Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Cadillac XTS V-Sport AWD

[Autos_Editor]

After a week of highway cruising and city dawdling, it becomes clear the XTS V-Sport ain't your funeral home's Caddy.
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[Jaeger]

I was at a funeral home a couple weeks ago - their entire fleet was current model black caddies.  Looked damned sharp, I have to say.

Magnetic ride control may be the single best thing about GM right now.

[Noto]

Magnetic ride control may be the single best thing about GM right now.

- I don't know why GM isn't flaunting this more like Subaru does its AWD.  It's absolutely brilliant, yet it sits quietly in the corners and makes no suggestion that it is doing anything.

...plus, it's reserved really just for the top-$ vehicles (acceptable-ish), but it should be GM's tour-de-force, IMO. 

If I were older, looking for a big, comfy couchcar, Jeff's article makes the XTS V-Sport sound too good to be true.  Ok, CUE sucks, but big deal.  Power?  Check.  Reasonable fuel economy?  Check.  Comfortable ride?  Check.  Cargo and passenger space?  Double check.  Style?  Subjective, but even my non-GM-Slappie self would agree that this thing has some flash and isn't as gaudy as Caddy's styling on other vehicles.

I can't put any negativity on this car.  It's great, and it's price reasonable; however, the pricetag does come with the caveat that it will be low-volume (except mayhaps in China?) - and the CT6 may make the XTS simply obsolete.  C'est la vie (of a large land-boat).

[ArticSteve]

What a horrible looking car.

[DriverJeff]

What a horrible looking car.

It's a little chunky in the hips, but I don't find it to be an ugly car at all. 

I don't know why I'd ever need a car so large though.  I'd rather a Genesis for a big, comfy highway cruiser. 

[Jaeger]

Magnetic ride control may be the single best thing about GM right now.

- I don't know why GM isn't flaunting this more like Subaru does its AWD.  It's absolutely brilliant, yet it sits quietly in the corners and makes no suggestion that it is doing anything.

...plus, it's reserved really just for the top-$ vehicles (acceptable-ish), but it should be GM's tour-de-force, IMO. 

Agreed.  Should be a strong selling point but I doubt many outside the gearhead community even know what it is.

[Noto]

Magnetic ride control may be the single best thing about GM right now.

- I don't know why GM isn't flaunting this more like Subaru does its AWD.  It's absolutely brilliant, yet it sits quietly in the corners and makes no suggestion that it is doing anything.

...plus, it's reserved really just for the top-$ vehicles (acceptable-ish), but it should be GM's tour-de-force, IMO. 

Agreed.  Should be a strong selling point but I doubt many outside the gearhead community even know what it is.

...most people generally don't know what "symmetricalAWD" is, either, but when pushed and marketed properly, it becomes something desirable.

...but what do I know?  The move to NYC was clearly more necessary.

[EV-Light]

I think this is the best looking and best executed car in Cadillac's line up - even considering the CT6.

I have seen this car in black in the wild a few times and it just has an upscale presence that none of the other Cadillacs have.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

There are a few around town. I've said it here before, but for whatever reason, I like them.

[bluelines]

Does it really try and put more than 400hp through the front wheels before sending torque to the rears? How's the torque steer?

I think I'd pick a Genesis over the Cadillac. I had a Genesis as a ZipCar a couple of weeks ago. One of the most comfortable and just all round "nice" cars I've driven in a long time.

[DriverJeff]

Does it really try and put more than 400hp through the front wheels before sending torque to the rears? How's the torque steer?

I think I'd pick a Genesis over the Cadillac. I had a Genesis as a ZipCar a couple of weeks ago. One of the most comfortable and just all round "nice" cars I've driven in a long time.

Torque steer is not an issue with the XTS Vsport.  The AWD is quick and seamless enough that you'd never notice.

[pcsp]

I was at a funeral home a couple weeks ago - their entire fleet was current model black caddies.  Looked damned sharp, I have to say.

Magnetic ride control may be the single best thing about GM right now.

That's a glowing recommendation to buy if I ever heard one.

[whaddaiknow]

I like the XTS in this guise. Big, comfortable, pompous, properly 'Murican, premium and fast (at least in the straight line). Too bad GM is going to axe it so soon.

[Jaeger]

I like the XTS in this guise. Big, comfortable, pompous, properly 'Murican, premium and fast (at least in the straight line). Too bad GM is going to axe it so soon.

I have to admit that there's something I like about it too.  I'd likely never choose it myself - as some others have mentioned, I'd likely go Genesis over this.  But it does have big bold American presence while managing to not look anything like a beached whale. 

[NormT]

 purchased a used XTS VSport Platinum, similar to your car reviewed. On a highway trip I averaged 32.2 mpg with the Adaptive Cruise Control set 65 mph, over both directions of 300 miles each. I no longer wish for a 2.0T in this car and it's efficiency of about 40 mpg in my Verano Turbo on the same route.

The seats are nice with enough room to move around and adjust for 6.5 hours in it. Plenty of room to relax the left foot behind and to left the brake pedal which is missing on some front wheel drive cars today. The trunk is huge and very deep. So much so I might consider a divider to keep myself from crawling toward the back of it to fetch things. But the width is on the small side that my, smaller than a staff bag, full of golf clubs has be turned slightly to fit the driver.

I love CUE! The navigation allows all the tablet/smartphone finger movements also allowing just everything inside the car to be controlled by voice commands. Once you get CUE's haptic feedback timing down I don't even have to wait for the vibration and the command is taken. Plus it looks dazzling at nighttime as does the led interior lights. The lighted door handles and lighted ground under an opened door is the cherry to top the sundae. The adaptive cruise control works perfect and is seamless to passengers as is the lane departure warning when switched from audible beep to a vibration to the butt cheek of the side if the car that needs attention. The automatic braking, front or rear, can surprise but works well to stop the car. The rear climate control is great for when Fluffy wants it cooler than us in the front.

I like the semi-short wheel base length for missing the curb on tight turns and the window height when looking out the back and side is perfect compared with today's car designs of shorter height windows. The backup camera, with steering wheel guided lines, has me centered in the parking spot on the first try.

I really like the ride quality and steering. When I put it into a turn it holds the line with plenty of feedback. Blame it on the magnet shocks or traditional hydraulic steering(today's electric steering is void of any feedback) but it goes where you put the wheel. Maybe it is the height but avoiding things on the road at highway speeds is easy. Put it Sport mode and it really stiffens up where you can feel allot more bumps. Though I switched modes over slow speed bumps and only the front end changed. The rear end is riding on airbags. Nonetheless it performs well.