2016 Cadillac CT6 Looks Great Outside, Falters Inside
Cadillac is excited to show off the new CT6. You can tell from the way its representatives bubble over with animation when discussing the new flagship sedan, and they’re right to be excited. The new CT6 is an impressive piece of technology and style, a luxury sedan aimed at taking on the world-leading German competitors such as the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Audi A8. But to be taken seriously among competitors like those, the CT6 has to be better than good; it has to be world class. Has Cadillac achieved that level of sophistication and refinement in its new flagship sedan?
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From the outside, the answer is yes, though we lament that the CT6 looks nothing like the two knockout concept cars Cadillac presented over the last few years, the Elmiraj and Ciel. We were hoping a new Cadillac flagship would be similar to those drop-dead gorgeous concepts, but instead we’ve got what looks like a CTS, albeit longer and wider.
Thankfully, the CTS is an attractive design. While we may wish that Cadillac had gone a little more “next-generation” in its new flagship, the segment itself tends to be a conservatively styled one, and the overall exterior look makes sense. Logic would dictate that this isn’t going to be the top of Cadillac’s lineup (CT6? Six is a midrange moniker … there’s still four more numbers above it!), so we hope that eventually we’ll see something of the Elmiraj or Ciel in a new production car.
Inside, the new CT6 is a mixed bag.
It’s chock-full of technology such as enhanced night vision, a 360-degree camera, a custom 34-speaker Bose premium audio system and a rearview mirror that is a high-definition LCD, which shows the view out the back without obstructions. But material quality in the display models at the 2015 New York International Auto Show is inconsistent.
The Premium trim level model displayed impressive leather and slick carbon-fiber and metal trim that looked genuine, but the range-topping Platinum model had artificial-looking wood trim. That’s not what one expects in a car that’s anticipated to approach the $100,000 mark. I hope this is merely a preproduction model issue, but if that’s so, it begs the question: Why would you put substandard materials in a car unveiled with such pomp and circumstance?
Comfort is another a mixed bag in the CT6. Front seats are large and highly adjustable, but the rear seats presented an interesting duality. In the Premium model with the standard non-adjustable backseat, there was decent headroom, plenty of legroom and easy entry and exit. In the Platinum trim with Cadillac’s new adjustable backseat, the space felt cramped and less comfortable. I hit my head getting into the seat and couldn’t reach the door to close it once I was sitting down; headroom seemed considerably limited as well.
We’ll wait for the driving experience to pass final judgment on the new CT6, but initial impressions are, well … mixed. Once production models start coming into journalists’ hands at the end of this year, we will be able to more confidently grade Cadillac’s global flagship effort.
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