Cadillac vs Lincoln 2018
Cadillac’s CT6 and the Lincoln Continental prove big American sedans are making a comeback
Welcome to Dude Said, Punk Said – a special series devoted to skewering the automotive ramblings of young punk Nick Tragianis with the infinite wisdom of old dude Brian Harper. This week, the duo take a look at the renaissance of big American sedans – the Cadillac CT6 and the Lincoln Continental.
Brian Harper: There’s an altered sense of déjà vu going on for me here, Kid. Back when I was much younger, full-sized Lincolns and Cadillacs were the sort of luxury cars people of means actually aspired to own. They were huge, ostentatious — and accepted — symbols of success, powered by big and thirsty V8s, with rides that filtered out any tarmac irregularity short of a bomb crater. That whole automotive segment underwent massive change over the last 30 years as the Europeans and, later, the Japanese moved in, forever altering customer perception of what luxury cars should be.
Without dragging you further down memory lane, in the past year, both Cadillac and Lincoln have resurrected flagship models – the CT6 for Cadillac and the Continental for the presidential brand. These cars are big, but unlike the old days, they aren’t ostentatious. While they are powerful, they are relatively fuel efficient. While they still coddle driver and passenger alike, they still maintain a connection with the road. And, while I applaud the effort, I wonder why GM and Ford bothered as – like most automobile segments – sales of this type of luxury car are in decline.
