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- Highs Attractive design, excellent handling, good value for a large luxury sedan.
- Lows Smaller than its closest rivals, mediocre interior materials, clunky automatic transmission.
- Verdict The CT6 offers good driving dynamics and loads of the latest technology, but it falls short of rival flagship sedans in the luxury department.
Overview
The CT6 is the largest, most tech-laden sedan in Cadillac showrooms, but it is slightly too small, dressed too casually, and too inexpensive to be a true flagship. However, with nothing else to compare the CT6 with, other than flagship sedans from other luxury automakers, that’s where it competes. The CT6’s outstanding handling is offset by four- and six-cylinder engines that can’t match the V-8s and V-12s in pricier competitors. Then again, most versions of the CT6 are thousands less—in some cases tens of thousands less—than the cars with the big-image name badges.
What's New for 2017?
All-new for 2016, the CT6 lineup gains a plug-in hybrid variant for 2017. Combining a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a complicated transmission boasting three planetary gearsets and two electric motors, the plug-in is much more efficient than gasoline-powered CT6s.
Pricing
Original MSRP:
- Base: $54,790
- Luxury: $59,690
- Premium Luxury: $64,890
- Plug-in Hybrid: $76,090
- Platinum: $84,790
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
The base 2.0-liter 265-hp turbo four is the least satisfying of the available CT6 engines, and the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter 404-hp V-6 is the best, with brisk acceleration and smooth power delivery. In between, there's a 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V-6 that produces 335 horsepower. Of all the CT6’s powertrains, only the V-6 engines sound good; the four-cylinder and plug-in models sort of moo their way up to speed. And note that the eight-speed automatic transmission bolted to each gas engine suffers from a lack of low-speed smoothness. The CT6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) can take a full charge in nine hours on a 120-volt outlet or 4.5 hours at 240 volts. It's among the quickest CT6 variants, and its 18.4-kWh battery gives it a 31-mile electric-only range. Handling and braking are top-notch in all CT6 models, delivering class-leading driver satisfaction, if not ultimate numbers at the test track.
Fuel Economy
EPA fuel-economy testing and reporting procedures have changed over time. For the latest numbers on current and older vehicles, visit the EPA’s website and select Find & Compare Cars.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
The most glaring evidence that the CT6 isn’t a full-blown flagship model is its mediocre interior. We’d call it unimaginatively styled, but someone put a lot of effort into cramming wood, carbon fiber, metal trim, and layers upon layers of different leather, vinyl, and cloth coverings onto the dashboard. That befuddling smorgasbord of materials glares forth and suggests Cadillac equates luxury with quantity, not quality. The CT6 is spacious inside, even if its rear-seat legroom trails that of the BMW 7-series, the Mercedes-Benz S-class, and the Lincoln Continental. It also has small-for-the-class trunk volume, but it can hold a competitive amount of carry-on luggage. As with many of its rivals, the Cadillac has rear seats that cannot be folded down, although there is a trunk pass-through.
Infotainment and Connectivity
The Cadillac CUE infotainment system is straightforward to use, but the standard touchpad on the center console is fussy and imprecise in its operation, so you’ll likely use the touchscreen and the controls that surround it instead. Cadillac doesn’t skimp on the CT6’s infotainment features, loading every model with a Wi-Fi hotspot. Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, and a trio of USB ports. Navigation is optional on the base CT6 and standard on the higher trims. A Bose eight-speaker stereo is standard, but Cadillac also offers an optional 34-speaker Bose Panaray audio system that sounds better to untrained ears.
Safety Features and Crash Test Ratings
For more information about the Cadillac CT6’s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites.
Warranty
Some older vehicles are still eligible for coverage under a manufacturer's Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program. For more information visit our guide to every manufacturer's CPO program.