2016 Cadillac CT6 First Drive

CARS.COM — The 2016 CT6 features plenty of firsts for Cadillac. There’s new technology in the cabin, a brand-new twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 that’s exclusive to the flagship sedan and a wide range of new creature comforts including available quad-zone climate control. It’s also the first vehicle to use Cadillac’s new naming scheme (CT followed by a number for cars, XT followed by a number for SUVs).

Related: 2016 Cadillac CT6 Starts at $54,490

Cadillac says the CT6 competes with larger German luxury sedans on amenities and comfort, but is priced and benchmarked with midsize contenders such as the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series. In essence, it’s designed to offer the space and comfort of a full-size sedan with the driving dynamics of a midsize.

At a Cadillac event in Julian, Calif., north of San Diego, we drove the CT6 Luxury trim  — one with the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and another with the new twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 under the hood. We spent a day putting both engines through their paces driving hills and mountain roads in the area.

Exterior

From first glance, it’s apparent that the CT6 is a big car. At 204 inches, it’s a touch shorter than the largest luxury sedans such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series, but the CT6 is still a lot of metal to sling around. From the side, the CT6’s long-hood, short rear deck-lid proportions are readily apparent.

Cadillac’s vertically oriented LED head- and taillights translate well to the CT6. Up front is a wide version of Cadillac’s grille with a large logo planted squarely in the middle. The look suits the car and fits Cadillac’s low, wide aesthetic.

A personal preference: I wouldn’t select a black CT6, such as the 2.0T model I drove. Black hides the car’s lines and makes it look slab-like; stick with a lighter color that allows the styling cues to be picked out.

How It Drives

Our drive took place on twisting mountain roads with plenty of elevation changes and curves followed by a short stretch of highway driving. Those aggressive roads might not seem ideal for testing a full-size sedan, but given Cadillac’s emphasis on the car’s dynamics, the twisty pavement gave us a chance to really wring out the CT6 and see what it was capable of.

We started out with the 265-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which is also found in the smaller ATS and CTS. Later, we moved to a CT6 Luxury model with the new 404-hp, twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6. Both engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

Combining full-size comfort with midsize agility is a best-of-both-worlds proposition that usually means falling short on both ends, but the engineering behind the CT6 is impressive. Thanks to added aluminum and a lower part count, it’s around 1,000 pounds lighter than the lightest variant of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and in some configurations, even can be lighter than the smaller CTS.

Putting a four-cylinder engine into a full-size sedan may seem questionable, but the small 2.0-liter performed admirably. The CT6 does not feel underpowered per se, but you have to work to access the power when you want it. Passing maneuvers will require planning, as opposed to with the 3.0-liter, an eager participant anytime you hit the gas. The rear-wheel-drive dynamics were also lost a bit due to the suspension’s built-in softness. It offers greater comfort, but there’s also a decent amount of body roll in the bends, especially during quick direction changes. However, when the 2.0-liter starts to break away in the corners, it does so in a linear fashion that you can feel through the seat and steering.

The 3.0-liter Luxury model we spun didn’t have the Active Chassis System, which adds Magnetic Ride Control and rear-wheel steering, but it did have one trick that gave it a big leg up on the 2.0-liter: all-wheel drive. It provides more confidence behind the wheel, which allowed me to push the 3.0TT more comfortably into the curves. Even if you hit a corner with a bit too much speed, a quick blip of the throttle and a slight course correction will bring the CT6 back into line. CT6 models with either the twin-turbo V-6 or the 3.6-liter V-6 have standard all-wheel drive.

Picking between the 2.0- and 3.0-liter engines is easy; the 3.0-liter is the hands-down favorite. While the 2.0 takes some effort to get to its power, the 3.0 has more horses on tap and it loves to show off, revving quickly and shooting the CT6 out of corners with gusto. With the 2.0 under the hood you feel the CT6’s size, but after driving the 3.0, I climbed out to take a few photos and was struck by how large it actually was. The whole package makes much more sense with the larger engine under the hood.

Interior

Inside, the CT6 feels fully like a large sedan. Befitting a car with the CT6’s aspirations, there’s a ton of legroom in the second row — even with the front seat pushed back for a taller passenger.

Sitting in the backseat, however, the CT6 lags the materials quality and overall feel of the BMW and Mercedes-Benz full-size options. We’d put it in the same boat as the Genesis G90 but a touch behind the Volvo S90, two new full-size sedans entering the segment this year.

The CT6’s interior minimizes noise and vibrations. Active noise cancellation, which is standard, combines with a steel and aluminum frame to give the CT6 an exceptionally quiet interior. I had full conversations with my driving partner throughout the day at a comfortable speaking volume, even at highway speeds or over broken pavement.

Ergonomics and Electronics

I don’t have much love for the Cadillac User Experience multimedia system to put it mildly; it’s awkward to use and difficult to learn. However, even my black heart must admit that it’s vastly improved in the CT6. This is by far the easiest-to-use iteration of CUE, mostly thanks to a new touchpad, which sits between the front seats and controls the large touch-screen found high on the dash.

The touchpad accepts one, two- or three-finger inputs (much like a tablet) and highlights the feature you are selecting on the 10.2-inch screen with a neon green box. Two-finger inputs also give you much more flexibility. For example, with the navigation screen open, two-finger drags will move the map around, while pinching movements will zoom the map in and out. Making CUE operate like smartphones and tablets is a step in the right direction; it’s more intuitive and predictable as a result.

My favorite new feature, Rear Camera Mirror, was on the 3.0-liter Luxury model. Flip a switch on the auto-dimming rearview mirror and instead of functioning as a mirror, it turns into a display powered by a second camera in the rear that offers a much wider field of vision than the standard rearview mirror would. I didn’t have a chance to check how this system works at night, where headlights could confuse or blind the camera, but during the day it worked like a charm.

I’m also happy to report that the climate control features physical buttons, which make it easier to adjust the temperature settings on the fly. Connecting my Android cellphone via Bluetooth was painless.

Big Sedan Drives Small

The CT6 seems to be a winner: It features attractive styling; a comfortable, quiet interior; and a starting price of about $55,000 that makes it competitive, given its feature set and size. With the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 engine, the CT6 costs at $65,390, including a destination fee.

There is a massive performance gap between the two engines that will be hard to reconcile for buyers. While the 2.0-liter is competent and does a decent job powering the CT6 around, it just can’t compete with the 3.0-liter on any level except fuel economy. The 3.0 is the engine that makes the CT6 come alive and fulfills its performance promise; it turned what was an uneventful steer with the 2.0 into a fun-slinging, hard-charging big sedan that drives small.