Official: 2013 Cadillac XTS Looms Large Over Lineup

[Oliver@triplezoom]

Awkward due to GM using an existing FWD platform. This car should have been RWD.

I disagree completely. It's great that the CTS is RWD, but this doesn't need to be. The DeVille/DTS has been FWD since what, 1989? RWD doesn't do anything for this car's target market. If anything, it just compromises interior space.

[bzcat]

If this is going to be the "flagship", a V8 is required.
See Acura RL...

But this car is more Acura TL than RL in terms of market positioning... the big Caddy is coming, probably by 2015.

The 111" wheelbase also puts this car physically in the same company as TL (109"), ES (109") , MKS (112") etc.

And in case anyone is wondering... Saab 9-5 and LaCrosse also 111". XTS just has a really long rear overhang so there is a big trunk for the golf bags. Or dead hookers.

XTS is basically the 2012 version of FWD Taurus based 1988 Lincoln Continental... mid size platform, fullsize body.

[GTRaavv]

If this is going to be the "flagship", a V8 is required.
See Acura RL...

Geez the word "flagship" never has been more misapplied then when referring to this car. The Escalade, current CTS-V, and the whole next generation CTS line-up coming up are or will be far more worthy of the flagship title for the brand than this. This isn't the most expensive vehicle (or sedan even for that matter) in their line-up, it isn't the fastest, and it isn't the blingiest. It just happens to be the longest sedan and has the nicest interior at the moment.

[compy222]

imho, it looks fantastic. it covers all the bases. its angular, fits the styling of cadillac, and will please the market of the buyers. cool looking car.

[TigerinColorado]

Mafia is stoked.

[robr2]

Big trunk is for golf bags. Also, I know some active older people who don't believe in using roof racks, especially on luxury cars, so everything has to go in the trunk (bikes, skis, etc...).

...and the livery services rejoice.

That big trunk is to swallow suitcases and trade show displays for clients utilizing car services.

[Lwize]

But this car is more Acura TL than RL in terms of market positioning... the big Caddy is coming, probably by 2015.

The 111" wheelbase also puts this car physically in the same company as TL (109"), ES (109") , MKS (112") etc.

And in case anyone is wondering... Saab 9-5 and LaCrosse also 111". XTS just has a really long rear overhang so there is a big trunk for the golf bags. Or dead hookers.

XTS is basically the 2012 version of FWD Taurus based 1988 Lincoln Continental... mid size platform, fullsize body.

OK. For some reason, I thought this was the DTS replacement, which was their "big" car (not including SUVs)

[omoderncultureo]

Video:


Link

[cougar]

OK. For some reason, I thought this was the DTS replacement, which was their "big" car (not including SUVs)

Well, it is... but the DTS was never really successful as a true flagship either.

[HaterSlayer]

They kept the light up handles from the concept! Anyway, I think this will do a lot to replace the Towncar on the livery market.

[whitejeep1989]

The live pictures look so much better than the ones from the press release. While I don't deny the fact that older buyers are part of the market for this car, why aren't the big sedans from Lexus, Audi, BMW, and Benz labelled as "geezermobiles" as many here have painted the XTS. Autoblog hints at the arrival of an XTS-V within two years! That should end the geezer talk.

[Bones_Jones]

front looks good, but proportion looks awkward. and dare i say it is kinda small? wouldn't making this bigger than a typical luxury flagship make more sense?

[uncleho]

1) I've said this before and now it also applies to not only GM photos, but GM renderings (or Chopped photos): Fire the folks who cannot understand how certain angles and lenses can afford an otherwise challenged proportioned car better press pics! Hire all the Saab photographers who can make the previous gen 9-5 (worse WB to overhang proportions ever) look damn good in ad work.

2) Those wheels suck compared to the meatier-spoked concept versions.

3) That interior looks niiiiiiice.

4) What kind of a ragga-muffin, scraggly-ass, busted jean-having, point-and-shoot-carryin', dirty-shoe-wearin' fool comes to a Cadillac press event lookin' like dat?

[Nourdmrolnmt]

1)

4) What kind of a ragga-muffin, scraggly-ass, busted jean-having, point-and-shoot-carryin', dirty-shoe-wearin' fool comes to a Cadillac press event lookin' like dat?

Probably one of those Saab photographers who know how to work angles and lenses in order to afford an otherwise proportion challenged car better pics.

[whitejeep1989]

Awkward due to GM using an existing FWD platform. This car should have been RWD.

Cadillac's flagship coupe was FWD from the 1960s through the 1990s. I'm not saying that all those cars were world-beaters, but a big FWD Cadillac is not a new thing. I'm also pretty sure that the STS sold better before the switch to FWD. There are probably numerous reasons besides drive wheel location that caused the RWD STS to sell poorly, but it a fair point to consider.

[CP1]

202" length vs 111" wheelbase = awkward. Look at that rear overhang; looks like its gonna tip backwards.

The rear overhang is made worse by the rather short hood/front for a sedan this size.

While a bit on the conservative side, overall a pleasant design (GM did a good job on focusing on the interior).

Awkward due to GM using an existing FWD platform. This car should have been RWD.

