2013 Cadillac XTS Offers Country Club Credibility

Four adults and four golf bags fit with ease in new full-size luxury sedan

DETROIT – To learn first-hand what today’s customers expect in a full-size luxury sedan, Cadillac XTS designers and engineers spend time in homes making observations and taking notes. A recurring theme was the desire for more space to accommodate active lifestyle gear, like golf bags.

The Cadillac engineering team responded by setting a target to fit four adults and four golf bags without stretching the car’s modest footprint. Such intelligent use of space defines the XTS development process.

“We used computer simulations to model golf bags, as well as other common types of goods our customers are likely to transport,” said XTS chief engineer Sheri Hickok. “That also includes cases of bottled water, luggage, groceries and more. Just as we did with the rest of the XTS, we spent a lot of time maximizing every inch of storage space.”

While most vehicles on the market today carry four passengers, a lack of trunk space can still require a second vehicle to get four sets of clubs to the golf course. XTS offers  almost 40 inches of rear legroom and 18 cubic feet (509 liters) of trunk space, more than the Audi A8L, BMW 7-series, and Mercedes-Benz S-class.

“Our owners want to comfortably take four adults out for a round of golf and dinner afterwards,” said Hickok. “The challenge was to give customers what they expect in terms of interior spaciousness, comfort and luxury, but to do so without compromising exterior looks and handling dynamics.”

XTS’ country club credibility is on display at the Cadillac Championship at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami. With equipment provided by Callaway, four adults and four bags fit in the sedan with room to spare.

Ryan Hershberger, group golf sales manager at Doral Golf Resort, participated in loading the clubs. “For a sedan, the room was really impressive,” he said. “It’s really convenient to fit four sets of clubs like that with no force or wedging necessary.”

Security takes as high a priority in the new XTS as storage space. While the sedan handles golf bags with the ease of a crossover vehicle, contents of the trunk remain completely out of sight and behind a locked lid.

Likewise, the passenger cabin was designed to keep valuables hidden. More than a dozen storage compartments offer space to stow items, including a space under the front center armrest that can conceal a smartphone. XTS even has a bin behind the advanced new Cadillac User Interface (CUE) accessed by a hidden button and motorized door.

Courtesy of GM News.