DRIVEN. Cadillac GT6
Feature | crankandpiston.com | EVO Middle East
For Cadillac, the new CT6 ‘prestige’ saloon is more than just a new member of its line-up. It’s the model they hope, and need, to put the company back on top.
Originally posted – 20 June, 2014 | crankandpiston.com
It’s the night before a regional car launch, and topics of conversation at the dinner table are as you would expect: “have you seen the latest Marvel film?”; whether it was Hamilton’s fault in Spain; and Bulgaria’s chances in the European Cup. But over a few more glasses of, let’s say, mineral water, conversation has switched to the reason we’re all here, the all-new CT6. Alongside the new XT5 crossover, it’s the ‘anchor model’ for, what Cadillac hopes will be, a new era for the company, one in which the former American giant hopes to reclaim the premium segment it once owned before a couple of decades in the ‘90s wilderness.
It’s a long-term plan that involves a multi-billion dollar investment – note the ‘b’ there – and eight new models being launched before 2020, including some segments into which Cadillac has never dared tread. But to do so, General Motors’ premium arm must first take on two prestigious linchpins, namely the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes S-Class. And that’s sparked an interesting conversation:
“So, it’s an S-Class, but for E-Class money?”
“Yeah. $63,900 for Prestige against, what is it…? $110K for an S 400? But we’re not directly rivalling the S-Class…”
Cue a skeptical eyebrow…
“Well, okay, we sort of are. But bear in-mind the Middle East is a long wheelbase market and we’re still discussing the option of an LWB CT6. So comparing it with an S-Class isn’t really accurate at the moment”
The conversation continues across croissants and a couple of strong coffees the following morning. Our genial Cadillac hosts are still keen to express that, okay, yes, the prospect of a long wheelbase alternative is one the company is looking at, and saying that, Mercedes may not necessarily be on its radar just yet. The CT6 nevertheless is a premium saloon both Mercedes and BMW would do well to pay attention to.
All of which brings us to the test drive itself, starting – as part of Cadillac Arabia’s ‘luxury lifestyle’ event for the CT6 – outside the newly opened Four Seasons in Abu Dhabi. I receive an assuring pat on the back as the car pulls to a halt in front of me – “you won’t want to get out of it” – and my decision is made. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I’m going to start this test drive from the back seat.
My word, it’s opulent. Free from the constraints of a steering wheel and two pedals – oh the brutality! – I spend most of the opening leg of this drive playing with the seat and massage controls in the centre arm rest, marvelling at the impressive sound deadening, and suppressing a mild grin when two TV screens slide elegantly out of the seat backs in front of me. There’s a couple of minor niggles of course: the space between the front seat and the carpeted floor is not quite large enough to slide my hearty brogues beneath; there could be a dash more headroom; and I do wonder if, even for a prestige vehicle, the rake of the rear ottomans is so aggressive that the supportive nature of the seats suffers slightly.
But overall, it’s a deliciously pleasant start to my day. I particularly like the way the roof concaves upwards so those of a loftier build don’t clout their skulls. And sweet Lord, with the massagers on, the revised Magnetic Ride Control suspension working overtime on the ride quality, and the pillowy leather I’m leaning ever further into, it makes me wonder why I don’t start more test drives in this manner.
A good start then for the people working on ‘making Cadillac great again’, and it should therefore come as no surprise that the CT6 has received some major work beneath its Armani shirtsleeves.
At the heart is an aluminium-intensive chassis, designed to reduce both the weight and the car’s centre of gravity. High-strength steel has also been added to improve torsional rigidity. At one stage the idea was to have the chassis made COMPLETELY from aluminium, but the costs attached to that plan caused Cadillac to rethink its strategy. Effectively so too, for even with that big, heavy all-wheel drive system, our CT6 test model still, quite incredibly, weighs ‘only’ 1,853kg. That’s just under 30kg less than the CTS-V with which it shares its underpinnings, and despite being more than 200mm longer. Cadillac even claims the structure itself is stiffer than an ATS, if you can rap your noggin around that.
It’s not just the chassis that’s received work either. Alongside the established 335bhp 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6 already on Cadillac’s books is a brand new 3-litre twin-turbo variant exclusive to the brand that produces 404bhp and 400lb ft of torque. Cylinder deactivation (a first for a turbocharged V6, no less) and the inevitable weight saving that comes with it show Cadillac still has its eye on those all-important fuel efficiency readings.
There is slightly more to it than that though, for alongside the ‘pulse lowering’ nature of the new CT6, Cadillac is keen to promote the model’s agility. An interesting prospect for a near two-ton premium saloon, but not – as we found out last month with the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class – an absurd one. It’s with slight begrudge-ry then that, after an hour or so, I eventually give up my place in the back to take up position at the front.
