Cadillac's lost. The CT6 was supposed to be the start of something great. Its Omega platform was set to underpin an even larger flagship sedan and possibly a crossover SUV. Now, the 2019 Cadillac CT6 is the automaker's headliner sedan and it, and its Omega platform, are likely to drive into the sunset after 2020.
For 2019, the CT6 was refreshed with a sharper design, a reworked powertrain lineup, and an updated infotainment system. It's all a taste of what a true Cadillac full-size flagship sedan could have been, but won't be.
After a taste I want more, which makes the demise of Omega and CT6 quite a shame.
2019 Cadillac CT6
2019 Cadillac CT6
2019 Cadillac CT6
An American business suit
Park the 2019 CT6 next to a 2018 model and the sharper looks of the newer version are immediately apparent. The headlights now feature horizontal and vertical elements shaped like a "7" on the driver’s side and the passenger side. They flank the new mesh grille and give the CT6 a bit more of an angular look with more visual width. Out back, the taillights get the same shape. The quad exhaust outlets that sit at the far corners of the rear bumper give a hint that the CT6 isn't messing around.
2019 Cadillac CT6
Inside, most surfaces are covered in leather, wood, and soft-touch plastics. The wide horizontal dashboard hasn't changed, but the gear selector is now an electronically controlled lever pulled from other recent Cadillacs. Behind it sits a BMW iDrive-style rotary dial and hard buttons to control the 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The car’s technology isn’t as in-your-face as it is in the CT6’s German rivals and piano-black plastics don’t surround the controls. Instead, the CT6’s cockpit is a luxurious, well screwed-together place to spend time—albeit if a bit more bland than the German competition. The single thin strip of carbon fiber trim in the middle of the dashboard is the only thing that feels out of place.
2019 Cadillac CT6
While the front seats fit my 5-foot-10-inch build well, wider individuals will find them somewhat narrow. The front seat has plenty of room, and the back seat is also spacious, though in an unusual way. It’s slightly larger than a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but smaller than an S-Class or BMW 7-Series. The CT6 is a tweener car that falls between the German full-size and mid-size sedans. My tester's rear-seat entertainment system, which has screens that slide into the backs of the front seats, eats up some of that space.
2019 Cadillac CT6
German moves
Since its launch, the CT6 has had German-like precision on the road, and that didn't change for 2019. The aluminum-infused Omega platform is light on its wheels, and the rear-wheel steering shrinks the CT6 as it attacks highway on-ramps. It drives far smaller than its 122.4-inch wheelbase would suggest. In fact, drivers need to be aware of how quickly the rear end can follow the front, or they could clip the rear wheel on a curb entering a parking lot. (No, I didn't but almost.)
2019 Cadillac CT6
My tester featured the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 that sends 404 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. The turbocharged V-6 packs a punch and can push the big luxury cruiser to illegal speeds quickly. The 10-speed automatic cracks off quick, clean shifts when slogging through traffic, blasting onto a highway, or cruising around the lake. It's a smooth operator, but the V-6 doesn't make luxurious noises. It sounds more coarse than the engines used by BMW and Mercedes-Benz (especially the inline-6s), and is closer in sound to the turbo V-6 in the latest Audi lineup.
The steering is well-weighted and doesn't have silly modes to dial in more artificial heft. It just is what it is, which is accurate and direct.
2019 Cadillac CT6
Cadillac's Ace
Cadillac’s ace in the hole is Super Cruise. Launched late in 2017 in the CT6 and now spreading throughout the lineup, Super Cruise is GM's Level 2 hands-free driver assist system that takes control on a divided interstate that has been mapped by GM. It worked as advertised when I first tested it in 2017, and it has since received numerous software and map updates that only improve the system with smoother steering motions and more notifications for why it's not available in some areas.
2019 Cadillac CT6
2019 Cadillac CT6
2019 Cadillac CT6
Over a week with the 2019 CT6, I took two road trips that covered hundreds of boring Midwest highway miles. I was able to go, at times, an hour or two without ever touching the steering wheel or throttle and brake pedals. The only things that forced to me take control? Construction zones, getting off to use the rest stop (thanks, kids), and exiting major divided highways and interstates for rural two-lane highways.
2019 Cadillac CT6
The start of something
Starting nearly $30,000 less than an S-Class or 7-Series, the CT6 still remains the value it was when we first drove it in 2016. My top-of-the-line Platinum all-wheel drive tester cost $88,795 with just $700 in options and featured everything from night vision and Super Cruise to heated, cooled, and massaging front seats. Even as a fully loaded model, that's thousands less than the base price of an S-Class.
With a light and solid platform, a tightly screwed together interior with quality materials, and class-leading driver-assistance technology, the CT6 is a showcase of Cadillac's capabilities.
However, the larger, more luxurious CT8 is reportedly cancelled, the CT6 is set for the chopping block as well, and Cadillac's future is going electric. I can only hope the light the CT6 brings to the automaker's showrooms doesn't go out when the lights are turned out on the CT6 assembly line next year.
