Cadillac Gives Its Oldest Luxury Sedan A New Lease Of Life

The 2018 Cadillac XTS has received a much-needed update with a fresh face and new tech.

Just when we thought Cadillac was going to put the ageing XTS out of its misery in 2019, the automaker has given the luxury sedan a new lease of life with a much-needed redesign for the 2018 model, while also updating it with modern tech and making the ride more refined. Noticeably, the front and rear fascias have been freshened up to bring the XTS closer to its CT6 sibling, while new fenders, grille and LED headlights and taillights, which now come as standard, give the 2018 XTS a more modern look.

Ride comfort has been refined thanks to an updated chassis with revised tire designs for both 19- and 20-inch tires. Brembo brakes also now come as standard. For the first time, the XTS can be equipped with optional Magnetic Ride Control and Rear Air Levelling for sharper handling while also reducing outside noise. Cabin comfort has been improved thanks to redesigned foam geometry, wire frame structure and heat pad design on the front seats, as well as 40 inches of rear leg room. Exclusive to the Platinum model’s leather-wrapped interior are Maple Sugar and Jett Black interior color options, as well as a microfiber suede headliner and premium wood trim.

The new XTS is also more hi-tech thanks to the addition of Cadillac’s new intuitive infotainment system, which includes an array of in-vehicle apps displayed on an eight-inch LCD touch screen. You even get an eight-speaker Bose audio system as standard. A range of driver assists can be added to the Luxury trim via the Driver Awareness Package, which include Low Speed Automatic Braking, Following Distance Indicators, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward/Reverse Automatic Braking, Lane Change Alert and Side Blind Zone Alert. As you would expect, all assists come as standard in the Premium Luxury and Platinum models.

Tailoring to enthusiasts, the V-Sport trim is powered by a twin-turbo V6 that produces 410 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, and comes with all-wheel drive as standard. The rest of the range is powered by a 304-hp 3.6-liter V6 mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Cadillac's Revolutionary Lease Program Might Be A Huge Failure

So much for being able to lease a carmaker's whole lineup.

Cadillac recently introduced a new program that would allow customers to lease every car in its lineup for $1,500. The program is called "Book By Cadillac" and it's basically a program that allows customers to switch out cars from Cadillac. This means that someone could have a CTS-V for a trip to the beach, then take an Escalade the next week on a ski trip. We absolutely loved this idea, and hoped that other automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz would copy it. However, according to 24/7 Wall Street, the program may be a colossal failure.

According to the report, Book customers get no response when they sign up for the service. GM also claims that it does not have enough cars for all of the people who want to sign up for the program. The service is only available in New York City as a test, but Cadillac still cannot fulfill subscriptions. Some customers have received this message when they try to sign up, "Thank you for your interest in becoming a Book by Cadillac member. At this time, there have been more requests than the number of open subscriptions. When a Book by Cadillac subscription becomes available, you will be contacted about the next steps." This is certainly not good for an expensive luxury service.

If Cadillac can't make this service work in New York City alone, we don't think that it bodes well for an expansion into other cities and regions. We were really hoping that Mercedes-Benz would launch a similar service where customers could have a G-Class one week and an AMG GT the next. However, if Cadillac shows that the idea isn't viable, we can kiss goodbye the idea of other automakers starting similar programs.