With the arrival of Cadillac’s lightweight high-tech CT6 flagship, it may come as a surprise that the former Cadillac top dog, continues on for model year 2017.
The XTS full-size luxury sedan, which is assembled in Oshawa and shares its underpinnings with the Chevrolet Impala, is carried over effectively unchanged.
The CUE infotainment system has been upgraded to receive the new Teen Driver function that debuted on the Malibu last year. It monitors the driver’s behaviours, mutes the stereo until the seatbelts are used, and, provides the owner with a “report card”. As with the CTS and ATS, there’s also a new instrument cluster for the base-level vehicle.
From an exterior perspective, there are a handful of other minor details that distinguish the ’17 XTS from the ’16. Bronze Dune, Deep Amethyst, and Phantom Gray join the paint colour pallet, while a new 20-inch wheel design is available for the Platinum V-Sport model. There’s also a revised XTS logo with a different letter S, we assume to further differentiate it from the XT5 mid-sized crossover that replaces the SRX.
Nonetheless, the XTS is an accomplished luxury sedan for those that like their Cadillacs comfortable, spacious, and luxurious. There’s a ton of room in the XTS’s cabin for rear-seat riders, and the car offers up premium materials in a handsomely styled package. There’s plenty of technology too – an available full TFT reconfigurable instrument cluster with crisp graphics, and Cadillac’s CUE capacitive touch control infotainment system. The system offers full compatibility with iPhones and Android devices, plus 4G WiFi internet courtesy of OnStar. Wireless device charging is also available.
With rear air suspension and Cadillac’s trick magnetic dampers as standard, the XTS offers drivers and passengers a pillowy-soft ride without being mushy or floaty. Standard front Brembo brakes offer strong stopping power, while the quick-ratio electric power steering and available all-wheel drive system features a torque vectoring rear differential for a surprisingly agile performance once the road starts to twist. It’s no sports car, but this big Cadillac can dance, if needed.
The XTS can be had with one of two engines. The standard issue is a 304-hp direct-injected V6 that develops 304 hp. It’s available with either front-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive. Vsport models also get a 3.6-litre V6, but it’s enhanced with a pair of turbos to develop 410 horsepower. All-wheel drive is standard. Both engines feature a six-speed automatic transmission.
Equipment levels of the XTS are particularly generous. Base models come standard with proximity key and push-button start, reverse parking sensors (reverse camera is standard on others, remote start, power tilt and telescoping steering column, Bose audio system with active noise cancellation, and more. Active safety technology includes available full-speed radar cruise control, lane-departure warning, 360-degree parking camera, lane-keeping assist, and front and rear automatic braking.
This vehicle has not yet been reviewed
