Staff Photo by Mark Kennedy /
The interior of the 2018 Cadillac CT6 features Jet Black leather seats.
FAST FACTS
* Model: 2018 CT6 Premium Luxury AWD * Exterior color: Satin Steel Metallic * Interior color: Jet Black * Engine: 3.0-liter, V-6, twin-turbo * Horsepower: 404 * Transmission: eight-speed automatic * Fuel economy: 26 mpg highway, 18 mpg city * Local Dealer: Integrity Buick, GMC Cadillac, 6025 International Drive * Price (as tested): $81,990
Let it be noted: At exactly 3:20 p.m. on Monday, July 23, 2018, I experienced true hands-free “driving” for the first time. (OK, a few months ago I rode in a semi-autonomous Tesla Model 3, but someone else was in the driver’s seat.)
With the push of a button, our 2018 Cadillac CT6 Premium Luxury sedan’s Super Cruise system took control of the vehicle and flawlessly drove the big sedan from downtown Chattanooga to the Cummings Highway Exit on I-24 West, a distance of approximately four miles. I should mention this was in moderately heavy traffic and included the car piloting itself through the sweeping curve around Moccasin Bend. The sensation was, in a word, amazing.
View other Test Drive stories by Mark Kennedy
Looking for a used or new car?
But, like any revolutionary technology, it was also a little unsettling. For the first mile I couldn’t unlock my elbows to lower my hands, which left them hovering a few inches off the padded steering wheel. By the third mile I had placed my hands in my lap, and by the fourth mile I had relaxed my shoulders, which had been bunched up around my ears.
By the time I reached my photo shoot destination at the foot of Raccoon Mountain, my anxiety had been replaced by a profound sense of awe. I know, without fear of contradiction, that this autonomous-driving technology is the future and that ultimately a majority of drivers alive today will experience the “hands-free” thrill.