mmarshall

A Review of the all-new 2013/2014 Cadillac XTS

http://www.cadillac.com/2013-xts-luxury-sedan.html

IN A NUTSHELL: Big interior and powertrain upgrades over the former DTS, but the noise/ride and electronic controls are disappointing.

CLOSEST AMERICAN-MARKET COMPETITORS: Lincoln MKS, BMW 5-Series, Mercedes E-Class, Audi A6, Infiniti M-Series, Lexus GS, Jaguar XF
(the BMW 7-Series, Mercedes S-Class, Audi A8, Lexus LS, and Jaguar XJ are similiar flagships, but are all in a markedly higher price range than
the XTS)






















(Platinum-grade interior shown here)












OVERVIEW:

Cadillac has been associated with American-badged luxury longer than any other American-badged nameplate, dating to roughly the turn of the 20th century. Rivals Packard, Pierce-Arrow, and Dusenberg all folded decades ago, Lincoln as a significant competitor did not come along until 1940, and the Chrysler Imperial in 1926. The marque, over the years has given us some of the important features that we take for granted in our cars today (variable-ratio power steering, rain-sensing wipers, FWD on modern American luxury cars with the 1966 Eldorado, and definitely one of the MOST important....the electric self-starter. Cadillac introduced the self-starter in 1912, which revolutionized the ease of starting up. Before, one not only had to be out in the elements, but also risked broken bones and other serious injuries to arms/hands/shoulders if the engine's hand-crank didn't de-couple properly or if the engine backfired or started too quickly. Most of us have been so spoiled by modern cars that it's hard to imagine what they were once like.

Cadillac, though, usually did what it took to make everyday driving as nice and stress-free as possible.....developing, over the years, not only a reputation for luxury/plushness but also as the "Standard of the World" (although, in the 1950s and early 60s, Buick actually outdid Cadillac in powertrain-smoothness with its unique Dynaflow and Super Turbine-Drive automatic transmissions). Cadillac actually used Buick transmissions for a while when its transmission plant was lost in a fire. Well-heeled people and entertainers loved them. Hank Williams, for example, the King of Country music, passed away in the back seat of his 1953 Cadillac Fleetwood sedan while being driven from Alabama to Cincinatti to give a concert (he had suffered from a rare and painful back-condition since birth which required a cushy-riding car). Elvis Presley, the (arguable) King of Rock music, loved pink Cadillacs, to the point of even giving them away to his friends and relatives as gifts.....one of them remains today on display at his Graceland estate in Memphis. Bruce Springsteen, in 1984, also sang about pink Cadillacs.....so the marque wasn't always just associated with Grandpa and Grandma. My late father had a used 1962 Sedan de Ville that he got (at a good price) from my late mother's great-cousin when he decided to move up from the 1962 to a new 1967 De Ville. That car was a real pleasure to ride in and drive, although brake engineers, in those days, sometimes had no idea how to program brake-vacuum boosters.

Once one fell in love with Caddies, it was sometimes difficult (provided one was well-heeled enough), even after their build-quality declined from the 1970s to the 1990s), to move on to other nameplates. One woman I knew for years at my church traded in her DeVille/DTS like clockwork every fall for a new one....for FORTY-SIX years. She would order it in August, usually getting the latest body-color, and it would arrive a month or so later. She stuck with them even when, IMO, their build-quality bordered on junk. Of course, with a brand-new car every fall, long-term reliability is redundant. And, though I usually don't believe in automotive stereotypes (Buick, for example, has been unfairly targeted as a Geezer-only nameplate for years), the Cadillac DeVille/DTS, for several decades now (until the DTS was dropped last year), has, in fact, BEEN a Grandpa/Grandma car. The Geezer stereotype for that car IS true. I've seen more older people (and fewer younger people) driving the DTS than virtually any other car on the road.....yes, including Buicks. The Mercedes S-class also has a very high percentage of older buyers....but it is in a more expensive price-range, and appeals to a different set of buyers than traditional Cadillacs.

