2013 Cadillac XTS
The best big American luxury car, by default.
May 2012
BY TONY QUIROGA
The Lincoln Town Car is no more. The Cadillac DTS is dead. Luxury, as defined by big, floating cars designed to isolate six occupants from reality, is extinct. The world has moved on, and there’s no stronger evidence than the replacement for the DTS, this new XTS.
By Brougham, DeVille, and Fleetwood standards of yore, the XTS isn’t exactly big. At 202 inches, it casts a longer shadow than the defunct STS, but a shorter one than the departed DTS. Built on the same stretched version of the Chevrolet Malibu’s Epsilon platform as the Buick LaCrosse and the upcoming Chevrolet Impala, the XTS is as big as GM cars get these days. (There will be larger Cadillacs soon, on a new platform called Omega.) Starting with Malibu-sized bones means that the XTS isn’t very wide, but the 111.7-inch wheelbase does provide a livery-ready backseat with good legroom. Livery customers also will like the deep 18.0 cubic-foot trunk and the $44,995 base price.
CUE the Gadgets
Back-seat riders will miss out on playing with the CUE infotainment system, which debuts on the XTS. Standard on all trim levels, CUE consists of a big touch screen in the center stack that houses audio, climate, phone, and navigation controls. (The digitally displayed gauge cluster on the top two trims is involved, too.) CUE also can be used to alter vehicle settings, use apps such as Pandora internet radio, or access GM’s OnStar telematics system. Clearly modeled after Apple’s iPad—one of which, in fact, will be given to buyers—CUE is graced with quick responses and a logical menu setup that makes it a lot less obtuse than the conceptually similar MyFord Touch system. There’s also haptic feedback—touching the screen or any of the capacitive controls below it results in a subtle vibration that lets you know you’ve “pushed” a “button.” We would like to have seen a redundant seek button for the radio, but beyond that, we found that CUE manages a lot of different tasks without too much confusion. With so much new technology to learn, we’re glad Cadillac has left the turn signals and shifter alone. CUE might prove daunting for older buyers, but it comes in the grand GM luxury tradition of power-assisted everything and tech like the marvelously named Twilight Sentinel automatic headlamps.
Indeed, while technology has always been an integral part of the big Caddy experience, we were more surprised by the XTS’s competent handling. Magnetorheological shocks provide ride smoothness without any float. Quick-ratio steering (2.6 turns lock-to-lock) and short sidewalls for both the 19-inch (Standard, Luxury, Premium) and 20-inch (standard on Platinum, optional on Premium) wheels give the XTS prompt responses; the downside is the occasional harsh impact. The variable-effort power steering is light to the touch, but also graced with some semblance of feel. Strong front brakes provided by Brembo are good enough for V-series Cadillacs. In either front- or all-wheel-drive form, the XTS has poise. It’s not overtly sporty, but the chassis offers control and confidence that bucks big-Caddy traditions.
One Six, So Sixes for All
Buyers who equate power with cylinder count might scoff at the XTS’s V-6. Every XTS will feature Cadillac’s direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6 with 304 hp and 264 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy comes in at 17 mpg city and 28 highway (17/27 highway for all-wheel-drive versions). Power is adequate, although finding the power requires sweeping the tachometer past 4000 rpm—torque peaks at 5200 rpm. Customers raised on big displacement likely will never work their engines that hard. The automatic travels fluidly through its six gears and never draws attention to itself. There’s no sport program for the gearbox, but there is a manual mode, complete with paddle shifters on the back of the steering wheel should you decide to pretend you bought a CTS-V.
There’s no mistaking the XTS’s interior for that of the CTS, or any other Cadillac of the past. Top-dog Platinum models (price of entry: $59,080) wrap the instrument and door panels in soft leather; the other three trim levels (Standard, Luxury, and Premium) get synthetic hides that look convincing. The front seats are plush, but the headrests smack the back of your head like a homeroom bully. We weren’t huge fans of the aforementioned virtual gauges, which appear on a 12.3-inch LCD display. There is the option of four gauge layouts, but unless you want to perform whiz-bang tricks like swiping nav screens from the center stack to the cluster, there really is nothing wrong with the standard analog gauges. Clean, original, and elegant, this is arguably the best interior Cadillac has ever done.
Clean and elegant also applies to most of the exterior design. Sharp angles and creases are out and subtle folds are in, likely to appease a Chinese market that favors softer designs. Getting bystanders to notice your XTS is the sole task of the shiny and massive grille. Aside from that flashy piece, the brightwork and detailing are tasteful. There’s even a bit of the Rolls-Royce Phantom in the C-pillar.
Some Things Haven’t Changed
Big American luxury has changed. It’s not very big anymore, there’s no V-8, and it doesn’t float or conceal the road. But while there might not be a “Body by Fisher” badge on the XTS, it does keep a few old traditions alive. It’s substantial looking, it’s filled with gadgets, it has a spacious back seat, and its trunk looks lonely and barren when devoid of golf clubs. Unlike the upcoming ATS and the CTS, the XTS doesn’t go directly after the European competition. Its handling and interior execution move it closer to the European brands, but it’s not aimed directly at the big German sedans. A RWD car already tapped to supplant the XTS at the top of Caddy’s lineup is due in 2014 and may offer an optional V-8; this model will more directly target those cars. In the meantime, the XTS seems content to be the last, big American luxury car.
[video=youtube;GhWbHLH0FxE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhWbHLH0FxE&feature=related[/video]
The best big American luxury car, by default.
