Cadillac CT6: A symbol of rebirth

Photo courtesy General Motors
The Cadillac CT6 is the new flagship of the prestige brand of General Motors. It compares to cars like the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes-Benz a-Class S.

Jacques Welcome

Sunday, 23rd July 2017 19:08

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Sunday, 23rd July 2017 19:08

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Here is the reply of General Motors, to large luxury sedans German : the Cadillac CT6. A model of the original design that opens a new chapter in the history of the brand’s top of the range for this manufacturer american.

Here you see the typical example of the standard-bearer of a great brand. This car has an interior that is sumptuous, a avant-garde architecture, a choice of engines as powerful as modern and prices, for versions the more richly equipped, will display six digits. The Cadillac CT6 has not really been designed to be sold to the shovel. Indeed, last June, the canadian dealers of General Motors have delivered 33. During the same period, they have found 2390 buyers for the Chevrolet Cruze and 5780 for pickup trucks GMC Sierra. The exclusivity figure as well.

Manufactured at the plant in Detroit-Hamtramck GM, in Michigan, the CT6 has made his debut with us in April 2016. This great sedan is something of the renaissance of Cadillac, the luxury brand of the manufacturer american. She succeeded, indeed, in the Fleetwood, a model gone missing since the late 1990s. The kind of car the average american of the past which has disappeared from the range Cadillac. Fortunately…

Photo courtesy General Motors

The Cadillac CT6 has a safety deposit box large, as one might expect.

MODERN BEFORE ANY

CT6 means ” Cadillac Touring 6 “, the digit designating its great size within the range. With this novelty, the direction of Cadillac is hoping to attract motorists who have migrated to BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Lexus over the years. For these consumers, who are sensitive to modernism, it has opted for a monocoque body shell almost entirely of aluminum, giving this car, as big as a BMW 7-Series, the agility and the weight of a 5 Series with, as a bonus, a soundproofing level never achieved before with a GM product.

The soundproofing allows you to fully appreciate the stunning audio Bose Panaray available for the models, the more expensive. Designed specifically for the CT6, it has 34 speakers placed in strategic locations to ensure a dynamic range and clarity. It’s like being in a concert hall !

The builder offers buyers the CT6 three powertrains are very different. The entry-level models to rear wheel drive are driven by a four-cylinder turbocharged 2.0 L, producing 265 hp. It is far from the V8, wolverine, 5.7 L recent Fleetwood ! Models of intermediate range, which are also the most sold, have four-wheel drive and a V6 naturally aspirated 3.6-litre and 335-hp. As for the models, the most luxurious, equipped with all-wheel-drive, they are driven by a mighty V6 twin turbo 3.0 L producing 404 hp. Less than 5 s are sufficient for this engine, which delivers 400 lb-ft of torque as soon as its speed is reached 2500 rpm, to propel this luxury sedan to 100 km/h ! Of course, such power has its price, and the CT6-engine, twin-turbo, which we tested, has an average fuel consumption higher than 11 L/100 km. At the other end of the spectrum, the four-cylinder turbo only 9.5 L to cover 100 km.

To optimize the consumption of the sedan we have done the testing, GM engineers have developed the first device of cylinder deactivation for a biturbo V6 engine. They have also created two new automatic transmission in eight reports. The four-cylinder turbocharged and V6 atmospheric share the gearbox Hydra-Matic 8L45, then we reserve the box 8L90 to the V6 twin turbo because of the torque engine, great as it deploys.

The refinement technique is not limited to engines since the CT6 can also be fitted with a magnetic suspension, 20 ” wheels shod with Pirelli tyres-size bass, a rear steering and active night vision systems Night Vision, a display of the images captured by the rear camera in the rearview mirror and a support system automatic parking. This is in addition to the front headlamps with light-emitting diodes (LED) lighting indirect, of series, all of which provide a powerful lighting while giving the sedan a unique appearance.

Photo courtesy General Motors

The sumptuous interior offers a glance entering by the harmonious combination of materials of good quality.

SUMPTUOUS INTERIOR

The spacious interior and luxurious is the status of this car. It was also equipped with an air conditioner to four zones including a secondary system is a complete heating, ventilation, and air conditioning allows each passenger to customize the temperature and air flow !

The seats are loose and comfortable can be dressed in different types of leather with different colors and with or without perforation. In addition, the dashboard is adorned with rich accents of wood – sapele (an essence tropical), of the poplar or the eucalyptus – sometimes combined with carbon fiber. Because of the magnitude of this dashboard, the look is striking. And to say that in the past Cadillac was satisfied with woodgrain trim to decorate the Fleetwood, its standard-bearer in then!