The route for today’s drive is not what you’d call the most dynamic. Nor in all honesty is it the most spell binding, consigned as we are to a few laps of Abu Dhabi’s city centre, down the corniche and the highways that surround it. Fortunately a supple ride quality, one of the quietest cabins we’ve ever experienced, and possibly the world’s best stereo system mean that in terms of indulgence it’s a solid tick. In terms of the mooted ‘dynamism’ though, I’m still skeptical as we pull up again at the Four Seasons and swap seats.
As it turns out, I’m pleasantly surprised, though I do still have some complaints (it’s my job, after all). I’m immediately drawn by the long, LONG bonnet that stretches out before me: as a design, and particularly in profile, the CT6 looks incredible, but the sheer length of those grooves working their way down to the front grille makes me a little nervous. How am I going to steer this behemoth?
Similarly the pedal position and the range options of the steering column I find difficult to set comfortably: either I’m sitting too far away from the wheel with good pedal distance, or I’m sitting comfortably at the wheel wishing my legs were an inch shorter.
Relax Cadillac, I’m getting to the good stuff.
The new rear camera in the mirror is an impressive addition, as it offers 300 per cent rear visibility. A figure to scoff at, perhaps, but something that proves amazingly effective when we’re on the move. Ditto the seating position, which is mounted impressively low, merging the superbly minimalist centre dash around me as it does. And yes, I’ll take this headroom for a long distance journey too. Just bear with me while I navigate the updated CUE system and set the stereo speakers going again. “Have you seen how they rise out of the dashboard?”
At a cruise, the rather numb feel through the steering is to be expected of a prestigious saloon, and when I switch to ‘Sport’ driving mode, there still lacks the textured feedback and even sufficient weight at the helm to really feel where the front wheels are pointing. I’ll admit I’m not expecting an apex muncher, but Cadillac’s claimed focus on agility means I’m still a little disappointed.
Fortunately the balance of the big Caddy is its saving grace, for while there is some lean in the cabin in this 1,853kg bruiser, the grip at the front and surprising manner in which the nose can be pointed means the CT6 offers a composure under cornering you wouldn’t reasonably expect from an executive limousine, the nose not diving or sagging under load but instead offering a measured degree of civility under turn-in.
In Tour, torque is rear biased in our all-wheel drive model, with 60 percent being sent to the rear axle. In Sport, it’s nearer 80, and the resultant traction out of the corners and more pronounced power delivery from the rear allows the front end to tuck tighter into the corners: we’re hardly into Caterham territory, but for a vehicle of this size, prestige and comfort, it’s an impressive combination.
Ditto the rear steering, which while largely imperceptible on the move, nevertheless allows for a more rapid rate of steering at lower speeds. In the lower gears, the front and rear wheels steer in opposite directions, as opposed to a ‘similar angle’ when up to speed. Consequently tight cornering is made easier. Guess I needn’t have worried about that long bonnet after all…
Hitherto the cabin noise has not been jarred by the V6 chugging away under the bonnet either, though admittedly my mind is mostly focused on the bass being piled into my spine (not unpleasantly) by the stereo that makes the seat massagers almost redundant. Nor indeed does the 3-litre engine feel overly strained or unwilling to plough on in the high gears. You could even call the V6 sprightly, 404bhp being fed to all four wheels with, if not aggression, then certainly vim and vigour, aided immensely by huge waves of torque low down and spirited yet simultaneously smooth changes through the gearbox. Only when the revs are low in second or third gear do you feel a dodderiness to the operation. Of course there’s also the brakes, the feel for which through the pedal is consistent certainly even if the discs themselves don’t quite offer the stopping power I’d hoped for. Worth noting Cadillac engineers if you are mulling a CT6-V…
Even despite the overall comfort of the CT6 though, it’s the manoeuvrability of the big Caddy that sticks with me as our final tour of Abu Dhabi draws to a close. For a car this size, with this amount of on-board tech and indulgence, it’s really quite astonishing, give or take the odd niggle here and there. Yes, some more consistently weighted steering wouldn’t go amiss, and the brakes could use some added punch. But low-speed composure and the vigorous nature of the twin-turbo V6 has genuinely surprised me on a day where I’d expected luxury and design to rightfully take the spotlight.
Of course, ‘agility’ is not what ultimately brought the new CT6 to the prestige saloon dance, the ‘indulgence’ of the drive harking my mind back to the conversation over dinner the previous evening. As an ‘anchor model’, the newboy is an impressive feat for a company keen to re-establish itself at the top of the mountain. The design, both inside and out, the comfort, the build quality and the efficiency of the infotainment system alone should be enough to convince any cynics that Cadillac is very dedicated to this endeavour. And while the Mercedes S-Class might not be on the radar just yet, it seems inevitable that, one day, it will be.
Images | Thorsten Weigl
Feature | crankandpiston.com | EVO Middle East | James Gent