Cadillac’s new sedan finds a sweet spot between two traditional segments
The 2016 CT6 is Cadillac’s latest luxury sedan, designed to occupy a peculiar spot between the likes of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the larger S-Class luxobarge. The newly New York-based company likes to compare the dimensions of the CT6 to a short-wheelbase 7-Series, though in terms of size the new sedan is remarkably close to an existing but different Cadillac: the XTS.
So what, exactly, is new about yet another large luxury sedan from Cadillac?
Agility, connectivity and indulgence are the three main themes propounded by the company, even if at first glance the new CT6 only gently advances the Art and Science design language introduced in the CTS a distant 13 years ago. We’ve had a generation to get used to the new look of Cadillac, and the CT6’s looks are evolutionary rather than revolutionary, as the company itself will readily concede. If you look closely, Cadillac has actually toned down the brightness of the chrome in designing the new sedan, and while the familiar elements are still there the company has tried to achieve an understated elegance in sculpting the CT6, opting for balance over brashness.
While the CT6 is unlikely to be mistaken for anything from Germany, at least from the outside, one engine you won’t find (at least not yet) in the new sedan is a V8. Instead, the CT6 starts off its powerplant lineup with a 2.0-liter inline-four producing 265 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, with a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 taking up the middle position with 335 hp and 285 lb-ft of torque on tap. The top engine for now, before the plug-in hybrid and the V8 arrive, is a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 good for 404 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. All three engines are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, which can be controlled via paddles when the need to battle other luxury sedans arises.
The CT6 will be offered with a choice of three engines at launch.
A new lightweight body and chassis should give the CT6 more than a fighting chance. The Caddy joins aluminum and high-strength steel parts to achieve impressive weight savings — it’s lighter than midsize competitors from Team Germany, as the company is keen to point out — and to lend the chassis a characteristic that Cadillac sedans have strived to develop only in this century: agility.
Cadillac designed the CT6 from the ground up to use not only all-wheel drive but also four-wheel steering and Magnetic Ride Control to mask its exterior dimensions, which are not exactly European-sized. Four-wheel steering operates in two modes depending on the car’s speed, giving the CT6 a tighter turning radius when maneuvering at low speeds and improving chassis response at higher speeds.
An equally important ingredient that Cadillac emphasizes in the CT6 is connectivity. There is connectivity everywhere — even in the rearview mirror, which is now a video screen connected to a rear-facing camera. Don’t worry; an old-fashioned glass mirror can still be had in the lower trim levels, though Cadillac has aimed to raise its game when it comes to safety features and infotainment. The CUE infotainment system can be controlled with a touchpad positioned next to the gear lever or via the touchscreen itself, while rear-seat passengers enjoy two infotainment screens that deploy from the backs of the front seats, lest they become disconnected from their virtual world.
Actually, Cadillac will let buyers decide just how much technology they want to let into their lives. With a starting price of $ 54,490 for the 2.0-liter version, there is plenty of room to add beefier engines and options should buyers reject the whole concept of understated luxury and instead want to build a luxury tank.
Cadillac went for understated luxury in designing the interior and exterior of the new CT6.
What’s it like to drive?
The CT6 achieves the first of its three design pillars, agility, with a remarkably light chassis feel. As we fire up the 3.0 TT version of the sedan and round a few corners, the CT6 responds with a noticeable lack of body roll and reflexes that remind us of its smaller sibling, the ATS Coupe. This quality is the most lasting feeling associated with the CT6, though not the only one as the new sedan tries to win us over with its understated abilities.
The top 404-hp engine has good power but doesn’t try to turn a gentle drive around town into a growling match — it’s understated power, though a later jaunt in the base 2.0-liter version of the sedan ends up being our favorite engine of the three. The 265-hp unit feels the best suited to the eight-speed transmission, gently producing shifts without announcing every change of the cogs. The 2.0-liter also wins us over with its linear, predictable throttle response and quiet operation, in addition to noticeable weight savings as we sample the various versions of the CT6 back to back.
But what of indulgence? It’s here as well in the form of the eerily quiet cabin that lets the driver and passengers indulge in conversation without having to raise their voices. This quiet persists well into brisk highway speeds and is one of the qualities that Cadillac has handily achieved in the CT6, going as far as selecting metals with greater sound-insulation properties where needed. It appears that such attention to detail has paid off.
The CT6 gently advances the Art and Science design language introduced 13 years ago.
Do I want it?
The CT6 makes an impressive case for itself at a price point where the Germans offer nothing but bare-bones midsize sedans, if you can find them. Its ability to mimic the handling of cars a few segments down is undeniable, a quality that will surprise those new to the brand, as well as those who’ve been buying Cadillacs for years.
While Cadillac has built plenty of range into the price ladder, making it possible to get into the high $ 80,000s if so desired, we found the 2.0-liter version to be the most compelling powerplant of the three.
Cadillac expects that a lot of buyers will be tempted to select one of the two V6s, lest they have to confess to their friends that they’ve got a four-pot in their Cadillac, but it is the smaller engine that feels best suited to the large sedan. And it resides in that pricing sweet spot where the CT6 can indeed deliver an asymmetric strike against the large German ubersedans.