Well, after some 65 years (since 1948) the ubiquitous DeVille/DTS is gone.....replaced by the somewhat smaller and vastly more plush XTS flagship (which also replaces the formerly discontinued Cadillac SLS/STS and Seville). Gone is the dated Northstar V8 and 4-speed automatic transmission. Gone is the somewhat cheaply-done (for this class) plasticized interior. Gone is the sub-standard DTS paint job...the paint is now brilliant like on other Cadillacs. And,.....gone is the Roly-Poly handling and strong understeer, but (not surprisingly) at the cost of some ride-cushiness, which was the DTS's forte, and attracted it to many buyers. In its place comes the all-new XTS, which is done on the same general platform as the Buick LaCrosse and the (IMO) superb new Chevrolet Impala, which I also recently reviwed. The new Impala, especially for its price, is truly an impressive car....Consumer Reports gave it a rare 95 scoring-points out of 100, almost as high as the Lexus LS460 (99 out of 100), which costs more than twice as much. So, against such excellence, the new XTS clearly has its work cut out for it.

The XTS, in the American market, is offered in one body style (a four-door sedan) and four trim levels.....Standard, Luxury, Premium, and Platinum. All versions come with one engine/transmission combination.....the ubiquitous GM 3.6L DOHC V6 of 304 HP/264 Ft-lbs. of torque and 6-speed automatic. Standard-Trim models come with FWD, and the upmarket versions get a choice of FWD or AWD (why doesn't the Standard XTS get the same FWD/AWD choice, as its drivetrain is otherwise the same as the others?.......to me, it doesn't make sense). Brembo front brakes are standard on all versions....somewhat surprising, as the XTS is not being marketed as a performance car, but a conservative flagship. Magna-Ride-Control electronic suspension is also standard on all versions....but, even so, this is no cushy DTS/DeVille (more on that later). List prices start at $44,995 for base models and range to $61,305 for AWD Platinum models....but a $5000 rebate from GM is currently in effect for all versions as I write this (that's good-sized discount, even over and above what the dealership will give you).

For the review, I went down to the local Cadillac shop that my now-deceased church-mate used every year (the older-timers there still remember her well) to choose from among their stock. I settled on a black FWD Premium model with 20" wheels, starting at 53K, that listed at some 59K. There were some models there with with the slightly smaller 19" wheels....but I had heard so much from Consumer Reports and some other magazines about the new, firmer ride that I decided to check out the firmer 20s instead. The salesperson there was wonderful (one of the most pleasant guys I've seen in some time), and helped me through some of the car's quite-complex dash electronics.

Overall, though, not a particularly pleasant review. Details coming up.



MODEL REVIEWED: 2013 Cadillac XTS FWD Premium

BASE PRICE: $53,585


OPTIONS:


Driver Assist Package: $2395

Ultraview Sunroof: $1450

20-Inch Wheels: $500

Compact-Spare Tire $350 (this, IMO, is a rip-off)

Rear-Window Sunshades: $250


DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $920 (slightly more than average for this size car)

LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $59,450



DRIVETRAIN: FWD, Transversely-mounted 3.6L V6, 305 HP @ 6800 RPM, Torque 264 Ft-lbs. @ 5300 RPM, 6-speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission.

(for AWD models, a new option for 2014 will be a Twin-Turbo 3.6L V6 with 410 HP and 368 Ft-lbs. of torque)



EPA MILEAGE RATING: 17 City, 28 Highway, 21 Combined


EXTERIOR COLOR: Black Raven

INTERIOR: Jet Black Leather





PLUSSES:


Superbly done website and Build-Your-Own feature.

Smooth, quiet V6...but not particularly responsive.

Silky-smooth 6-speed transmission a major advance over the old DTS's 4-speed.

Good handling/steering response.

Wind noise well-controlled.

Standard Brembo front brakes on all versions.

Convienient electronic parking-brake tab.

AWD option a help in in bad-weather areas.

Handsome body-lines/styling, IMO.

Reasonably good sheet metal quality.

Generally solid-closing doors.

Well-done, well-applied exterior trim.

First-class paint job....especially in black and the extra-cost White Pearl/Crystal Red.

Several different interior leather/color trims.

Nice-feeling upholstery/seat-leather.

Comfortable, supportive front seats include adjustable thigh-support.

Clear, multi-adjustable electro-analog gauges.

Good interior hardware.

Excellent stereo sound quality.

Generally good headroom/legroom front and rear, even with sunroof.

Interior trim quality light-years ahead of its DTS predecessor.

Well-carpeted cargo area.

Fold-down/pass-through features for extra cargo space.





MINUSES:


Too much road noise for a luxury car (especially a Cadillac flagship).

Ride much too firm (with 20" wheels) for a Cadillac flagship.

