2018 Cadillac CT6: At the Wheel of a Car that Drives Itself

A genuine flagship model for the prestige brand, the CT6 marks a return to its roots of sorts for Cadillac after two decades spent trying to transform its image in order to position itself better vis-a-vis its German rivals. The effort has paid off, at least in the sense that Cadillac has managed to distance itself from a certain other American luxury brand that we won’t name – ok, it’s Lincoln.

Now, returning to its roots doesn’t mean I can reasonably compare  the new Cadillac CT6 with the Fleetwood models of the 80s and 90s; this new limo-style sedan has more in common with BMW’s 7 Series and Audi A8, for example. Still, GM’s luxury banner is back in the large luxury sedan segment, and its entry frankly compares pretty favourably with its German rivals.

Super Cruise
To spot the big development  for 2018, you need to look inside the front bumpers and in a bunch of other weird places for the network of cameras that comes with the available Super Cruise feature. This aptly named system is, according to the manufacturer, “the industry’s first true hands-free driving technology”, one that allows the 2018 CT6 to completely drive itself… in certain situations!
The system recently got a thumbs-up from the folks at AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association), who named it the best new technology of 2018.

That may be true, but the claim made by Cadillac that this is the first hands-free technology to hit the market is less so, seeing as how a few other models currently on the market already offer quasi-hands-free driving.

There’s the Tesla Model S, for starters, and also its sister the Model X, as well as the INFINITI Q50, one of the first production models able to let drivers take their hands off the wheel for considerable distances. Mercedes-Benz’ E Class is also highly autonomous, even if drivers of that model are still obliged to retake the wheel after a certain time. Audi and BMW also have their own claims to autonomous driving capabilities. Cadillac can claim to being the first all it wants, these other vehicles are there to prove otherwise. In the end, of course, who really cares? Much more relevant is how well the thing works, right?

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