2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport - Muscle In A Velvet Jacket

The luxury market is a wild and woolly place, with a wide range of vehicles intended to both coddle your senses and occasionally pick your pockets clean.  The 2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport is a brand new model that seeks to bridge the gap between luxury and all-out performance in a manner never before attempted by the domestic automaker.

The Vsport appellation indicates that Cadillac's full-size XTS cruiser has been injected with a dose of adrenaline much like Uma Thurman's character in Pulp Fiction, only in this case it's a twin-turbo V-6 instead of a syringe full of fight-or-flight juice.  The effect isn't quite as dramatic as it was on-screen, as the XTS Vsport's additional power won't have drivers gasping for air with hearts aflutter.  Rather, it’s a more subtle makeover of the big car's personality that should have traditional luxury fans nodding their heads in appreciation as the sedan gobbles up highway miles with renewed confidence.

• Also: The Bell Tolls For The XTS

The Heart Of The Beast

What makes the 2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport a 'Vsport?'  As I alluded to above, it’s all in the mechanicals: the full-size four-door gains a 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 that produces a generous 410 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque.  This is a significant increase over the entry-level XTS' 304 horsepower, naturally-aspirated version of the same mill, and it comes bundled with an eight-speed automatic and a standard all-wheel drive system to help ensure that the nominally front-wheel drive car's forward axles don't get overwhelmed.

Is it safe to say that the Vsport drivetrain transforms the XTS' driving experience?  Yes, but not in the way you might think.  While a decade ago 400-plus horsepower put you in supercar territory, for a vehicle like the XTS Vsport the additional output serves to complement the sedan's core competencies rather than expose its inner athlete.  The muscle is there: off the line the Vsport surges to 100 km/h in a mere five seconds, while on the highway passing becomes an exercise in self-assuredness at all speeds.  The car's reflexes, however, aren't quite up to Olympic standards.  All-wheel drive and GM's HiPer front struts keep the car planted and controlled, but the XTS' heavy curb weight and comfort-oriented suspension tuning conspire to dial back the fun once the roads turn twisty.

Comfortable And Roomy

This is completely OK, because the 2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport serves a customer that Cadillac has ignored for far too long - namely, drivers who want an ultra-plush highway commuter with guts.  The Platinum trim level that I drove was loaded to the gills with comfort and convenience features, including adaptive cruise control, the Cadillac CUE system, heated and cooled seats, a configurable LCD gauge cluster, a panoramic sunroof, power window shades, and leather upholstery throughout the cabin.  There's a lot of room to be had inside the XTS Vsport, too, as its transverse engine layout gives it an advantage over its Cadillac CTS sibling when it comes to overall interior space.

On the outside, the Cadillac XTS Vsport doesn't go overboard to call attention to its under-hood histrionics.  20-inch chrome rims fill out the car's wheel wells, and LED headlights and a polished dual exhaust system are high-end accoutrements, but in profile the Vsport strongly resembles the standard edition of the sedan.  The car's proportions are too bulbous to be called sleek, but from certain angles it does offer a classy interpretation of Cadillac's Art & Science styling language.

The Ultimate Test

A long-distance driver like the Cadillac XTS Vsport deserves to be put through its paces in its natural element - namely, the vast distances that can separate major North American cities.  I took the XTS Vsport on a 1,000 kilometre sweep through northern New York state and discovered that the sedan's ride, active safety features, and amply padded thrones made it an excellent road trip companion.  While the car's seating position itself was a little high, and steering effort somewhat heavier than I would have liked, the rest of the car's personality was perfectly suited to devouring hours of open road.  The stealthy profile of the Cadillac also saw me routinely ignored by New York's finest as they instead preyed on flashier BMWs and always-overconfident minivan drivers.

The Shocker

The 2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport is a fine upgrade over the base edition of the car.  The storm clouds gather when you realize just how much more you have to pay for the sedan's twin-turbo privilege: the difference in price between the base XTS and the most-affordable Vsport trim (Premium) is a heady $11,000.  In fact, the MSRP for my Vsport Platinum test vehicle, including the destination charge, came to $78,835.  That's $21,000 more than the standard XTS, and it puts the Cadillac into a very different competitive space than it was originally intended to occupy.

Compared against rivals like the Audi A6 and the Hyundai Genesis the XTS Vsport puts in a respectable performance, but factor in its much higher price point and suddenly we're looking at models such as the Lexus LS, where the XTS is a less-obvious choice.  As much as I like the Platinum trim, even the Premium's $68,125 sticker - $8,000 more than the A6 3.0T - pushes the limits of the acceptable in the XTS' luxury niche.  At that price, you better shop around.