3.6L V6 not as responsive as in CTS and ATS.

No reason not to have optional AWD on the base model.

Relatively poor underhood layout.

Exterior paint-color choice too limited for this class and (mostly) too dull.

Extra-cost for some paint colors.

Crystal-Red Tintcoat paint costs more on XTS than the same paint on other GM cars.

Chrome body-side mouldings too low for parking-lot protection.

CUE touch-screen system an electronic mess.

Awkward finger-slide volume/climate-control sensors.

GPS speed-limit windshield display sometimes inaccurate.

Compact-spare tire a $350 option.

Smallish trunk-opening for a car this size.




EXTERIOR:

Walking up to the new XTS, one notices immediately that it is substantially smaller than the DTS it replaces. Yet, the new body-styling still unmistakenly identifies it as part of the Cadillac family. It includes the classic chisel/angle fenders, headlights, taillights, and the classic egg-crate grille. The headlight-chiseling, though, like with the ATS and the next-generation CTS, is a little softer and less-pronounced than in the past. If desired, a handsome wire-mesh metallic grille, Cadillac-V style, can be retrofitted at the dealership (I saw some examples of it).....along with the traditional Cadillac white/gold-striped tires that were popular years ago. The side mirrors, like those on most luxury-cars, have built-in turn signal indicators. The sheet metal seems of reasonable solidity, and the doors close with a fairly good thunk. The paint job, like on most GM cars nowadays, is excellent......and GM does black paint with some of the least amount of orange-peel of any major manufacturer. Unfortunately, as is the case with many conservative upmarket/premium cars, most of the exterior colors look like (yep, a broken phonograph-record from me).......shades of Clancy's Funeral Home. Only the White Pearl Tricoat and Crystal Red Tintcoat really stand out.....and, of course, they are extra-cost, with Cadillac actually charging MORE for them than other GM divisions using exactly the same color/paint-process. (For instance, the Crystal Red is the exact same color/tintcoat as on my Verano, but Buick charges a lower premium for it than Cadillac). There are nice chrome body side-strips down each side of the car, but they are much too low for proper parking-lot protection, and appear to have been added more for looks than for true protection. Large C-pillars cut into the rear-vision some, and also into the size of the trunk-opening.....more on that later. Nice chrome strips surround the outer-windows like on some Buicks (a feature I like), and the dual rectangular rear-exhaust tips are chrome-flared in the lower part of the rear bumper. Most of the outside trim and chrome is, IMO, well-done and well-applied, and exterior fit/finish is first-rate....far ahead of the haphazard fit/finish often found on the old DTS.



UNDERHOOD:

Open the fairly solid hood, and, of course, two nice gas struts hold it up for you (I probably would have walked right out of the dealership had it used a manual prop-rod). The expected thick underhood insulation-pad is there (and it is generally effective...more on that later). Underneath, the ubiquitous, transversely-mounted 3.6L V6, adapted for transverse-mount FWD/AWD from the longitudinal RWD/AWD mount in the smaller CTS and ATS, generally fits in somewhat on the tight side. There is some room to reach side-block components up front, but not much, and the big plastic engine cover blocks access to virtually everything above. The battery, to the right, is hidden under a smaller plastic cover, as are most of the other underhood components. The dipstick, filler-caps, and fluid-reserviors are accessable, though at least two of the reservoirs are all the way in the back, up against the firewall.



INTERIOR:

The interior-trim and seating of the new XLS was easily my favorite part of the car, and arguably its best overall feature. The overall fit/finish and trim-quality was light-years ahead of much of the budget-grade plastic and hardware in the DTS. There were numerous soft-padded surfaces on both the dash, door panels, and arm-rests. The polished wood was not the most realistic-looking I've seen, but was classy and well-finished. Most of the hardware seemed of good solid quality. The seats had nice-feeling, smooth, real-leather upholstery (no fake stuff here). You can also have the interior in a number of different monotone or two-tone combinations (see the web-site). The two front seats were both quite comfortable and quite supportive, with a manual pull-out thigh-support extension (if needed), in addition to the usual power-operation for all the other seat features. The only thing I didn't care for on the seats were the big, thick, stick-forward headrests that press the back of your neck, but more and more vehicles are getting that now as added whiplash-protection. You can adjust the level, though, to minimize it.

