LA 2011: Cadillac XTS Unveiled

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.