It’s somewhat unusual that you can’t go into a Cadillac showroom right now and buy a big sedan.  The quick-selling CTS fits somewhere in between a 3 and a 5-series BMW as far as interior room goes, but those looking for a “traditional” land yacht Cadillac don’t have an option… unless the Escalade counts.  (which I think it does, but YMMV.)  Since the demise of the DTS (DeVille, front-wheel-drive with a transverse Northstar 32v V8) and the STS (rear-wheel-drive, longitudinal 3.6 V6 or 4.6L Northstar V8), it’s been CTS or nothing.

Cadillac is about ready to rectify this situation with the upcoming XTS large sedan.  It will flesh out Cadillac’s model line, fitting above the CTS (and the upcoming ATS sedan will fit below it).  If you were looking for a big V8, rear wheel drive, and tail fins – you’re going to be disappointed.  However, if you’re looking for a fully modern luxury sedan that’s loaded with tech, the XTS might fit the bill.

The XTS will be competing with other front-drive-based luxury sedans like the Lincoln MKS, Lexus ES350, Buick LaCross, Hyundai Azera (weird to say!), and perhaps the Toyota Avalon.  As such, it has transverse front-drive underpinnings in the form of GM’s Epsilon II chassis.  There’s no big surprises under the sheet metal.  One engine will be offered: GM’s 3.6L LFX 24v direct-injected V6 that’s in everything from the Camaro to the CTS.  Mounted sideways and connected to a 6T-70 6-speed automatic transmission, it will produce 300 horsepower (at 6,800rpm) and 264 ft-lb.  More than enough for retirees to merge.  You have the choice of front wheel drive or all wheel drive.  The XTS will return respectable fuel economy numbers: 17/28, losing 1mpg on the highway cycle for AWD.

Being based on cars like the current Saab 9-5 and Buick LaCrosse, the XTS’s front-drive proportions aren’t surprising.  They’ve done the best they could with what they have, but I can’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed by the looks.  If Cadillac is the “standard of the world,” why are they selling cars that wouldn’t pull an eyeball in a Wal-Mart parking lot?  Maybe it’s the XTS’s intended audience: if they wanted something flashy, they’d buy a CTS.  The XTS is surprisingly restrained considering Cadillac’s Hack & Slash  Art & Science design motif of late.  To that extent, there’s not much to talk about: it’s got big slab sides with little detailing, a typical Cadillac grille with some nice headlights, C-Pillars that stretch nearly to the end of the trunk (hints of Citroen, perhaps?), and the characteristic Cadillac taillights: tall, thin, red, and packed with LED’s.  It’s handsome and inoffensive.

The interior, on the other hand: whoa.  I still remember pretty clearly when GM was so far behind the bell curve on interior quality that Kia was embarassing them.  Those days are gone, baby, gone.  So gone.  Just… just look at it!  It’s gorgeous.

Oh, so pretty.  The dash architecture of the Epsilon II’s is pretty visible (look at it compared to a LaCross dashboard), but from the photos it looks like they hit the nail directly on the head here.  Black leather and wood trim mix smoothly with polished aluminum, creating one of the classiest interiors in recent times.  I just want to sit in there and touch stuff.

The standard center stack includes an 8″ touch screen, with a panel below that has capacitive-touch controls for HVAC and audio.  This touch panel swings up to reveal a cargo area behind it, which is a pretty neat trick.  There’s also an optional 12.3″ touch screen (pictured) with reconfigurable on-screen apps.  Of course, you can get a raft of safety and tech features in the XTS as is the norm with all modern luxury cars.  Two packages are offered:  “ESS 1″ brings lane departure warning, forward collision alert, a safety alert seat (?), side blind zone alert, rear cross traffic alert, and a reflected LED display.  “ESS 2″ adds a color heads up display in place of the LED, front and rear automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, and automatic collision preparation.  So it’ll basically drive itself.

On the mechanical side of the high-tech equation, the XTS offers all of the latest and greatest GM stuff.  Magnetic Ride Control, HiPerStrut front suspension, four-wheel Brembo disc brakes, and an available Haldex AWD system put it a step above most of the snore-inducing competition in this segment.

It’s also large.  The XTS measures in at 202″ long on a 111″ wheelbase.  That means it’s 5″ longer than it’s platform mates Buick LaCross and Saab 9-5, although sitting on the same wheelbase.  Compared to a Chrysler 300, the wheelbase is 9″ shorter but 4″ longer overall.  It’s cross-town competitor, the Lincoln MKS, has nearly identical dimensions: a 112″ wheelbase and 205″ overall length.  The main advantage of the transverse front-drive arrangement is interior room.  Cadillac says the XTS has 40″ of rear leg room, 4″ more than a 5 series and 2″ more than an Audi A6.  The trunk is a cavernous 18ft³, larger than Audi’s A8.  These are all the kinds of measurements buyers in this segment get excited over – but it’s at least nice to see that Cadillac paid attention to the mechanical bits to make it as good to drive as possible.