The XTS is reportedly a stop-gap model which may not last for another gen (still up in the air whether GM will continue the XTS after its run or move its successor, if there is one, to Buick) w/ the V8 powered RWD flagship sedan greenlit (well, as of now).

[wky]

That dash is trick. Think only the Range Rover and new Jag have the full LCD dash thing going.

[Rowayton]

Cadillac's flagship coupe was FWD from the 1960s through the 1990s. I'm not saying that all those cars were world-beaters, but a big FWD Cadillac is not a new thing. I'm also pretty sure that the STS sold better before the switch to FWD. There are probably numerous reasons besides drive wheel location that caused the RWD STS to sell poorly, but it a fair point to consider.

Ah, the '69 Eldorado's .Back when Cadillacs were Cadillacs. Dance floor flat floors, crisp but elegant styling and damn quick in a straight line (if you could handle the torque steer you could light up the front tires all the way through first gear). I had a dark chocolate brown with black leather gut '69 'Eldo' way back then and I was no 'cotton' top. I wouldn't mind having it back today and I'm still no 'cotton top'. . I may not run as fast as I used to but I see a great deal more .
RB

[Turbio!]

Can we ban the word "flagship?" It's so pretentious. Seriously.

[Turbio!]

If this is going to be the "flagship", a V8 is required.
See Acura RL...

That's a big "if." Why is the biggest sedan automatically the "flagship"? The CTS and Escalade fill that role, especially the CTS-V.

[curvedinfinity]

Can we ban the word "flagship?" It's so pretentious. Seriously.

Seconded

[Turbio!]

The XTS is reportedly a stop-gap model which may not last for another gen (still up in the air whether GM will continue the XTS after its run or move its successor, if there is one, to Buick) w/ the V8 powered RWD flagship sedan greenlit (well, as of now).

Yep. Cadillac needs a big sedan. We'd all love if if all Cadillac buyers were studly dudes like us who love ATSs and CTSs, but the fact of the matter is, the DTS and STS did indeed find about 2000 customers a month, and Cadillac would be retarded to not replace those models with the quickness. This is what they had ready to go for this market, now. I guarantee it will improve on DTS sales numbers and it'll serve the existing, strong, loyal market for big, spacious, comfy luxo-barges. Nobody else is reliably serving that market right now, with the possible exception of Lexus, and they have nothing this big or this luxurious.

I wouldn't be surprised if it were eventually replaced with the Ciel-derived RWD big sedan coming in 2-3 years either, but whether it's sufficiently flagship y0 enough, Cadillac needs to serve this market.

[curvedinfinity]

While I know this isn't going to be very impressive performance wise, I'm still curious to see how much they can wring out of this platform. Would be cool if the AWD system is the XWD from the 9-5 -- could potentially be somewhat fun to drive with that mag ride, HyPer strut, and brembos. The Regal GS is the same architecture, and it doesn't have mag ride or AWD.

[GTRaavv]

The XTS is reportedly a stop-gap model which may not last for another gen (still up in the air whether GM will continue the XTS after its run or move its successor, if there is one, to Buick) w/ the V8 powered RWD flagship sedan greenlit (well, as of now).

This looks to be riding on the LWB Epsilon II platform that the LaCrosse is, just tweeked to give a more Cadillac driving experience. But no extra length like it had been rumored, which also nixes some of the Impala rumors as well. If the next generation LaCrosse moves upmarket a little, as the new LaCrosse concept hints at, it would essentially be the "Buick XTS." But it does feel like Buick needs something to slot above the LaCrosse even if it moves upmarket. Considering the expense the whole Omega platform is going to cost to provide Cadillac a proper RWD D-Class sedan "flagship," and since GM doesn't have a longer FWD platform than the one the LaCrosse rides on, perhaps Buick will get its own RWD D-Class sedan as well. I like that idea better anyways.

[vrsexxy_GTI]

I'm really starting to like this actually.

[omoderncultureo]

DETROIT – New techniques in lighting design are adding to the dramatic presence of luxury cars, while also providing real-world functional benefits. The all-new 2013 Cadillac XTS luxury sedan contains more than 20 separate light sources that “greet” the driver in a carefully choreographed sequence when the key fob is pressed.

The new XTS, launching in the second quarter, includes LEDs embedded in the door handles, Cadillac-signature vertical LEDs in the headlights and taillights and ambient lighting in and around the car’s perimeter. In addition to extending the car’s design signature, the lighting provides convenience and helps provide additional security to drivers in parking lots at night.

Cadillac designers took advantage of consistent advances in LED technology to use lighting to convey drama and space alongside functional benefits.

“The new LED offerings now provide a new palette of color to bring more dramatic lighting effects that have never been available before,” said Christos Roustemis, Cadillac interior designer.

On the inside, cooler blue lights accent the car’s controls and instrumentation while warmer lights highlight passenger areas.

“We sketched each phase of the process to carefully choreograph how every important area inside and outside of the vehicle would come up and fade back down, similar to a production crew lighting a theater stage,” Roustemis said.

The palette of colors also needed to harmonize with the interior colors as well as light emanating from the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) main LCD screen and instrument panel. The task was to make the ambient lighting enhance the experience and minimize distraction.

