Cadillac CT6 review

Imagine you sell your company or finally get that promotion. I am just fantasizing here. You can pick something from the higher classes. On your list will probably be an Audi A8, BMW 7-Series, and Mercedes S-Class. If it gets to be very exotic, maybe a Lexus, Jaguar, or Maserati Quattroporte. That sounds cool, but I think this one is not on your list.

cadillac ct6

Cadillac has a hard time in Europe. But look at this car. I think Cadillac CT6 is impressive, the way it looks. This is a real car. It has presence. It looks like the Cadillac Ciel concept car, a 4-seat convertible. An impressive car. The lines of the headlights and taillights are correct. The specs: AWD, twin-turbo V6, and over 400 hp. The specs and looks are promising.

twin turbo v6 cadillac ct6

Taking off my sunglasses is the polite thing to do. My first impression of the interior is good. Yes, if you start looking you can find some things that feel American. Cheaper plastic and such. I call it plastic, not synthetic materials. On the other hand, a full-width display instead of gauges, a large satnav screen, and a speaker system with 34 speakers. It sounds good. I did not do a music test yet.

large satnav screen cadillac ct6

Let's drive and have those first feels. The good feeling starts to disintegrate. Why it does is because of the transmission. Shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd gear... The higher the gear, the smoother the shifting, but in lower gears it is clunky and falters sometimes. It has to think, even when you drive normally. Not just when you are hooning or do something strange, but all the time.

That is not what I want. The rest of the powertrain has a 3-liter V6 with 411 hp and 555 Nm (409 lb ft) torque. Sometimes it feels like that, and sometimes it does not. When looking at the papers 0-100 kph (62 mph) takes 5.7 seconds. It does not launch that fast and does not accelerate as hard as you would expect from 400+ hp. The German rivals with less horsepower are faster on the 0-100 kph (62 mph) sprint.

The top speed is limited to 240 kph (149 mph). It was a choice to put the limiter on 250 or 240 kph. It does not accelerate at higher speeds as much as you would expect with all that horsepower. Cadillac does say this car is lighter than its rivals. That is strange. Let's say something positive now. The suspension is brilliant. It feels stiff enough. It does not roll.

More about this later, but it is no old-fashioned swaying Cadillac. Until you reach a speed bump. You barely feel those. I see them and know some make my own car bounce. You can take them at an angle and still be affected, but in this car everything is fine. The handling in corners is always tricky with a car this size. I do not think you buy a BMW 7-Series, Audi A8, and Mercedes S-Class for their handling. No, they all handle terribly.

They are too big, too comfortable, and too sluggish. It is not bad, but it is not a selling point either. The same goes for the Cadillac CT6. In the end, the handling is not brilliant. It corners well, but the steering is too indirect. If you do enter a corner fast, you slide this or that way. The seats... This does not conform to the top class. It is too hard, but that could have been a choice.

seats cadilac ct 6

interior cadillac ct6

There is not enough lateral support, but there are a lot of adjustment options. However, they do need to take a look at this. Other things can be passed off as taste. I do not feel the 400+ hp. So what? It is not like people go drag racing all day. Normal people, normal car buyers, never do. Maybe once in a while. You do not have to give way to many cars, because it still does 0-100 kph (62 mph) in 5.7 seconds.

It has AWD, so rain is no problem. In all, this is a difficult car. It is difficult to say if you should buy it or not. It seems to be of two minds. You can see this best in the interior. The wood is very dark. This is wood and the trim below is carbon fiber. I think the wood is really old-fashioned, the carbon fiber is modern and sporty. This car cannot choose between competing with European cars or sticking to the old Cadillac values; comfort, plenty of power, and a lot of luxury.

I cannot decide. If you do want one, the price is competitive. The 7-Series, S-Class, and A8 start below 100,000 euros. This one starts at a little over 100,000 euros. I do not think it matters in this class. A lot of goodies are standard, or so I have been told. I did not look at the price list very well, but I can imagine the German trio is more expensive there. It will not be as bad with the Cadillac.

It already has everything: collision warning, active cruise control, and vibrating seats. I think that is nice. The park distance control does beep, but makes the seat vibrate as well. The same with collision warning if it spots a pedestrian. That is brilliant. That is a nice invention.

Recources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uIVRuNtLqU