This era is over as evidenced by the touch screen 10.2-inch for interface to the system infodiverstissement CUE with, in addition, a touch pad placed on the central console. There are also these two hinged screens, 10-inch with Blu-Ray player and HDMI connections, and USB, the manufacturer offers as options to entertain or to inform occupants of the rear seats. Equipped of the kind, this Cadillac has nothing to envy to its rival germanic.

A CT6 ” GREEN “

Let us note, finally, that the range of the CT6 has recently been enriched by a new variant with a rechargeable hybrid drivetrain. Called the CT6 PHEV (for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle “), it inaugurated a new automatic transmission to change the electronic that drives the rear wheels by the power produced, on the one hand, by two electric motors of 74.5 kW (100-hp) powered by a lithium-ion battery 18.4 kWh and, on the other hand, by a four-cylinder turbocharged 2.0 L. This set develops a net power of 335 hp and 432 lb-ft of torque, enough to propel this car from 0 to 96 km/h (60 mph) in 5.2 s, says the manufacturer.

In electric mode, the autonomy of the CT6 PHEV could reach almost 50 km and its top speed would be 125 km/h. In addition, a hybrid mode would allow him to travel up to 643 km.

This hybrid version currently makes its debut on our market and, although it is sold in dropper (GM Canada plans to sell a dozen just this year), the CT6 PHEV contributes to restore the reputation of this brand, which now has products to the extent of its competitors.

Cadillac Escala… and if ever ?

Photo courtesy General Motors

The concept car Cadillac Escala.

In August 2016, GM unveiled the concept car Cadillac Escala in the contest of elegance of Pebble Beach, California. The manufacturer claims that this sedan to the receding lines shows the direction adopted by Cadillac in terms of design, finish and technology for models in the making.

L’escala (” scale ” in Spanish) is the third concept unveiled at this prestigious exhibition after the convertible Sky (2011) and the coupe Elmiraj (2013). Its slender shape is reminiscent of the BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe and Audi A7. Like the last, it has a tailgate, but it can be distinguished by three curved screens on organic light-emitting diodes arranged in front of the driver. These screens, which meet the indicators of conduct usual, are placed on a surface lined with hand-stitched leather and wood paneling fine.

The seats, the lower part of the dashboard and the interior doors are covered with a fabric, hand-made, inspired by the materials used by the partner of Cadillac in the fashion industry. It gives a superior touch to the interior and suggests an artisanal finish.

Under the hood, finally, there is the prototype of a bi-turbo V8 engine of 4.2 L. if l’escala announced a sequel to the CT6 ?

Cadillac CT6

Base price

61 815 $ (2.0 L Turbo 2WD); 66 740 $ (2.0 L Turbo Luxury 2WD); 64 FOR $ 140 (WITH 3.6 L 4WD); 69 050 $ (WITH 3.6 L Luxury 4WD); 72 305 $ (3,6 L Top of the range Luxury 4WD); 73 675 $ (3.0 L biturbo Luxury 4WD); 76 910 $ (3.0 L biturbo Top of the range Luxury 4WD); 95 $ 190 PER (3,6 L Platinum 4WD); 99 790 $ (3.0 L twin turbo Platinum 4WD).

Transport and preparation

2100 $

Powertrain

1) L4 turbo DOHC 2.0 L, 265 hp at 5500 rpm, 295 lb-ft at 3000-4500 rpm; (2) V6 DOHC, 3.6-litre, 335-hp at 6800 rpm, 284 lb-ft at 5300 rpm; (3) biturbo V6 DOHC, 3.0 L, 404 hp at 5700 rpm, 400 lb-ft at 2500-5100 tr/min. Automatic transmission with 8 reports. Rear wheel drive (2.0 L) or all-wheel drive (V6).

Features

Four-wheel independent Suspension. Disc brakes to all four wheels. Anti-lock braking system series. Tires : P235/50R18; P245/45R19; P245/40R20.

Ratings

Wheelbase : 3109 mm; length : 5184 mm; width : 1879 mm; height : 1472 mm. Weight : 1654-1853 kg. Tank capacity : 74 litres. Cargo Volume : 433 L. average Consumption (manufacturer; 3.0 L) : 11.2 L/100 km.

Competition

Audi A7, Audi A8, BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe, BMW 7 Series, Genesis G90, Infiniti Q70L, Jaguar XJ, Kia K900, Lexus LS, Lincoln Continental, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Panamerea, Volvo S90

Strengths

• Elegant Silhouette
• Spacious and comfortable interior
• Large chest
• Clean finish

Weak Points

• Touch screen controls somewhat intuitive
• Finished the V8