There was good (or at least decent) headroom both front and rear for tall guys my size (6' 2") and a cap, despite the sunroof-housing. legroom in back was also decent.....this car, despite being smaller outside than the DTS, seems designed for us big Americans inside. The sun-visors and headliner had about the same soft fabric that you fine on many Chevys and Buicks, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, as it still avoids the cheap-feel of the hard substances some automakers use. The electro-analog dash-gauges are programmable in several different designs, and are clear and easy to read. The electronic white "needles" sweep around the gauges just as if they were traditional analog. This is one area where electronics inside seems to make some sense.

Unfortunately, though, the electronics DON'T seem to make much sense in the notorious Cadillac CUE screen-system, which can be frustrating at best and a complete mess at worst. A number of recent Cadillac reviews (including Consumer Reports) have panned this feature, and I pretty much agree. I also found the chromed electronic touch/slide-bar sensors awkward to use....just as I did in the new Lincoln MKZ with its similar bars. Those bars are used for stereo volume and some climate/fan-speeds. But, on a more positive note, The stereo sound quality is more in line with what is expected for the price. So, overall, I didn't mind saying good-bye to the DTS's budget-grade plastic interior for this MUCH nicer one.....but some big disappointments in other areas were to follow on the road, as we'll see in a minute.



CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:

Open the rear trunk-lid (which, of course, is power-operated), and the cargo-compartment itself is quite well-finished (as it should be for the price), with fairly soft, plush-feeling dark gray carpet covering both the floor and the walls. The actual size of the trunk-opening itself, as it is with many of today's sedans, is compromised some by the shape of the rear roofline and C-pillars. It is still large enough, though, to get reasonably-sized boxes/packages in and out fairly easily. There is a fair amount of room inside (and fairly-well-shaped) for carrying things. If needed, the rear seats split-fold for even more cargo space, and the left rear seat includes a pass-through section for carrying long narrow items like skis and golf-clubs (a number of people who drive larger Cadillacs, of course, play golf). Under the floor, there is no lower-cubby-compartment like in some vehicles, and the temporary spare tire is a $350 option. Yes....an OPTION.....on Cadillac's top-line sedan. And a temporary spare at that, not even a real one. I did not see a small first-aid kit in the trunk like one often finds on upscale/premium cars, but it may have been in a compartment I just overlooked, or may be something that is added when the car is actually prepared for delivery.




ON THE ROAD:

Start up the 3.6L V6 with a proper (for this class) engine START/STOP button, and the V6 comes to life with a silky-smooth and nearly silent idle. The engine remains silky-smooth under power and moderate RPMS, though, of course, as is usually the case with a brand-new engine, I didn't take it anywhere near the redline. Throttle response, however, despite the fact that it is essentially the same 3.6L powerplant as in the smaller CTS and ATS modified for front-drive, was noticeably less than in those sister cars....perhaps because of the XTS's added size and weight. The 6-speed transmission was smooth and silky, with a nice fore-aft shifter instead of those annoying zig-zags. In manual mode, the transmission has left/right downshift/upshift paddles on the steering wheel. The paddles themselves, though with a nice solid feel instead of the loose, flimsy, cheap-plastic paddles on some competing Lincolns, are hidden from view, and have to be accessed by feel alone. I did not feel the noticeable slight (very slight) jerk, decelerating through 30-25 MPH, that some GM 6-speed automatics have as the transmission downshifts to prevent the engine from coasting in too high a gear and making the brakes work harder. I guess the engineers figured the big Brembo brakes up front didn't need much help from the transmission. Needless to say, the transmission is a big advance over the dated 4-speed in the old DTS.

The chassis, though, from my point of view, was a disappointment, despite the expensive-to-produce and complex Magna-Ride system, which uses input-sensors from strut/suspension motion to vary a magnetic field around iron partices in the shock-absorber fluid. The system, if you believe GM's PR stuff, is supposed to keep the suspension supple while cruising in a straight line and then firm things up for sharp cornering or large body-motions. Theres's no doubt that it helps quicken up steering response, big-time, and prevent body-lean. The old DTS, in comparison, with its Roly-Poly handling and slow response, felt like a battleship. But where the DTS really shone (by today's standards) was in ride-comfort and noise isolation...its relatively large size didn't hurt much, either, in crash-protection. THAT was what attracted it, year after year and decade after decade, to legions of retirees...which arguably, along with the Mercedes S-Class, Buick Lucerne, and Lincoln Town Car, made it one of the most senior-friendly cars in the American market. Unfortunately, with the XTS, that nice relaxing cushiness, despite the comfortable seats, is just a memory now, especially with the 20" tires on my test car. Those wheels/tires and suspension not only had a somewhat jiggly ride on all but the most glass-smooth surfaces, and transmitted road noise on coarse surfaces into the cabin like a drum. Adding to the general unpleasantness of the ride at cruise-speeds was a small but noticeable shimmy in the steering column, gas pedal, and front-end structure.......probably just a sample defect on my test-car from out-of-round or improperly-balanced tires. That used to be a very common defect on new cars (and one reason why would test-drive so many cars I was helping other people shop for). But I don't see it very often anymore (maybe once a year) as quality control on new cars has improved drastically. I didn't noticeable any problems with the brakes (as stated before.....big Brembos up front), the brake-pedal placement vs. my big size-15 clown-shoes, or with pedal mushiness/free play.

