First Look With the updated 2019 CT6, Cadillac finally juices up its best car in decades
Cadillac builds terrific, world-class cars and, right now anyway, mediocre SUVs. Yet everyone buys the SUVs and ignores the cars. Agreed, this aligns with consumer trends across the industry, but even amongst the sport sedan faithful the Cadillac car lineup gets very little of the love it deserves.
Take the excellent CT6, for example. It looks great. It drives great. It feels great. It offers a wide range of powertrains, including a plug-in hybrid. And its available Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving technology is actually industry-leading rather than some kind of a marketing gimmick.
Yet this car is a unicorn. Out in L.A. where I live, anyway.
Hopefully, the new 2019 Cadillac CT6 to be shown at the 2018 New York International Auto Show will bring more attention to this vehicle. Cadillac has updated the car’s styling, added a new V-Sport performance variant, improved the infotainment system, and more.
Choose Luxury, or choose Sport
Starting with the 2019 model year, Cadillac will offer Luxury and Sport model series for its cars, each with its own unique look and features, inside and out. Sound familiar? Many luxury brands take this approach, and it is reflective of Cadillac boss Johan de Nysschen’s former employment at Audi and Infiniti.
Front and rear design updates are influenced by the Cadillac Escala Concept, which the automaker recently announced will go into production as the company’s flagship car. Rumor has it that the Escala will be called the CT8. There is a possibility, though, that it could keep Escala as a compliment to Escalade on the SUV side.
In any case, the 2019 CT6 retains Cadillac’s vertical lighting signatures, now with horizontal LED headlights and new horizontal rear elements spiking into the trunk lid.
The new CT6 V-Sport builds on the new Sport model with a unique mesh grille, dark trim elements, new 20-inch wheel design with summer performance tires, and aero-package components including a rear spoiler.
Historically criticized CUE gets a major upgrade
Anyone familiar with an Audi or BMW will immediately recognize the approach Cadillac is taking with its next-generation Cadillac User Experience (CUE) infotainment system. Check out that rotary dial on the center console, surrounded by menu shortcut buttons and a stereo volume knob. Touch-sensing screens and dashboard controls are retained, but the center console controls are sure to reduce both frustration and fingerprints.
As for CUE itself, Cadillac says it is designed to operate similar to your smartphone. The system offers faster response, improved voice recognition, an embedded 4G LTE Wi-Fi connection providing over-the-air system updates, cloud-connected navigation, more applications, greater personalization, and a 1080p HD resolution display measuring 10 inches across.
Cadillac also says it has enlarged the CT6’s wireless device charging pad for greater compatibility with a wider range of smartphones.
Power and performance in new CT6 V-Sport
In advance of the New York Auto Show, Cadillac defined mechanical changes to the CT6 V-Sport version of the car.
It is the first Cadillac equipped with the company’s new twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V8 engine. In this application, the engine generates 550 horsepower and 627 lb.-ft. of torque, powering all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. Like other luxury brands, Cadillac has tucked the turbochargers into the “V” between the cylinder heads, making the engine more compact and, according to the company, virtually eliminating turbo lag.
Additional upgrades for the CT6 V-Sport include a mechanical limited slip rear differential, an active valve exhaust system, and revised steering. A reworked performance suspension is claimed to improve steering response and body roll control, and the Magnetic Ride Control dampers are specially calibrated for the V-Sport. More powerful brakes are also on the menu, new Brembo monoblock 4-piston calipers clamping 19-inch discs with performance linings and air deflectors to improve cooling.
The CT6 V-Sport also comes with a Track driving mode (as if anyone will use it). In Track mode, the AWD system’s torque split is adjusted with bias to the rear wheels, and this also activates steering, exhaust, suspension, and stability control changes to maximize handling. Active Rear Steer is also enabled in Track mode.
Will the 2019 CT6 finally grab the attention it deserves?
Cadillac will continue to offer its groundbreaking Super Cruise system, but this technology is not available for the V-Sport, most likely due to this model’s unique grille design.
The company will also install a next-generation rear camera mirror than offers new zoom and tilt functions, a rear pedestrian detection system, and semi-autonomous parking assist including steering and braking functions. A new Surround Vision Recorder system is also on-board, recording while driving and activating if the car’s security system is tripped.
More details about Cadillac’s path forward are sure to emerge not just at the New York Auto Show but also in coming months. Should the debut of the smaller XT4 crossover, improvements to CUE, revisions to how the vehicles are packaged, and styling changes patterned after the Escala Concept finally bring the car-buyer attention that Cadillac arguably deserves?
If you ask me, the answer is yes. But Cadillac still has a long way to go in the hearts and minds of modern luxury car and SUV buyers.
Source:-http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/news/2019-cadillac-ct6-preview-article-1.3888141
