2018 Cadillac XTS V-Sport Drivers' Notes Review | Cruise missile
Fri, Jan 26 2018
Our tester is the range-topping Platinum V-Sport trim. At $73,040, it's not exactly cheap. That said, you do get a hell of a lot for your money. This car has heated and cooled massaging front seats with 22-way power adjustment, a heated steering wheel, heads-up display, the latest version of Cadillac's infotainment system, Bose surround sound, LED headlights and adaptive cruise control. That's not including all the V-Sport goodies like Brembo brakes, magnetic ride and a howling 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6.
Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder — Hopping in the Cadillac XTS, the familiar surroundings created a certain set of expectations. Like judging a book by its cover, it's an easy trap to judge a Cadillac by its interior (they all feel the same to me). Some of what I expected, I got: a smooth ride, hearty pep, robust driver assist and fussy audio and HVAC controls.
What surprised me was just how urgent this motor is. On paper, that should come as no surprise. The V-Sport's 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6, making 410 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, is bound to pack a punch. You almost forget what that should feel like, though, until you put your right foot down. There's no lag, and despite the all-wheel drive, there's even a little torque steer. The lightness of the steering means it's no difficult task to account for it, though.
Speaking of steering, I actually enjoyed bending this through tight corners. It's a breeze to saw the tiller back and forth, and the car communicates the interaction between the tires — especially up front — with the road. I'd like to take this Caddy to the track.
Associate Editor Reese Counts: I liked this car way more than I thought I would. I was expecting a DTS or STS with a fresh face and a bit more punch. In a way, that's what this is, but I don't mean that as a knock. I don't need every car I drive to be able to put down hot laps. Sometimes I want something with soft seats (that massage!) and a big engine to get me home quickly. That's where this car really shines. I could spend all day behind the wheel of this and not get tired. I'm not sure I could say the same of a CTS-V.
It quickly became apparent that the car wasn't designed to go around a corner with any true grace. It's quick, but there's lots of body roll and a bit of understeer thanks to the all-wheel-drive system. The brakes are good, though there's a lot of mass to slow down. As John mentioned, there's a touch of torque steer, but it's nothing terrible. If you're looking for something with some real jazz, go look at the CTS V-Sport instead. This is a cruiser with a big heart.
And for that I was grateful. All I really did this week was run around greater Detroit. I made an airport run at 5 p.m. and got to slog through an hour or so worth of traffic to my house. The adaptive cruise is one of the best systems I've used. After the gym, the heated and massaging seats were a wonderful welcome. The infotainment system is vastly improved, though it took ages for Android Auto to load up. Even then there were some occasional cuts in audio.
This isn't the Cadillac for me, but it might be the car for someone.
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By Autoblog Staff
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