May 2012
BY TONY QUIROGA
The Lincoln Town Car is no more. The Cadillac DTS is dead. Luxury, as defined by big, floating cars designed to isolate six occupants from reality, is extinct. The world has moved on, and there’s no stronger evidence than the replacement for the DTS, this new XTS.
By Brougham, DeVille, and Fleetwood standards of yore, the XTS isn’t exactly big. At 202 inches, it casts a longer shadow than the defunct STS, but a shorter one than the departed DTS. Built on the same stretched version of the Chevrolet Malibu’s Epsilon platform as the Buick LaCrosse and the upcoming Chevrolet Impala, the XTS is as big as GM cars get these days. (There will be larger Cadillacs soon, on a new platform called Omega.) Starting with Malibu-sized bones means that the XTS isn’t very wide, but the 111.7-inch wheelbase does provide a livery-ready backseat with good legroom. Livery customers also will like the deep 18.0 cubic-foot trunk and the $44,995 base price.
CUE the Gadgets
Back-seat riders will miss out on playing with the CUE infotainment system, which debuts on the XTS. Standard on all trim levels, CUE consists of a big touch screen in the center stack that houses audio, climate, phone, and navigation controls. (The digitally displayed gauge cluster on the top two trims is involved, too.) CUE also can be used to alter vehicle settings, use apps such as Pandora internet radio, or access GM’s OnStar telematics system. Clearly modeled after Apple’s iPad—one of which, in fact, will be given to buyers—CUE is graced with quick responses and a logical menu setup that makes it a lot less obtuse than the conceptually similar MyFord Touch system. There’s also haptic feedback—touching the screen or any of the capacitive controls below it results in a subtle vibration that lets you know you’ve “pushed” a “button.” We would like to have seen a redundant seek button for the radio, but beyond that, we found that CUE manages a lot of different tasks without too much confusion. With so much new technology to learn, we’re glad Cadillac has left the turn signals and shifter alone. CUE might prove daunting for older buyers, but it comes in the grand GM luxury tradition of power-assisted everything and tech like the marvelously named Twilight Sentinel automatic headlamps.
Indeed, while technology has always been an integral part of the big Caddy experience, we were more surprised by the XTS’s competent handling. Magnetorheological shocks provide ride smoothness without any float. Quick-ratio steering (2.6 turns lock-to-lock) and short sidewalls for both the 19-inch (Standard, Luxury, Premium) and 20-inch (standard on Platinum, optional on Premium) wheels give the XTS prompt responses; the downside is the occasional harsh impact. The variable-effort power steering is light to the touch, but also graced with some semblance of feel. Strong front brakes provided by Brembo are good enough for V-series Cadillacs. In either front- or all-wheel-drive form, the XTS has poise. It’s not overtly sporty, but the chassis offers control and confidence that bucks big-Caddy traditions.
One Six, So Sixes for All
Buyers who equate power with cylinder count might scoff at the XTS’s V-6. Every XTS will feature Cadillac’s direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6 with 304 hp and 264 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy comes in at 17 mpg city and 28 highway (17/27 highway for all-wheel-drive versions). Power is adequate, although finding the power requires sweeping the tachometer past 4000 rpm—torque peaks at 5200 rpm. Customers raised on big displacement likely will never work their engines that hard. The automatic travels fluidly through its six gears and never draws attention to itself. There’s no sport program for the gearbox, but there is a manual mode, complete with paddle shifters on the back of the steering wheel should you decide to pretend you bought a CTS-V.
There’s no mistaking the XTS’s interior for that of the CTS, or any other Cadillac of the past. Top-dog Platinum models (price of entry: $59,080) wrap the instrument and door panels in soft leather; the other three trim levels (Standard, Luxury, and Premium) get synthetic hides that look convincing. The front seats are plush, but the headrests smack the back of your head like a homeroom bully. We weren’t huge fans of the aforementioned virtual gauges, which appear on a 12.3-inch LCD display. There is the option of four gauge layouts, but unless you want to perform whiz-bang tricks like swiping nav screens from the center stack to the cluster, there really is nothing wrong with the standard analog gauges. Clean, original, and elegant, this is arguably the best interior Cadillac has ever done.
Clean and elegant also applies to most of the exterior design. Sharp angles and creases are out and subtle folds are in, likely to appease a Chinese market that favors softer designs. Getting bystanders to notice your XTS is the sole task of the shiny and massive grille. Aside from that flashy piece, the brightwork and detailing are tasteful. There’s even a bit of the Rolls-Royce Phantom in the C-pillar.
Some Things Haven’t Changed
Big American luxury has changed. It’s not very big anymore, there’s no V-8, and it doesn’t float or conceal the road. But while there might not be a “Body by Fisher” badge on the XTS, it does keep a few old traditions alive. It’s substantial looking, it’s filled with gadgets, it has a spacious back seat, and its trunk looks lonely and barren when devoid of golf clubs. Unlike the upcoming ATS and the CTS, the XTS doesn’t go directly after the European competition. Its handling and interior execution move it closer to the European brands, but it’s not aimed directly at the big German sedans. A RWD car already tapped to supplant the XTS at the top of Caddy’s lineup is due in 2014 and may offer an optional V-8; this model will more directly target those cars. In the meantime, the XTS seems content to be the last, big American luxury car.
[video=youtube;GhWbHLH0FxE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhWbHLH0FxE&feature=related[/video]
