Last week we showed you a concept car by BMW that has a great chance of being produced within the current decade. Well, this weeks concept is going to be made by 2012—how's that for instant gratification? And we're actually kind of stoked about it. You see, Cadillac is supposed to be one of America's premier luxury brands. One of the nameplates that go head-to-head with the European and Japanese big dogs. And as of now, they're doing a pretty good job. We love the CTS and we just hopped in their redesigned SRX crossover and that's dope, too. But you can't compete with the bosses without a top of the line luxury sedan. They did away with their DTS and STS models, leaving the CTS to hold down the fort all by its lonesome. However, at the 2010 North American Autoshow, we saw the car that will take the place of both the DTS and STS: the Cadillac XTS. It looks the part, but is it really the answer? Read on to find out...
EXTERIOR: The XTS Platinum, when produced, will hold court atop Cadillac's sedan range. Besides the Escalade, it will be the head honcho. The car high-salaried thieves executives will opt for. That's why it embodies a look of big boy opulence. It's a couple inches shorter than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and a couple inches longer than the BMW 7 Series—it's two main competitors. It keeps up with Cadillac's current design language, but massages it a little, makes it grow up and put on a proper outfit before going out. You can almost look at it and tell where the CTS sedan will be in a couple years. Kind of like when you look at Beyonce and her mom standing next to each other. Caddy says it "transcends the traditional aesthetic of luxury sedans and carries the brand's Art and Science design in a more progressive manner." We can't tell if they're talking about the whole car, or just the headlamps. We can't tell how it'll look on the road, but all-in-all, it seems like they have built a real stunner.
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INTERIOR: Cadillacs are luxury cars. The luxury car of the United States. With their newest models, they seem to want to retain that title by kicking the quality of their interiors up a notch. The CTS and SRX, with their nice woods and supple leathers and, how did we almost forget, their rising LCD screens, sport some of the best interiors we've seen. And the XTS carries that on. Again, it looks like Cadillac didn't go too wild with the design, as most car makers do with their concepts—maybe it's because they actually plan on making this one?—they kept it realistic, showing a slightly futuristic version of the cabin they already produce. There are organic light-emitting diode display (O-LED) screens in place of the gauges and that rise from the backs of the front seats to provide rear seat entertainment; the center console sloping downward towards the shifter and the elegant but technical steering wheel. Of course, we can't tell if its Audi or Mercedes comfortable until we get some time in it by ourselves but it sure looks it.
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DRIVETRAIN: A couple years ago, Cadillac showed up to the Detroit Autoshow with their Sixteen Concept. A outrageously attractive, super luxe barge pumping out 1,000 horsepower. It had no chance of being built. This time around, GM's luxury road yacht is a bit more practical. Something that would actually sell in this climate of lowered emissions and higher MPG standards: a plug-in hybrid using the familiar 3.6 liter V6 found in other Caddys and one or two electric motors, all of which is good for 350 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, mated to an all-wheel drive system. Not record breaking numbers by any means, but if they can get good gas mileage out of their premier, "platinum" luxury sedan, everyone will be happy.
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