2013 Cadillac XTS restyles luxury (pictures)
Cadillac brings back the big, luxury cruiser with its XTS model, a car with excellent noise insulation providing a very comfortable ride. A little down on power, the XTS won't rule the road.
The all-new XTS looks like the luxury sedan Cadillac has needed. This big sedan, although not quite flagship size, emphasizes comfort and modern tech in the cabin.
The styling continues the Art and Science design language Cadillac used so successfully on the CTS. With its strong angles and lines, the XTS is distinctly a Cadillac.
Even the headlight reflect the Art and Science design language, as the lenses become architectural elements of the car. Vertical LED light pipes, similar to those on the CTS model, give the XTS a distinct Cadillac look during the night.
The XTS uses the same basic engine from the CTS, a 3.6-liter V-6 with direct injection. It makes 304 horsepower, which is adequate for getting the XTS moving.
The XTS is built on the same platform as the Buick LaCrosse. Both cars share a similar overall body shape, emphasizing cabin space, although the XTS is obviously more angular.
Cadillac gives the XTS its Magna-ride adaptive suspension standard. The car can also be had with all-wheel drive.
The trunk of the XTS is huge, with a lot of depth all the way up to the backs of the rear seats. Those seats also fold down, making for a large pass-through.
The seats and dashboard are covered in leather, while shiny plastic shows up on many other surfaces in the car. Noise insulation is excellent.
The rear bench felt comfortable and fairly roomy, although not up to executive legroom.
The centerpiece of the new XTS is the Cadillac User Experience (CUE), a new interface for the cabin electronics.
The electric-steering unit is highly boosted, making it extremely easy to crank the wheel around.
These switches, controlling the instrument cluster configuration, can be a little difficult to figure out at first.
With the car turned off, the instrument cluster is blank.
Turn the car on and these gauges float into place. There are other instrument cluster configurations available as well.
The XTS comes with a six-speed automatic, delivering smooth shifts. It has a manual mode, but no sport mode.
The head-up display can show a variety of views, such as speedometer and tachometer.
The rearview camera shows trajectory lines and a collision warning.
CUE offers a main menu screen, with icons for navigation, phone, and audio.
The navigation system shows detailed maps, with buildings rendered in 3D. Also note the lack of any control icons on this screen.
CUE has a proximity sensor that brings useful controls up on the screen when you put your hand near it.
Navigation is augmented by this display in the instrument cluster and turn-by-turn directions on the head-up display.
The stereo interface not only shows album art, but builds a media library interface from all the digital sources plugged into the car.
Pandora integration makes it possible to select stations you have created.
Speakers in the front seat shoulders enhance the sound quality of the Bose audio system.
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