Production of the XTS starts next year and it will be available Spring of 2012.  Pricing will be announced soon.  Sometimes it pays to go wild (like the CTS Coupe), and sometimes conservative is the smart way to play – it looks like Cadillac went for the latter here, and it’s probably for the best.

Many have said the car looks much better in person and in video, where the shapes of the car can be better understood. We tend to agree. Check out the four minute video below. Is Cadillac back on the high-end? Will this be a credible competitor to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Audi A8? Decide for yourself below.

Despite being positioned wrongly versus the 3-Series, the fact that it was a good product seemed to make up for it. Then the front-wheel drive SRX crossover followed, begging the question if Cadillac was really going to be a BMW competitor or a Lexus competitor?

Enthusiasts hopes were further dashed when word came that Cadillac would be making its flagship vehicle based on the a FWD platform. Enter, the XTS Platinum Concept.

It seems like Cadillac is listening – instead of FWD, the XTS Platinum is instead all-wheel drive, signaling Cadillac’s intention to provide its flagship sedan with a bit more panache. The latest AWD systems are able to direct a large percentage of power to the back wheels, giving the impression of rear-wheel drive.

For now, the XTS is really a stopgap until the brand gets around to deciding if they will produce a suitable RWD sedan. For a stopgap though, it is good – very good.

The exterior doesn’t break new styling ground, but continues on with Cadillac’s Art & Science theme. In particular, the car from the rear is pretty impressive. It does a pretty good job of hiding its Epsilon underpinnings, and the fact that General Motors was able to build a Cadillac on the platform shows it has impressive versatility.

While the exterior doesn’t break new ground, the interior is the exact opposite. The huge strides that GM has made in interior design here are quite evident. Attention to detail abounds in things like the car’s door handles, laser-etched surfaces and that stunning center vent.

The whole interior manages to have a retro-Cadillac vibe while still integrating the latest in modern technology. Organic Light-Emitting Diode (O-LED) screens feature, replacing all but the most basic of traditional controls. Literally, there isn’t anything we’d change in here. GM design is back!

Design could just be the saving grace here. With the right feature set, all-wheel drive and a competitive V-6 powertrain, we just might be able to overlook the car’s humble underpinnings.

If all Cadillacs display the level of attention to detail and design seen here,  the future is looking bright indeed. We hear the car looks even better in person as well. Now just hurry up with it! This car can’t come soon enough. The XTS is slated to go into production in early 2012, so there’s about two years to go.

There is bad and (really) good news. Let’s start off with the bad news: the apparently-FWD Cadillac DTS replacement does exist, wearing XTS and XTS4 designations that indicate the car will be made available with all-wheel drive. As I’ve said before, the fact that it is front-wheel drive is a major disappointment for what is supposed to be Cadillac’s flagship. However, from a styling point of view reviews of the car were glowing. They said that the car was “Sixteen-like” in it’s appearance.

Now to the really good news: a Cadillac 3-Series fighter like I’ve talked about a lot is coming and it’s called the ATS. Best of all, it’s based on a rear-wheel drive platform – in other words it will be a true competitor to the benchmark 3-Series. To me this is huge and shows that they finally do get it when it comes to at least one model in the Cadillac lineup.

Sources say the car has styling similar to the recently introduced Converj Concept and that Cadillac is aiming for the ATS to overtake the CTS as the brand’s highest-selling model. This is very exciting, I can’t wait to see these new models introduced.

As such, rumors have been swirling for the past year or more about what it’s replacement will be. Most have them have centered on Cadillac dropping both the STS and DTS models for a new model, likely to be dubbed XTS.

Now a new report has come out that says the car will be based on the Opel Insignia. What? Yes, you heard that right. To me, I think this is ridiculous. Does Cadillac want to be a serious luxury contender or not? If it does, then it needs to produce a viable Zeta-based RWD 7-Series competitor, not a new flagship based on a Opel mid-size sedan. On one hand the report doesn’t seem believable, on the other with GM anything is possible (and I don’t always mean that in a good way).

Buick? Maybe. Buick could be positioned as GM’s FWD Lexus competitor. Not Cadillac though. Cadillac needs a clear goal; it needs to go after BMW with dedicated, Cadillac-specific models and RWD platforms. Otherwise Cadillac and Buick’s missions will be confused. As good as a new Insignia-based model might be, I think Cadillac deserves better. This isn’t what I had hoped for Cadillac as part of a ”New GM.”