Cadillac Refreshes XTS for 2018 With Updated Tech

By Fred Meier

June 19, 2017

CARS.COM — Cadillac is refreshing its XTS big sedan for 2018 with front and rear styling tweaks that bring it more in line with newer Cadillacs, along with the latest generation of its Cadillac User Experience infotainment system that began rolling out for 2017 in the smaller CTS sedan.

The CUE technology with an 8-inch touchscreen has been upgraded to be faster and easier to operate, addressing user issues that caused it to rank at the bottom in a Consumer Reports brand-by-brand survey of satisfaction with such systems in 2016; 40 percent reported being “very satisfied” versus a top rating of 70 percent for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Uconnect 8.4 system and 57 percent for the MyLink/IntelliLink systems used in GM’s other brands. See more details of the CUE upgrade here. The system allows personal profiles and includes a 12-month trial subscription to CUE’s new navigation app with navigation information and other features via the cloud, as well as a 12-month subscription to GM’s OnStar satellite services.

“We have worked to improve overall system response in recent years, and now this next-generation user experience system delivers more improvements focused mainly on intuitive control,” said Richard Brekus, head of product strategy, in a statement.

The new XTS also gets a new front end, with new fenders, a more dramatic grille and LED headlights in line with other updated Cadillacs, including the newer rear-drive, full-size CT6 sedan that bowed for 2016. A new bumper and LED taillights update the rear.

The front-wheel-drive XTS was the biggest Cadillac sedan when it debuted as a 2013 model. Now it sits in size and price below the CT6.

The XTS powertrains carry over, with a 304-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 standard, and on V-Sport models a 410-hp, twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V-6. Both use a six-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive with an electronic differential is available, as is an adaptive suspension. Cadillac says the 2018 XTS also has chassis tweaks and new 19- and 20-inch wheel designs for ride improvement. Platinum models get a new 20-inch wheel design.