Cadillac XTS: This beautiful creation is not your mom's Caddy

Can you compare a 2015 Cadillac XTS with a 1995 Cadillac Sedan DeVille? Or even older versions of a brand so iconic that its very name - Cadillac - connotes stylish quality?

Long ago, I owned a 1986 Sedan DeVille, factory ordered to my specs. I drove it to 110K when the engine blew, breaking my heart as well as the timing chain. And, I count at least seven more Caddys close in the family since the 1950s. My daily driver now is the Sedan DeVille that Dad bought for Mom right off a Cincinnati showroom floor in 1995. I purchased it from Mom's estate in 2009 when it had only 48K on the odometer. "Martha's Caddy" is still a great driver.

When the folks at Claude Nolan learned of my Cadillac interests, they offered a brand new 2015 XTS - the lineal descendent of the '95 DeVille - to compare and contrast. How I wanted to take this ride!

On the comparison side, both cars have the same familiar Cadillac badge and logo as well as the expected amenities of a well-designed luxury sedan. These obvious niceties include factory air, power windows and seats, leather everywhere, power steering and brakes, as well as fine fit and finish both inside and out. These cars are in the "full-size" class of sedans, and each has a smooth ride, which does not disappoint driver or passenger.

I still so enjoy our '95 DeVille, and may never part with this most dependable vehicle. It still looks and runs great, has adequate pep, and has many fine handling characteristics of well-engineered sedans from that era. In fact, wife Ruby and I recently put 3,000 cross-country miles on the '95 odometer and the drive was flawless.

But, enough about the 20-year-old. Let's move on to this new Cadillac XTS.

We dropped by the Claude Nolan dealership with plenty of time for a lesson in systems details from sales and leasing consultant Steve Terbrueggen, who has been with Cadillac for decades, and Josh Lauderman, the new car sales manager. Both gents showed us the ins and outs of operating this informational wonder.

"Our DeVille is a great car, but this XTS is a command center," Ruby said, commenting on the information systems as we began our journey.

We wanted to drive on a variety of streets, roads and highways, so planned to spend a day with this beauty. Our venture took us east to Jax Beach, then north on A1A to Fernandina. Returning, we did the four-lane route plus Interstate 95 with several in-town and rural ventures in-between. In all, we put 142 miles on the clock and averaged 22.9 miles per gallon of 87 octane.

The XTS is a beautiful creation. Our showroom ride had only two added options: Ultraview Sunroof, and the White Diamond Tricoat finish. These put about $2.5K more to the $49K base; toss in destination charges, taxes and the like for a sticker-plus of about 56 grand. While not peanuts, keeping this car 20 years, as we have kept Martha's Caddy, comes to less than $2,800 annually for the "up-front" cost - this for a car with superb safety ratings, great looks, fine fit and finish, and more.

The dimensions and mechanicals of the XTS are online and well published. It clearly has ample interior room for four (five with the rear center console stowed). Ruby is a 6-foot-2 redhead, and was comfy in both the driver and passenger buckets. With dinner companion friends, Drs. Linda and Fred Edwards on board in the rear, all were quite comfortable. The front driver and passenger seats have superb lumbar and lateral support for the long touring haul.

The seating surprise: The rear seat back folds forward to expand trunk and cargo space - a feature that I had not suspected, even after doing a little research before picking up the XTS.

Instruments, sound system, air conditioning, and related electronics are all that one would expect from Cadillac, and more. For drivers of 20th century autos, the navigation, entertainment and information systems do have a learning curve, but not one so steep as to be daunting.

The center-console touchscreen is large, but not overly imposing, and learning tasks one at a time proved doable. For example, we wanted to know the distance from the Mayport Ferry to Fernandina, and found the answer fairly easily. And, with voice activation, hands-free data presents itself promptly. The same types of information and memory are built into the XTS systems for cell phones and positioning of seats, rearview mirrors and the steering wheel. I am not expert at newer complexities of driver informatics, so I will not try to add detail here. Simply put, however, the bells, whistles and gadgets seem amply suitable for today's driver, and once learned, would become a mobile asset.

The real joy of the XTS is in driving it. Six cylinders, six forward speeds and a smooth automatic transmission are only the beginning.

This car seems so well-engineered that one is tempted to find the nearest two-lane curvy road and open the throttle.

Ruby, driving with a bit more leisurely bent, indicated that driving the Caddy was, "just like butter." Turning only 1,600 rpm at 70 miles per hour, the cruise is very smooth. Punching the gas to enter a freeway lane or pass on the open road is a kick in the back and another handling trait that makes the big sedan a sporty auto as well. The 3.6 liters seem to say, "I can take you as fast as you want to go."

However, acceleration and speed are not the only fun of this Cadillac. Stability of the XTS chassis is truly remarkable.

As I was driving, I thought steering was so firm, so precise and so responsive that surely this car must go racing. It has a tiny turning radius, and once up to speed, it resists any yaw and communicates no feeling of oversteer or understeer.

Braking with the four-wheel discs seemed absolutely reliable with no hesitation or drift. Summing up, the engine supplies the power and the steering wheel supplies fun.

Ruby's comments indicating, "This car is lovely ... it sure handles well," summed up her positive impressions.

Yep, it's not your mom's Caddy. It's the newer concept, a different experience, a faster and more responsive Cadillac.

Progress, of course, does not diminish our '95 DeVille. But the new version is so entirely different and obviously safer with modern accoutrements, such as the rear-vision camera, which were not even on the drawing board when Martha's '95 came off the line.

The 2015 Cadillac XTS is a modern touring-luxury sedan with a sporty flare, good looks and a ride that rewards driver and passenger alike. So, our special thanks to the nice folks at Claude Nolan for allowing us to test and comment on the XTS - perhaps our next 20-year Caddy.

Thomas Peters is a Jacksonville-based writer and retired surgeon. This is his second model comparison written exclusively for Drive. In September 2012, he compared a new 2013 Volkswagen Beetle with his 1972 standard Type 1 "Bug."

For more information on the Cadillac XTS, visit claudenolan.com.