Wind-noise, though, as expected in a Cadillac, was well-subdued, and the doors formed good air-tight seals (something GM products often excel in). One of the car's many electronic features is a GPS-sourced heads-up display in the windshield (a little too low for a tall guy like me to convienently see without tilting my head down) that indicates, in digital form, both the legal speed-limit for the stretch of road you were on and the car's current speed. Keep your nose clean, and a green indicator rises next to the numbers. Get a little carried away with your right foot (which I didn't do, as I noticed several police cars on the test-drive), and Mama gives you a warning. No, it isn't a radar-detector...nor is it a device that, like a radar/laser-detector, encourages speeding and aggressive driving. It is (or is supposed to be), a simple driving-convenience reminder. The only problem, though, is that the numbers on the screen aren't always accurate. I noticed a couple of errors comparing them to the posted speed-limit signs on the edge of the road. I guess it's unreasonable to expect one single instrument in a car (or even the satellites it's based on) to remember every speed-limit sign on every road in the country. Not only that, but the limit occasionally changes with road-conditions. There never was, nor ever will be, a substitute for two good human eyes behind the wheel...I become more and more convinced of that, despite today's electronics, every time I drive.



THE VERDICT:

After a string of clearly excellent new products lately from GM (one of which, of course, actually sold me), I found the new XTS to be disappointing.......even compared to its much less expensive platform-cousin, the superb new 2014 Chevrolet Impala. Cadillac essentially repeated the same mistake that rival Lincoln did a few years ago when it replaced the Town Car with the then-new MKS. On the positive side, like the MKS, the XLS is more fuel-efficient, handles better, is more manuverable, has the AWD option that its predecessor lacked, has a better transmission, and shows some marked interior-quality improvements. But, unfortunately, like the MKS, (and these are BIG factors with a lot of traditional Cadillac/Lincoln buyers), a signifcant amount of ride comfort has been lost, road noise is more pronounced, and the dash/controls have been cluttered up with too much electronics. In my opinion, Cadillac would have been better off by simply giving the DTS some badly needed powertrain and interior-trim improvements than by spending such a large sum of money and resources on an all-new product (albeit shared with the Chevy Impala/Buick LaCrosse) that clearly lacks the comfort and user-friendly controls of the previous one. What's more, the quality-control tire-balance goof on my sample model (something that's no longer very common on new cars) subtracted even more from the car's refinement and pleasant character on the road. Of course, the smaller 19" wheels/tires on some versions might be a little smoother and quieter, but, still, in my opinion, even with them, Cadillac clearly forgot its core buyer-group with this car, and made the chassis too sport-oriented, even with the sophisticated electronic Magna-Ride suspension. Cadillac already HAS two good sport-oriented sedans with the smaller CTS and ATS sedans......they simply didn't NEED to firm up their flagship so much. The company, however, if they play their cards right, can, IMO, atone for the XTS's shortcomings in noise/ride comfort by doing a version of GM's new upcoming RWD full-size Holden platform that will be used by the Chevy SS and (possibly) a Buick GNX. What's to stop Cadillac from doing a plush, well-trimmed, soft-riding version of it like the old Fleetwood that was cancelled years ago? That could (and would) be Cadillac's new flagship.....a REAL flagship. Yes, it would be even more money spent over the XTS, but, IMO, money
well-spent.

And, as always......Happy car-shopping.

