LOS ANGELES, California – The brand once known as the “Standard of
the World” has fully embraced the Standard of Geeks for its latest play
for the hearts, minds and cash of the upwardly mobile. This is the
all-new 2013 Cadillac XTS, and while it certainly isn’t your great-great
(great) grandfather’s Cadillac, it’s designed to appeal to everyone
from octogenarians to their baby-boomer spawn, and maybe — just maybe —
even you….
While the XTS’ spate of processors and controllers isn’t running the
open source offspring of Linus Torvalds, the game-changing infotainment
intender known as the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) is.
Buried deep within the dash is a three-core ARM 11 processor,
powering two displays: one eight-inch capacitive touch screen — the
first non-resistive display to come to a production car — and a second,
12.3-inch fully configurable instrument cluster mounted behind the
steering wheel. Two of those cores adapt on the fly to handle voice
commands powered by the same Nuance technology used by many automakers,
along with Apple’s personal assistant, Siri. But with CUE, everything is
processed on board.
Because of that trick bit of natural voice recognition technology,
and specifically its ability to listen for commands in-line, inputting
addresses and performing point-of-interest searches is easily the best
we’ve ever experienced in a modern vehicle.
Rather than breaking out each portion of an address into dedicated
fields, you simply have to speak an address (say, “123 Main Street,
Cupertino, California”) and CUE is smart enough to recognize the entire
address in one shot. More impressive is the system’s ability to take
local searches — everything from “I need coffee” to navigating to a
restaurant — process the voice command within a few seconds and deliver a
result.
CUE is one of the most attractive infotainment systems to date
This came in particularly handy while we were trying to make our way
to the test-drive lunch stop. Instead of having to look up the address,
input it into the navigation system and wait for the routing to begin,
we simply said the name of the restaurant and seconds later it was
dialed into the nav. And even though we stumbled on our words, pausing
momentarily and stuttering in the process, it still recognized where we
were trying to go. That’s a first and it’s something we can’t wait to
see proliferate throughout other production vehicles.
This same functionality extends to the app and audio integration,
allowing the driver to say, “Play Rolling Stones Radio” in Pandora or “I
want to listen to 88.5″ without ever having to touch the screen, twist a
knob or punch a button.
Which is good, since there are few knobs or buttons to speak of.
Images: Cadillac
Aside from the redundant controls on the steering wheel (and there
are several), the entire center panel is made up entirely of capacitive,
chrome-clad touch controls. The lower panel — which mechanically tilts
upward to reveal a hidden compartment for stowing a phone, along with
two USB ports for plugging in your mobile, MP3 player or thumb drive —
houses controls for volume, climate, seat heating and cooling, plus
“home” and “power” controls. Unfortunately, the very nature of
capacitive switchgear means there’s a subtle lag between pressing a
“button,” registering the input, delivering a haptic pulse, sending said
input to the system and then eliciting a change in fan speed or volume
level. It’s the same gripe we have with the MyFord Touch system —
further proof that good ol’ knobs are still the best way to go, despite
their lack of gee-wizardry.
And this same lack of responsiveness can occasionally be felt when navigating the eight-inch central display.
While the overall polish of the system is
more than enough to impress, there’s still a perceivable lack of
smoothness and immediacy
While the overall polish of the system is more than enough to
impress, there’s still a perceivable lack of smoothness and immediacy
when switching through menus, navigating pages and swiping between
screens. The situation is exacerbated by the occasional misinterpreted
press on the screen, a product of small touch points that don’t always
register where you expect them.
Equally jarring is CUE’s ability to detect when your hand moves
within eight inches of the screen, which then pulls up a series of
configurable virtual buttons for everything from radio presets to
frequently navigated addresses. When you pull away, the controls fade
into the background.
It’s impressive to watch the system recognize your hand’s proximity
to the screen and then display a series of controls that would make the
display look otherwise cluttered, but having some of these items
statically placed seems like a more intelligent user interface choice
for frequently selected options. That’s one of the many reasons Cadillac
is providing an iPad with every 2013 model to help consumers navigate
the new system.
