Category Archives: XTS

Cadillac XTS Weekend Test Drive – Pickup

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Cadillac XTS weekend test drive is my kind of topic.  Crest Cadillac of Plano, Texas was kind enough to provide a new Cadillac XTS for a weekend test drive.  The Cadillac XTS is the newest Cadillac, just reaching showrooms in June.

Cadillac XTS Weekend Test Drive - Pickup

Cadillac XTS Weekend Test Drive – Pickup

Crest Cadillac is a sponsor here on CaddyInfo and has been terrific about letting me get the new Cadillacs out on the road and review them.  They were kind enough to call when the XTS first arrived for a photo shoot, and agreed that once they had inventory to let one off the lot we could do a test drive.

Here is a shot of my daily driver STS-V after arriving; still having a blast with the V …

Cadillac XTS Weekend Test Drive - Pickup

Cadillac XTS Weekend Test Drive – Pickup

 

Cadillac XTS Weekend Test Drive – First Impressions

The new XTS looks right at home in my driveway.  The first batch of XTS’s out of the factory appear to be heavily weighted to black.  This is a good color for the XTS.

Cadillac XTS weekend test drive - Driveway

Cadillac XTS weekend test drive – Driveway

There is no gas cap on the Cadillac XTS.  Under the gas fill door one finds just a mechanism ready to receive the pump nozzle.  It recognizes automatically when there is no nozzle inserted and closes.  This works very well, and clearly is the way that all the cars should go in the future.

Cadillac XTS Weekend Test Drive - Gas Cap

Cadillac XTS Weekend Test Drive – Gas Cap

The Cadillac XTS features the new Cadillac User Experience, with touch sensitive center console and programmable dash display.

Cadillac XTS configurable dash

Cadillac XTS configurable dash

 

I’ll apologize to Cadillac and you the Reader in advance for the dash photos — I will have to study how to get good ones with no glare and flash washout.

My first impressions are this will let you setup the Cadillac XTS so that it is perfect for the information you want to see.  I was able to rapidly add tachometer output to the heads-up display, and re-configure the dash display to include speed limit (!) and heading information.  The dash already had a very nice small navigation inset incorporated, although a full size nav display can be seen on the center console as normal.

Cadillac XTS weather forecast

Cadillac XTS weather forecast

A interesting feature of the XTS is a weather forecast display. It is a selection off the main center console menu, and shows current weather and the near-term forecast.  This is handy to know, and would help with planning your trip.

Summary

Smooth pickup of the Cadillac XTS, and I am looking forward to getting to know this thoroughly modern Cadillac.  Please post any questions you have in the comments!

Cadillac XTS brochure – Options in luxury

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“Cadillac XTS, options in luxury.”  That would be my title for the new Cadillac XTS brochure.  I love the art and flourish of a good car brochure.  In the brochure is where you get to hear from Design and Marketing.  You get the unadulterated vision of what the car was meant to be, why it was made, and how you can best enjoy it.

[Click on images for a larger view; then hit back to return]

Cadillac XTS Believe you can

Cadillac has the new 2013 Cadillac XTS brochure available on the XTS site.  You can download it here.

RED-BLOODED. DARING. ORIGINAL. These are the kinds of luxury vehicles we build. It takes tenacity, a refusal to leave well enough alone. That is the difference between good and great. That is the difference between just making luxury vehicles, and making Cadillacs. The New Standard of the World.

This is the art of automotive writing.

Cadillac XTS wheel choices

The brochure also gives useful details about the new Cadillac XTS of course — the difference between the Luxury model, and the Premium collection.  What the new wheels actually look like in each size.

Cadillac XTS Wheel choices

Cadillac XTS brochure: Wheel Choices

As well as the aspirational — here is the info on the Platinum Collection, which is the all-out optioned up Cadillac XTS:

We don’t play games when it comes to luxury.

Unless, of course, it’s leapfrog.

The XTS Platinum Collection takes all the innovation, design and especially the luxury of the XTS to an even higher level. Leather envelops the instrument panel and floor console, and even flows onto the door. Opus full-leather seats are not only exceptionally supple, but so meticulously detailed that even the inside edges of their cooling perforations reveal a subtle hint of contrasting color.  The Lineate wood is exclusive to Platinum, and so richly grained, it takes on extra dimension. While overhead, a microfiber-sueded headliner surrounds an UltraView sunroof that opens to the heavens above.

Cadillac XTS brochure – Options in luxury

We don’t get enough artistic, descriptive writing in our 140 character communications these days.  While I am a fan of simplicity, the finest bloom can be wonderfully detailed without losing its core simplicity.  Automobile brochures attempt to capture the spirit and vision of the automobile.  I enjoy that.

 

Cadillac XTS Platinum for 2013

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Cadillac XTS Platinum is the maxed out, fully-loaded version of the new Cadillac XTS.  The Cadillac XTS Platinum starts at $59,080.   With a premium paint selection my Cadillac XTS Platinum came out to just over $60K.

2013 Cadillac XTS Platinum with 20″ wheels

A standard Cadillac XTS comes well equipped.  Up from Standard, Cadillac offers trim upgrades to Luxury, or Premium as with other models.  Platinum is Cadillac’s top of the line equipment level and comes with special features that can’t be ‘optioned up’ into other trim levels.

Cadillac XTS Platinum features:

Platinum Features

The XTS Platinum Collection takes luxury and refinement to an entirely new level with Opus full-leather seats, a leather-wrapped interior with color-contrast20 stitching and an elegant microfiber sueded headliner. Exterior details include a chrome-accented grille and exclusive 20” polished wheels with chrome inserts.

The Platinum trim includes or replaces features included on the Premium trim

  • 20″ polished aluminum wheels with chrome inserts
  • UltraView® power sunroof
  • Rear-window power sunshade
  • Rear side-door manual sunshades

“You want dubs on your Cadillac XTS Platinum?  Comes with.”

Note to the reader:  ‘dubs’ is a street term for wheels which are 20 inches or larger in diameter.  It apparently evolved from emphasis on the letter W in twenty.

Cadillac XTS Platinum or V-Series?

Cadillac tends to describe V-Series or Platinum versions of models as either-or.  They either plan to create a V-Series for models with more sports car orientation, such as the CTS and CTS-V, or Platinum versions for models that are more luxury oriented, such as Cadillac XTS Platinum or Cadillac Escalade Platinum.  The Cadillac XTS Platinum comes with many earlier V-Series exclusive features, such as Magnetic Ride Control and Brembo brakes.

Summary — Cadillac XTS Platinum

Out of the box the Cadillac XTS is a very capable choice.  The Cadillac XTS Platinum takes the Cadillac XTS to the next level.