DRIVEN. Cadillac CT6

As it turns out, I’m pleasantly surprised, although as you’d expect I did have some complaints (it’s my job, after all). I’m immediately drawn by the long, LONG bonnet that stretches out before me: as a design (and particularly in profile), the CT6 looks incredible, but the sheer length of those grooves working their way down to the front grille does leave me a little nervous. How am I going to steer this behemoth? Similarly the pedal position and the range option of the steering column I find difficult to set comfortably: either I’m sitting too far away from the wheel with good pedal distance or I’m sitting comfortably at the wheel wishing my legs were an inch shorter.

Relax Cadillac, I’m getting to the good stuff. The new rear camera in the mirror for instance is an impressive addition, since it offers 300 per cent rear visibility, a figure perhaps to scoff at but something that proves amazingly effective when we’re on the move. Ditto the seating position, which is mounted impressively low, merging the superbly minimalist centre dash around me as it does. And yes, I’ll take this headroom for a long distance journey too. Just bear with me while I navigate the updated CUE system and set the stereo speakers going again. “Have you seen how they rise out of the dashboard?”

At a cruise, the rather numb feel through the steering is to be expected of a prestigious saloon, and when I switch to ‘Sport’ driving mode, there still lacks the textured feedback and even sufficient weight at the helm to really feel where the front wheels are pointing. I’ll admit I’ve not been expecting an apex muncher, but Cadillac’s claimed focus on agility means I am nevertheless a little disappointed.

Fortunately the balance of the big Caddy is its saving grace in this regard, for while there is some lean in the cabin in this 1853kg bruiser, the grip at the front and surprising manner in which the nose can be pointed means the CT6 offers a composure under cornering you wouldn’t reasonably expect from an executive limousine, the nose not diving or sagging under load but instead offering a measured degree of civility under turn-in.

“Despite the overall comfort of the CT6 though, it’s the manoeuvrability of the big Cadillac that sticks with me”

In Tour, torque is rear biased in our all-wheel drive model, with 60 percent being sent to the rear axle. In Sport meanwhile, it’s nearer 80, the resultant traction out of the corners and more pronounced power delivery from the rear allowing the front end to tuck tighter into the corners: we’re hardly into Caterham territory, but for a vehicle of this size, prestige and comfort, it’s an impressive combination. Ditto the rear steering, which while largely imperceptible on the move, nevertheless allows for a more rapid rate of steering at lower speeds: in the lower gears, the front and rear wheels steer in opposite directions, as opposed to a ‘similar angle’ when up to speed. Consequently tight cornering is made easier. Guess I needn’t have worried about that long bonnet after all…

Hitherto the cabin noise has not been jarred by the V6 chugging away under the bonnet either, though admittedly my mind is mostly focused on the bass being piled into my spine (not unpleasantly) by the stereo that makes the seat massagers almost redundant. Nor indeed does the 3-litre engine feel overly strained or unwilling to plough on in the high gears. You could even call the V6 sprightly, 404bhp being fed to all four wheels with, if not aggression, then certainly vim and vigour, aided immensely by huge waves of torque low down and spirited yet simultaneously smooth changes through the gearbox: only when the revs are low in second or third gear do you feel a dodderiness to the operation. Of course there’s also the brakes, the feel for which through the pedal is consistent certainly even if the discs themselves don’t quite offer the stopping power I’d hoped for. Worth noting Cadillac engineers if you are mulling a CT6-V…

Even despite the overall comfort of the CT6 though, it’s the manoeuvrability of the big Cadillac that sticks with me as our final tour of Abu Dhabi draws to a close. For a car this size, with this amount of on-board tech and indulgence, it’s really quite astonishing, give or take the odd niggle here and there. Yes some more consistently weighted steering wouldn’t go amiss and the brakes could use some added punch, but low-speed composure and the vigorous nature of the twin-turbo V6 has genuinely surprised me on a day where I’d expected luxury and design to rightfully take the spotlight.

Of course, ‘agility’ is not what ultimately brought the new CT6 to the prestige saloon dance, the ‘indulgence’ of the drive harking my mind back to the conversation over dinner the previous evening. As an ‘anchor model’, the newboy is an impressive feat for a company keen to re-establish itself at the top of the mountain, the design – both inside and out – the comfort, the build quality and the efficiency of the infotainment system enough to convince any sceptics that Cadillac is very dedicated to this endeavour. And while the Mercedes S-Class might not be on the radar just yet, it seems inevitable that at one stage it will be. Just one more step towards a brand new era.

Technical specifications available on page 3