General smoothness aside, CUE is one of the most attractive
infotainment systems to date, mixing 3-D graphics with color icons and a
beautifully rendered mapping display. And while the app selection is
limited for now, with only Pandora, Stitcher and a pre-installed OnStar
app available at launch, Cadillac tells Wired that an app store is on
the way. Java and HTML5 are make up the core frameworks, so once
developers are granted access to the SDK, Cadillac expects as many as 30
apps to be available within the next year.
But while we had our issues with CUE (growing pains, we’re sure), the
configurable display that takes the place of traditional gauges behind
the steering wheel never failed to impress.
Four different designs are available, beginning with a simple,
three-gauge cluster with engine revs on the left, speed in the center
and fuel, coolant and phone/navigation/audio on the right. It’s the most
traditional display and what most drivers will feel immediately
comfortable with.
The second display nixes all the round gauges for a digital speedo at
the top, navigation instructions below and other assorted information
flanking the sides, while an even more simple display – obviously aimed
at some of Cadillac’s aging drivers – only shows speed, fuel level and a
few other must-haves.
Finally, there’s a more enthusiast-friendly option, with an oversized
tachometer and speedo, partnered with a 3-D rendering of the vehicle
along with tire pressures, engine temp, navigation and audio controls,
all displayed clearly and vividly for the driver. We stuck with the
latter during the majority of our drive.
All this tech is pretty useless if the vehicle surrounding it isn’t
up to snuff. And here Cadillac has a winner, even though the XTS won’t
send chills down the spines of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The exterior is an odd blend of bold and bland, while the interior is
a beautifully appointed mix of leather, wood and contrast stitching
(the purple thread in the Platinum models has to be seen to be
appreciated). There’s ample room for four people (five in a pinch), with
leg and shoulder room abound, and a thoughtful, conservative approach
to luxury that’s been utterly lacking from most American automakers. The
XTS feels a bit more Japanese than German in execution, but injects a
bit of emotion into an otherwise bland segment of upmarket rides.
The overall length is on par with Audi’s range-topping, standard
wheelbase A8, but the interior dimensions and general size is more
closely competitive with the slightly smaller A6, along with the BMW 5
Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
A 3.6-liter V6 engine putting out 304 horsepower and 264 pound-feet
of torque is either sent to the front wheels or all four depending on
the trim, and no V8 option is planned, despite most of the XTS’ closest
competitors offering some form of big or boosted drivetrains. A
six-speed automatic is standard across the range, which nets acceptable
fuel economy, despite coming in a few cogs short of other luxury
players.
We spent time in both a Platinum all-wheel-drive model and a
front-driven “base” version, and found both to be pleasing steers that
eschew the wafting heritage of past Caddies thanks to a rigid chassis
and the standard fitment of Magnetic Ride Control, the same suspension
technology that keeps the Corvette ZR1 and Ferrari 599 stuck to the
road. The front-wheel-drive model felt more floaty due to the lack of
additional grip and weight in the rear, while the all-wheel-drive
version was far more planted and — dare we say it — mildly sporty. The
steering and brakes were equally at home while navigating the congested
confines of Los Angeles — they might not be as composed as the
impressive suspension, but are easily up to the task at hand.
But what exactly is that task?
For Cadillac, the XTS is an attempt to reassert itself as the
Standard of the World, and that starts with a competent chassis, a plush
interior and a revolutionary in-car entertainment system. But with
Cadillac still lacking a proper flagship to go up against the BMW 7
Series and Mercedes S-Class, it’s still a ways away from regaining its
former title, even though we’ve been assured numerous times that model
is on the way. Cadillac’s head exec confided in us that the XTS is “a
bridge” for some of the brand’s existing customers to move out of their
aging DTS and STS land yachts, but we’ll call the XTS was it is: a
tech-rich stopgap that points the brand forward. And with pricing
ranging between the mid-$40,000 range up to near $60,000, the XTS is a
solid alternative to the segment stalwarts, opting for comfort and
convenience over sport and speed.
