place in such terrain.
Once I returned to the comfort of the N3, it was pure pleasure. And later in the day, new members to my trip added more positive comment about the vehicle: mmm, it’s really quiet, it’s so powerful, it’s cool in the back! Youngsters don’t lie and the rest of trip around South Africa, is no doubt going to give new insight into whether the Caddie is a family car or not.