Creation of dramatic effects and pleasing spaces has long been a trademark of lighting design, said Rosemarie Allaire, a California-based architectural lighting designer. She says advances in LED lighting have opened the way to new possibilities in lighting design.

“In cars, just as in architecture, lighting defines how we feel about a space. It is both artistry and user experience,” Allaire said. “For me, the beauty is in the blends, how you layer the affects, mix the light sources, and how you package it into the final product.”

The XTS lighting choreography is timed to the fraction of a second by the car’s central control system, and is cued by various triggers, such as the key fob, the doors and ignition switch. The car’s exterior lighting brightens the perimeter of the car to provide an added level of security and make the car easier to locate.

Cadillac first used a vertical lighting signature as an exterior design theme in 1948. In Cadillac’s Art & Science design language that has defined Cadillac for the last dozen years, designers use thin, vertical LED “light pipes” in both the front and rear corners of the car.

Link

[330iZHP]

202" length vs 111" wheelbase = awkward. Look at that rear overhang; looks like its gonna tip backwards.

looks like every current VW

[J-Tim]

Bring back name Eldorado and get rid of that alphabet soup.

[Live-Wire]

This is not the flagship/world class car I was hoping Cadillac would build. It's basically an Avalon with a pretty face and available AWD and seems to be aimed right at the Florida crowd. It's nice, just not world class luxury.

I was talking with the Cadillac spokesman at the Toronto Autoshow (mainly about the ATS... which is fantastic BTW, wouldn't let me go inside since it was pre-production). He did say the XTS's purpose in life was to appeal to the traditional Cadillac buyer. Not everyone wants a German-style luxury car. There are plenty who want large, and comfortable... The XTS is all that with world-class quality and trimmings... if a little lacking in exhilaration. It probably is world class when you compare it to other large, comfortable sedans... Toyota Crown, Various Hyundai's in the Korean home market, lots of cars in China etc... even the Mercedes E-class without any sport packages.

[omoderncultureo]

DETROIT – To learn first-hand what today’s customers expect in a full-size luxury sedan, Cadillac XTS designers and engineers spend time in homes making observations and taking notes. A recurring theme was the desire for more space to accommodate active lifestyle gear, like golf bags.

The Cadillac engineering team responded by setting a target to fit four adults and four golf bags without stretching the car’s modest footprint. Such intelligent use of space defines the XTS development process.

“We used computer simulations to model golf bags, as well as other common types of goods our customers are likely to transport,” said XTS chief engineer Sheri Hickok. “That also includes cases of bottled water, luggage, groceries and more. Just as we did with the rest of the XTS, we spent a lot of time maximizing every inch of storage space.”

While most vehicles on the market today carry four passengers, a lack of trunk space can still require a second vehicle to get four sets of clubs to the golf course. XTS offers almost 40 inches of rear legroom and 18 cubic feet (509 liters) of trunk space, more than the Audi A8L, BMW 7-series, and Mercedes-Benz S-class.

“Our owners want to comfortably take four adults out for a round of golf and dinner afterwards,” said Hickok. “The challenge was to give customers what they expect in terms of interior spaciousness, comfort and luxury, but to do so without compromising exterior looks and handling dynamics.”

XTS’ country club credibility is on display at the Cadillac Championship at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami. With equipment provided by Callaway, four adults and four bags fit in the sedan with room to spare.

Ryan Hershberger, group golf sales manager at Doral Golf Resort, participated in loading the clubs. “For a sedan, the room was really impressive,” he said. “It’s really convenient to fit four sets of clubs like that with no force or wedging necessary.”

Security takes as high a priority in the new XTS as storage space. While the sedan handles golf bags with the ease of a crossover vehicle, contents of the trunk remain completely out of sight and behind a locked lid.

Likewise, the passenger cabin was designed to keep valuables hidden. More than a dozen storage compartments offer space to stow items, including a space under the front center armrest that can conceal a smartphone. XTS even has a bin behind the advanced new Cadillac User Interface (CUE) accessed by a hidden button and motorized door.

Link

[Golgo-13]

Looks good. Will this be a livery service vehicle too?

[Jrod511]

I think Cadillac is making a mistake not offering a bench seat and column shifter

[omoderncultureo]

[Hufeisen]

I really like how Cadillac has developed over the last few years. I hope this model is competitive with the market and not a Senior Citizen Special. I remember years ago how BMW, Mercedes and Lexus made a move on the market to a younger demographic by not being the car their parents drove. I guess GM can hope this might happen.

[uncleho]

IMO the Escalade is still the top of the line caddy at the moment. My theory is the XTS is a niche car for "big on a budget". I bet this car starts at $45k and goes up to $55k.

That's the SAME reason people jumped to Acuras back in the day when Olds & Buick squandered their former lead. Same when Lexus intro'd while MB owned the market. Same with Hyundai now. There have always been a VALUE-strong customer base in the USA... or any other mature market for that matter.

I saw a pearlescent one at COSTCO yesterday driven by some young-ish GM exec. It was pretty nice-looking. I think it'll have plenty of sales to satisfy the bean counters.