MM

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

This sums it up nice (no pun intended) hah. In my eyes this really isn't a replacement for a true full size RWD based luxury flagship sedan. Apparently that is coming though. No, the XTS is essentially as the ES is to Lexus, a filler in their core line-up albeit the XTS is positioned one notch above the ES as it is not entry level. Example: IS, ES, GS, LS - ATS, CTS, XTS, Future Flagship.

mmarshall

The DTS , though it basically competed with the RWD Lincoln Town Car, was actually FWD, not RWD. One of the few advantages that both the Lincoln MKS and the new XTS have over their predecessors, of course, is the AWD option for bad weather.


Yep......with the upcoming Chevy SS (and a possible Buick GNX), the basic RWD platform will be there for a large Cadillac sedan, if the planners approve it. But Grandpa and Grandma (and other traditional DTS buyers) aren't going to want an XTS-type suspension and wheels on that new RWD sedan. Ride comfort and noise isolation is going to HAVE to be a priority.....like it was with the last RWD Fleetwood.


I agree with the IS/ATS comparison, but not necessarily with the ES/CTS. The CTS is somewhat more sport-oriented than the ES, though the newer ES models, admittedly, aren't as cushy as before. The XTS's ride and road-noise level (particularly with the 20" wheels) isn't refined enough to compete with the new GS and LS....though the XTS interior , in some trim-versions, is stunning. As for the upcoming Caddy RWD flagship, we'll have to just wait and see.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

The DTS was never a true flagship either.

I never said the CTS and ES compared to each other which they don't. Point was each will have 4 sedans, and the similarity is though there are 3 core RWD sedans, a largish FWD one fits into the line-up - so same for each company except the difference is one is entry level and one is not. I've bolded it so there is no confusion.

1. IS, 2.ES, 3.GS, 4.LS
1. ATS, 2. CTS, 3. XTS, 4. Future Flagship.

Toys4RJill

The STS was the flagship for Cadillac during the DTS days.

mmarshall

IMO, it was close enough, though....and it was the only remaining Cadillac sedan that was full-size (by today's standards) and comfort-oriented. It had a dated powertrain, though, that was long-overdue for a replacement.

OK....thanks for clarifying. Too bad Lexus dropped the HS250 sedan. It might have come in useful, as a competitor, when Cadillac introduces its version of the Chevy Volt this fall....though the Volt has a more advanced hybrid drivetrain than the HS. The CT200, of course, competes as a hybrid (not as advanced as the Volt) , but is a small hatchback, not sedan.

Cadillac, though, is going to have to be careful with the pricing. The Volt, IMO, was grossly overpriced, and GM (as I predicted) was forced to lower ts price.

mmarshall

The STS (and its sister SLS) were discontinued some time before the DTS, leaving the Grandpa-mobile to carry the flag. The STS and SLS, true, did actually cost more, but neither one was the actual physical size of the DTS.

Most auto-journalists and magazine-staff wouldn't be caught dead in a DTS, but one of the car's greatest compliments came from Peter Egan, who lives with his wife Barb in Wisconsin, is part of Road and Track magazine's staff, spends a lot of time rebuilding old sports-cars. He writes the monthly column "Side Glances" in the magazine (which some of you may read) and does some reviews/comparos as well. Sold on the comfort of the DTS, he bought a used one for the many long trips he takes around the country, realizing, after many years of corner-carving, that , as one's back and legs start aging, there is more to life than sports-cars.

LexFather

None of those cars mentioned are competitors. The main competitor is the Acura RLX, both are FWD luxo barges aimed for comfort and boring you to death and not sport.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...s4_comparison/

Caddy has done a great job with the XTS, wish they kept the name DTS. The option 420hp V-6 for it is something!

mmarshall

I have to at least partly disagree on several fronts. First, several of the cars I listed, IMO, ARE potential competitors (especially the Lincoln MKS). Second, I did, however, state that some of the others were similiar in size but cost substantially more....I tried to make that clear. Third, I don't, BTW, consider the new Acura RLX a true flagship as the former RL was, though I agree that the RL lacked the physical size and engine-displacement of of some of its competitors. The RLX is a notable letdown from the RL in several areas. Fourth, though the XLS is a huge advance over the DTS in interior-quality, It is not, IMO, a luxobarge by any stretch.....hampered by simply too much road noise and ride-stiffness, especially with the 20-inchers. . The sample-defect, out-of-round and/or out-of balance tires on my test car didn't help, either.

