The 1959 Cadillac Eldorado is the epitome of the American luxury flagship vehicle. With sharp tail fins that soared into the sky, bullet-shaped taillights, and its immense wheelbases, the Eldorado represents the peak of 1950s automotive extravagance. The next four generations of the Eldorado were stately, luxurious vehicles but none quite matched the lavish styling of the iconic third generation. Then, in 1979, Cadillac's top-of-line models grew smaller and more ordinary looking. The Eldorado, no longer the stunning model of its heyday, went out of production in 2002. Since then, Cadillac's lineup has been devoid of a halo car to represent what the brand is capable of.
Cadillac has hinted numerous times with wild concepts at a replacement flagship. The 2003 Cadillac Sixteen, widely hailed as one of the best concept cars of all time, featured a massive chrome-laden grille and oversized wheels, and a ridiculous V16 engine. Eight years later Cadillac showed off the Ciel at the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance. The convertible had rear suicide doors, pointy vertical headlights, and swooping rear taillights. Th Elmiraj Concept, unveiled in 2013, was a pillarless four door coupe, with an aggressive mesh grille, thin vertical lights, and a powerful stance. However, none of these concepts reached production, which brings us to the topic of this post: the new Cadillac CT6.
The new CT6 is not as extravagant as the Cadillac flagships of the past (it starts at just $53,000), but it allows for room above it in the lineup should Cadillac ever want to build a Mercedes-Benz S-Class competitor, or even something to take the fight to Rolls-Royce. However, the new sedan still is quite luxurious, with the front fascia dominated by a immense chrome grille with the new wreathless Cadillac logo. A gaping black lower front grille highlighted by chrome trim and small rectangular fog lamps adds to the imposing, upscale look. The most intriguing element of the front end, however, are the unorthodox headlights. The upper section of the unit is a pretty standard affair for Cadillac, a mix of LEDs and xenon lamps swooping back towards the cabin. The CT6's younger brother, the CTS, debuted an unusual but handsome headlight setup in 2014, where the separate running lights extended the line created by an LED strip in the main unit. The CT6 takes this design cue one step further, with a LED light dropping down from the main unit to become the running light. This made the Cadillac appear as if it is crying, and personally I think it causes the front end to be a bit of an eyesore.A thin silver bar runs down the bottom of the doors, and while I usually thinks this makes cars look like they're trying to hard to look premium, I think that it works on the Cadillac. This is possibly because the extremely low placement makes it almost look like a running board. Chrome door handles and smooth stately character lines round out an attractive, upright profile. Three creases flow back from the logo across the hood, creating a powerful image. (It makes only 272 hp with the simple turbo I4, but up to 400 when fitted with a twin-turbo V6.)
While the front is a mixed bag and the side is a solid design, I find the rear of the CT6 a bit disappointing. The "Art and Science" design of the swooping vertical taillights certainly is beautiful, but it isn't very different from those on the CTS or new XT5. The top of the line model should be a bit more differentiated from the cheaper cars, or else it doesn't feel as special. The lower rear fascia is understated but very well done. A fine line of chrome elegantly reaches across the full width of the car, sandwiching reflectors with the white bodywork. An translucent reverse light intricately imitates the shape of the grille, and two sets of dual exhaust pipes give the Cadillac an athletic aura.Overall, the CT6 is a generally attractive vehicle, but sadly doesn't live up to the hype of Cadillac's previous flagships, leaving a hole in the American manufacturer's lineup that if it were to be filled, would return Cadillac to the top of the luxury segment.
Grade
Front: B+
Rear: B
Overall: B
