Driven: 2016 Cadillac CT6 Platinum AWD

Absolutely not.

And that’s a good thing.

With the introduction of the 2016 Cadillac CT6, the GM Luxury brand gets much more contemporary with its flagship offering and delivers luxury, technology and performance in spades. But is it enough? Read on as Autoevolution.com samples the newest Cadillac sedans.

What is it?

Currently the largest of the Cadillac sedans, the CT6 is the new, well, at least current flagship of the brand reflecting the latest in structural, engine, suspension and electronic technology advances that are available to designers today. We add that current flagship qualifier because rumors point to a larger high-end Cadillac that is supposedly in the works.

Built to seat up to five, this new Caddy is based on a swoopy -and stretched- three-box design that borrows some of its bones from the current mid-sized CTS model. Not quite the result of a day on a medieval torture device, the eight and a half-inch racking pays off with the addition of added legroom in the rear seating area, which will accommodate two- or three passengers. The better to MetroCar you around, we say.

This largest Cadillac comes in Base, Luxury, Premium Luxury and Platinum trim levels.

From those assorted trim levels, the CT6 is available with a buyer’s choice of three engines. The base offering is the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as seen in the Cadillac ATS and CTS models. It’s mated to a rear-wheel-drive powertrain, and is good for 265 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. The EPA says to look for fuel economy in the range of 22 city / 31 highway.

An available mid-level 3.6-liter V6 is up next, making 335 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of twist. This engine will probably find its way into the bulk of the CT6 models that hit the road. Look for EPA estimates in the 19 city / 28 highway range.

Finally, the king of this luxury hill is the 3.0TT. That’s Caddy shorthand for a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine that manages 404-horsepower at 5,700 rpm, and 400 lb-ft of torque at a respectable 2,500-5,100 rpm. A brute, with power that is generally expected in the large luxury segment, it achieves zero to 60 mph in 5.2-seconds and EPA estimates of 18 city / 26 highway.

All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. While the base 2.0-liter turbo powers only the rear wheels, the two V6 engines utilize an all-wheel-drive system for year-round sure-footedness.

The aluminum-intensive unibody utilizes aircraft-like construction and fastening techniques to increase strength and performance while cutting the overall weight of the car. As a result, it ends up in the same weight category as some of the smaller mid-size offerings from its European rivals, which in turn enables the use of smaller engines without a power-to-weight penalty.

Our test model utilizes General Motor’s trick, and optional Magnetic Ride Control, which employs a metalisized viscous fluid inside its shocks, that electrically charges to firm up or soften the ride as it sees fit. It’s the same setup as seen in the C7 Corvette, Cadillac CTS-V and even a few Ferraris.

Active Rear Steering, part of the active chassis package, enables the all-wheeler to also be an all-steerer as well. A gimmick? Perhaps, but one that helps to shorten the turning radius of this largish sedan while winding around the corners. So think of it this way: The active rear steering system helps to make the CT6 feel as though it has not been lengthened even though it actually has.

A looker

We have seen many of the CT6’s design elements on Cadillac concept cars through the years that have given us a look at the brand’s future design. Sharply creased, with just the right amount of brightwork, the CT6 shows a definite European influence while maintaining a proper amount of innovation from the new continent.

One of the most elegant interiors to ever appear on a Cadillac brand vehicle, our sedan seemingly cocooned us throughout our week with it. With high quality materials throughout, including fine woods, and leathers, it was well displayed and offered a place for everything. We thought there might have been too many redundant buttons on the steering wheel, but also felt the new shift lever to be just right. Not so much, the console mounted touchpad, which really seemed like more of a case of me-too, rather than an accessory that upped the ante.

Electronics did their part to help move this Caddy more upmarket and away from anything else in the GM product portfolio. A new 10.2-inch touchscreen display (damn those fingerprints) offered a complete view of all the features in the car, which included the de rigueur Cadillac Cue system that has shown marked improvement over previous versions. Use it to control the navigation and audio systems, the OnStar Wi-Fi hotspot, the Bluetooth connectivity with the included Apple CarPlay app and controls to operate the front seat’s massage and ventilation functions.

Since ours was the Platinum edition, it came with every option on the CT6 checklist including heated, ventilated and articulated rear outboard seats, a quad zone climate control, a rear seat DVD system with two individual display screens that rise from the back of the front seats, a 110-volt electrical outlet and a sound system. But what a sound system. A premium Bose Panaray system, it puts out untold wattage (because Bose and GM will not reveal peak power numbers) to 34 speakers throughout the cabin. It even helps to rein in the high clips that are typical in SiriusXM Satellite radio broadcasts.

Safety first

Fully laden, our Platinum CT6 included all the possible safety features on offer, including the bird’s eye view cameras, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with pedestrian and vehicle detection, and a rearview camera mirror. It operates as a normal mirror would, but can also display, via a rearview camera, what it looks like from the rear bumper. We found it a bit disconcerting and realized we spent more time looking there than through the front windshield.

Behind the wheel

Sure, big honking luxo-barges usually have big V8s or more in this segment, but truth be told, we never found ourselves wanting from the 400 horsepower 3.0-liter twin-turbo six-pot. It offered rather exhilarating get-up-and-go from a stoplight and displayed brute force with an added hint of exhaust note in the cabin, when driven in anger, or at least while trying to merge onto Interstate-95 in South Florida. Honestly, we can’t say we have ever not driven in anger while on I-95.

The eight-speed automatic transmission performed flawlessly, finding its sweet spot and then just letting us have at it, unless a sudden jab to the accelerator let it know we had passing on our minds. At cruising speed once again, we can’t recall ever seeing the V6 engine using the cylinder deactivation feature to revert to four active cylinders while on the highway.

The ride comfort offered a satisfying feeling from the Magnetic Ride package and enabled us to soften or firm up the quality of our ride, depending on our mood. We found at the end of the day, though, to prefer the firmness displayed when cruising in Sport mode. Having said all that, we were slightly disappointed in the ride quality of the front seats. Fully adjustable and massageable, too, we just wished for more aggressive side bolstering to hold us in place better during cornering.

Finally, if the sound of the Twin-turbos were not your cup of tea, perhaps the sound of the Bose Panaray audio system would be more to your liking. It is one of the best we have heard and it should come with a guarantee to make your ears bleed.

The Wrap-up

With the 2016 Cadillac CT6 Platinum AWD, GM’s luxury brand builds a car that skirts in between the Mid- and Full-sized luxury segments. Offered at a price point that would be thousands of dollars higher, if it were a Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi, it presents a blinding, well-done look at the future of the brand.