Cadillac has set its sights firmly on the premium import category. The new XTS4 competes head-on with a nice combination of styling, performance and luxury, but beats all of them on sticker price.
New for 2013 and the only true entry left in the premium American sedan category, GM focuses its attention on detail and comfort with the introduction of the Cadillac XTS4 Premium.
Using GM's V6, 304-horsepower powerplant mated to a six-speed transmission, it provided nice pickup and comfortable highway driving- while returning decent gas mileage for a full-sized car: 17 mpg in the city and 28 highway.
After years — perhaps dec-ades — Cadillac is taking- cues from the full-sized European luxury sedans, reaching into their playbook of refined driving- experience with sports cars genes and producing a vehicle that will cruise the highway but also tackle a slalom course.
Cadillac has moved away from the corpulent acres of sheet metal surrounding a mammoth powerplant, but it still paid homage to the classics with some very subtle body detailing, including the famous chrome V trim on the trunk and a hint of the rear fins in the rear lights from the '50s.
This all-wheel-drive car is very responsive in acceleration, but it was the Euro-style handling that caught me off guard and was pleasantly sur-prising. The magnetic traction system, think high-speed railway technology, real-ly does a wonderful job of flattening out the car's ride and hugging the road, particularly on curves and turns. Yet, it has that iconic, opulent American comfort ride absorbing road bumps and uneven pavement, but without the tendency to drift and yaw. Engineers have added a nice set of Brembo brakes for sure stopping power.
Caddy took care of the interior with quality leather seats, soft touch surfaces, wood trim and great attention to the fit and finish of the cabin. True to its heritage as a touring sedan, passenger comfort is paramount. Leg room and sight lines, including the panoramic sunroof and personal climate controls, highlight the rider experience. The cockpit envelops the driver with well-placed controls, a European-styled minimalist electronic gauge display and the CUE, or Cadillac User Experience, entertainment system.
CUE is a large, inter-active one-piece touchscreen that handles all your phone, Bluetooth and car information technology. And the Bose surround system includes headrest speakers. The driver-assist package adds rearview camera, collision warning and blind-spot monitors. One of the weirdest, yet useful, options in this package is the vibrating seat and audible alerts when backing up and changing lanes.
With a base price of $55,800, our tester rolled at $59,100 with some upgrades that helped this luxury entry compare favorably with the BMW 7 series, Jaguar XJ, Mercedes E series and the Infinity M56.