Unless they change the currrent plans, the 420 HP twin-turbo option will only be for the AWD models...starting with 2014 models. Though I'm not a speed demon by any means, they should also, IMO, consider it for the FWD models....if the chassis can resist torque steer with all that power. I wasn't impressed with the response of the N/A 3.6L in the XTS, especially compared to the same drivetrain in the lighter CTS and ATS models. Its 305 HP, BTW, includes 264 ft of torque.....a significantly lower figure......at a relatively high 5300 RPM, which means peakiness. I asked about a possible XTS-V and the 556 HP engine......that, right now, seems uncertain. The engineers would probably have a problem with that engine and FWD...or AWD from a transverse-mount.

swajames

mmarshall, your reviews are continually excellent and are always an absolute pleasure to read

Just one additional perspective, I travel a ton for business and more often than not I use a car service to meet me at the airport and take me to and from my destination. Over the last month or two I've had a surprising number of trips to and from airports all over the country in the new XTS, so this perspective is all from the rear passenger side seat. In a nutshell, I liked it. The car was quiet and comfortable, and while the ride was (as you say) noticeably firmer than the Town Cars I otherwise tend to get, it wasn't unpleasant. The car was noticeably more connected to the road than the usual limos I get driven in but it never seemed to get to the point of being annoying. In conversation with the driver they pretty much all agreed that it was a nice car to drive (although that's of course in comparison to the Town Car). Also wonder if the cars I was driven in didn't have the 20" wheels - have to think that might make a difference? I never got to sample the car the way you did but from the back at least it was a pretty nice place to be. As an aside, the new Town Car (the livery version of the MKT) is also quite a bit firmer than the old one, I've had a fair few of those too of late.

pbm317

These are all from the concept car, not the production model. See frameless windows, no headrest on the rear seats, and not the production shifter, etc.

mmarshall

Thanks. Glad you like them. I try and include things in them that you don't often get from the auto press or magazines.


I think you're right. The airport-service versions probably don't have the sport-oriented 20" wheels. In the review, I mentioned that the standard 19s, (though I didn't sample them) would probably be a little more quiet and civil over bumps than the 20s. Still, my fanny misses the Town Car/DTS cushiness, though there's no doubt that the XLS interior is worlds ahead in terms of interior trim quality and seat-comfort/support.

mmarshall

Even the production models have a fair number of different trim/color combos. The CL frames only allow ten attached images, so, with the car's other features that I post (including usually a nice version of the car's logo), I can only add so much from the interior/seats, and sometimes I try and include samples of different colorsand two-tones available. However, you do bring up a fair point, and I'll take that into consideration in the future.

Fizzboy7

Wonderful review and very entertaining.
Perhaps the shift to a firmer ride and better handling are for safety purposes. Trying to manuver around a fallen object in the middle of the highway in an old Town Car or DTS was a life-gambling event. The old folks who buy these cars should be thankful and appreciative that their new, harsher-riding "boats" could potentially save their lives. Safety first, and I appluad the trend to better-handling cars that hold the road tighter and react faster to sudden inputs.

mmarshall

Thanks...glad you liked it.

I understand what you are saying (and I respect your view) ....but I don't quite see it that way. From what I can tell, the push to firmer, more sporting underpinnings for even non-sporting vehicles is coming mostly from the auto press and their obsesson with speed, handling, and braking. It's true that the the Town Car and DTS were not exactly Formula-One handling machines, but, in most cases, on these cars, quick response was not needed. First, Grandpa/Grandma, chauffeurs, and most of the other people driving these machines were usually not driving them very aggressively to start with, and staying at, near, or even under the posted speed limits. Second, if a deer ran out on the road in front of them, the slow reaction-times of some of these older people make a more-responsive suspension somewhat redundent...if you don't react quickly enough and actually turn the wheel or hit the brake, it doesn't matter how sensitive the systems are. Yes, I know that some luxury cars like Volvo and Mercedes sometimes sense obstacles in front and brake automatically, but the DTS and Town Car, to my knowledge, never had those systems. Plus, if you DID hit something in a DTS or Town Car, the large amount of metal and space in front of you made for a lot of crush-space and good crash-protection.....something that is clearly smaller on their MKS and XTS replacements. So, in a way, driving a DTS or Town Car was actually a DETERRENT to aggressive driving......you drove sensibly because you had to, knowing that if you did screw up (or didn't react in time), the car's big structure would give you a break. That's EXACTLY what millions of seniors and limo-drivers across the country wanted.