Text and photos by Emily Chung
The 2017 Cadillac CT6 reminds me exactly why Cadillac has its place in the industry. It is a luxury brand, and this full-size sedan is beautiful. From the exterior classic design to the interior layout and technology, the CT6 was a pleasure to have for a road test. Hit jump for the full review.
Exterior Design
The CT6 incorporates Cadillac’s signature long headlamps and tail lamps.
The CT6 is quite long, which is why there is ample cabin space. Our road test was a classy Crystal White, and the drive was smooth and quiet.
I was somewhat disappointed with the wheels, it is a classic look but I thought they could have been dressed up a little bit more. Our road test came with 20” Ultra-Bright Machined aluminum wheels. The aluminum did add to the overall ‘bling’.
Interior Design
The 2017 Cadillac CT6 has a luxurious interior, there’s no doubt about that. It comes with a trackpad to make it easier when navigating the infotainment system, though the display is a touchscreen as well. The gearshift is reminiscent of levers they use in aircrafts.
The infotainment screen is large and incorporates the glovebox release, hazard, auto start/stop, and automatic parking assist buttons.
The front has a multiple charging ports in the centre glovebox, and even clips to hold pens!
Given all the technology in vehicles today, the steering wheel is laid out well with buttons that are built into the design so it’s not distracting.
The rear sculpted seats have the seatbelt strap coming from just above the seat, which is good as it keeps it closer to your collarbone.
The rear seats also have charging ports located just below the seat bench.
The centre backrest folds down to reveal an armrest with storage and cup holders.
The Cadillac CT6 has multiple sunshades, including a rear sunshade.
There are sunshades built into the rear doors, and this is preferable to the aftermarket add-ons that suction cup or clip onto the windows. In the event of a serious collision, the sunshades built into the doors will not loosen and become a flying projectile.
Speaking of sun, while the cabin is spacious the CT6 we road tested came with an Ultraview power sunroof. This allowed lots of sunshine inside – it was beautiful!
Special Feature
The 2017 Cadillac CT6 has many different features. One that I like is the rearview mirror camera. The vehicle has two cameras in the rear, one for when you’re reversing and one that displays what is behind you. This is helpful if you have taller passengers in the rear that cover your view of the rear windshield, or if you have silly children who are distracting you in the rearview mirror!
The luxury model we road tested came with a Bose Panaray sound system. This system has 34 speakers, with three located in the front pop-up ‘soundbar’. We tested this system with a movie and it really sounded like we were in a theatre! The use of clusters of smaller speakers allows the sound to be projected in multiple directions, which contributes to a surround sound.
Under The Hood / Basic Maintenance
There isn’t much room in the engine bay, and that’s expected given that the space is taken up by plastic shields, twin turbo plumbing and strut towers.
Overall, do-it-yourself items are laid well with the battery jump point at the left front corner and an engine ground located nearby. The washer fluid cap is also near there, and if you’re so inclined the air filter housings are also located at the front of the vehicle.
The coolant fluid reservoir is up top and very easy to read the minimum and maximum levels.
The CT6 comes with a spare tire, located in the trunk.
Child Car Seat
The 2017 Cadillac CT6 has a lot of space in the cabin to accommodate the recline angle of a rear-facing child car seat. The rear seat bench is relatively flat but the UAS latches are located higher on the seat bench. This may mean that you’ll require pool noodles during a rear-facing child car seat installation in order to get the correct recline angle.
The sculpted headrest of the rear seats may interfere with forward-facing child car seats as it protrudes forward slightly. You may need to remove the head rest so that the back of the child car seat will sit flush with the car’s seatback.
The child seat tethers are also located conveniently behind the headrests.
Storage / Trunk
The trunk is spacious and is moulded so that the trunk lid hinges will not interfere with your items when you close the lid.
Cadillac has long been known for their luxury and smooth driveability. The 2017 CT6 starts at $61,915CAD and is a serious competitor in the full-size luxury market.
Model tested:
2017 Cadillac CT6 Luxury
3.0L Twin Turbo V6
8-speed manual transmission
All-wheel drive
Seating Capacity: 5
Fuel Type: Premium
Road Test Terrain: 60% city, 40% highway
Tested MSRP: $87,685 CAD