1985 Cadillac Cimarron

Several automotive brands move down-market through their existence, hoping to stimulate sales by catering to a wider audience of buyers, evolving with growing market trends, reacting to market conditions, and re-aligning with ever-changing consumer tastes. For Cadillac, an entry-level luxury model was not necessary as they had several other manufacturers within the General Motors line to serve those duties. Nevertheless, Cadillac introduced a compact model in 1982 to compete with similarly sized and feature-rich models from Europe.

The Cadillac Cimmaron used the GM J platform with mechanical components sourced from Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile. Its exterior design and four-door body style were similar to the Chevy Cavalier, and its use of a four-cylinder engine in a production Cadillac was the first use since the 1914 Cadillac Model Thirty.

The Cimmaron's arrival in early 1981 corresponded with the introduction of the Chevrolet Cavalier, Buick Skyhawk, Oldsmobile Firenza, and Pontiac J2000. Cars from the 'across the pond' had grown in popularity, as such, the Cimarron was designed as a luxurious and sporty sedan aimed at the BMW 320i, Saab 900, Volvo 240, and Audi 4000.

Although similar in appearance to its Chevy, Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac counterparts, the Cadillac Cimarron distinguished itself with a higher level of standard amenities, accouterments, and exterior trim.

The 1982 Cadillac Cimarron four-door sedan with seating for five had a base price of $12,180, nearly half the cost of the four-door Seville ($23,270) and over $3,000 less than the four-door DeVille. The total production for 1982 was 25,968, approximately 6,000 more than the much-higher-priced Seville. 1983 was experiencing a depression economy and Cadillac was the only General Motors division to show a sales increase, albeit only a slight increase. To that end, the Cimarron was introduced at the right time, as fewer buyers were able to afford high-priced luxuries, yet the Cimarron sold only one-third of the predicted output.

The Cimaron's fuel economy improved in 1983 with the addition of a fuel-injected 2.0-liter engine backed by a five-speed manual gearbox. The base price increased only slightly, to $12,215, yet sales slipped even lower, to 19,194 units, a rather sharp decrease of nearly 6,780 units considering Cadillac's overall sales rose by twenty-two percent. Sales rose slightly the following year, to 21,898 units for the $12,615 Cimarron. Cadillac's overall sales again rose, this time by thirteen percent, although all of GM's divisions (including Cadillac) dropped in market share.

1985 Cimarron
The 1985 Cadillac Cimarron received a major styling revision that resulted in a delayed introduction, meaning the 1984 models were extended into the autumn of 1985. When the 1985 models did arrive, they came with an optional V6 engine. The base overhead-valve, four-cylinder engine displaced 121 cubic inches, had 9.3:1 compression, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, fuel injection, and delivered 88 horsepower at 4,800 RPM and 110 lb-ft of torque at 2,400 RPM. The 60-degree, V6 engine displaced 173 cubic inches, had overhead valves, four main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, multi-point fuel injection, and delivered 125 horsepower at 4,800 RPM and 155 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 RPM. A five-speed manual transmission with floor-shift controls was standard on the four, and a four-speed manual was standard on the V6. A three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic (THM125C) was optional.

The new Cimarron styling was more inline with its Cadillac siblings, and factory base prices continued to be under $13,000 - at $12,960. It was priced much lower than other Cadillacs but above the other J-bodied GM models. The front end grew by nearly five inches and the grille had a new crosshatch pattern with black inner surfaces for the differently positioned headlamp bezels. The list of standard equipment included an AM/FM stereo radio with power antenna, air conditioning, electric defogger for the side and rear window, leather reclining bucket seats with driver's side six-way power-adjustable features, a leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, power trunk release, power windows, tachometer, a digital clock, and overhead assist handles. Also standard were power brakes, power steering, bumper guards and rub strips, tinted glass, electric remote mirrors, halogen headlamps, and fog lamps. The options list included, for the first time, styled aluminum wheels. The Cimarron d'Oro option package added fine-line gold accent stripes on the beltline, hood center and rub strips, lower bodyside accent moldings, fog lamp covers, gold-tinted hood ornament, and gold accented grille and wheels. On the interior, the d'Oro package added saddle leather seats, and gold-tinted steering wheel spokes and horn pad emblem, and dash plaques. The only exterior body colors available on the d'Oro were either red or white.

Cadillac produced 19,890 Cimarron vehicles for 1985, followed by 25,534 in 1986, and 14,561 in 1987. Refinements accompanied the 1988 Cimarron into its final year of production, now priced at just over $16,000. New this year was the V-5 variable-displacement air conditioning compressor, new standard body-color lower grooved molding, three new exterior and interior colors, a speed-density fuel control system, larger standard all-season and optional high-performance tires, and cross-groove drive axles. The double-side galvanized steel was expanded to include the doors, the rear shock absorber valving was returned, and 14-inch alloy wheels replaced the prior 13-inch wheels. The Cimarron's final production figure was just 6,454 units.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2021