I tested a $73,000 Cadillac XTS V-Sport sedan — here’s the verdict (GM)

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one of these. Well, maybe I’d spend a little less and get the Buick LaCrosse or the Chevy Impala. But then again, I wouldn’t have a Cadillac. Part of me wants that badge on the grille so I can pretend I’m Fast Eddie Felson in the “The Color of Money.”

We’re definitely not talking about a modern sedan here. The XTS V-Sport isn’t crisp-handling, nor is it breathtakingly quick, although with a 0-60 mph time of around 5.5 seconds, it isn’t at all slow. Its mission in life is to tool along the highway in a steady state of speed. The V-Sport treatment isn’t as aggressive as what you’d get in, say, the epic CTS-V, with its hulking V8 engine shared with the Corvette Z06.

But we are talking about a Cadillac that serves up the best of both worlds. While you wouldn’t want to take this thing out on a race track, with that gutsy twin-turbo six under the hood, you won’t feel even remotely underpowered on the highway. But better than that, you’re going to feel like Mr. Smooth motoring around town as you one-hand steer the XTS in and out of driveways, parking lots, and garages. You float like a great big supercool butterfly in this sucker, and you could care less about stinging like a bee.

Frankly, with Cadillac’s terrific Bose audio setup, there might be no better vehicle under $100,000 for driving around and listening to jazz and blues. The XTS V-Sport simply sets a marvelous mood.

Ok, true, you might consider this a bit of an old person’s car. But so what? Once you’re done blasting around in sports cars and hauling your family in a minivan, you might just want to settle into a set of wheels that’s largely mellow but with some extra oomph in reserve.

As we learned when we tested the Impala a few years back, a sedan of ample size and calm ride, when coupled with GM’s current suite of audio and infotainment features, is an appealing, rolling, high-tech platform. Mind you, the XTS V-Sport has a heads-up display, driver-assist features (such as parking assist, foward collision alert, and lane-departure warning, and a useful bird-eye-view camera setup), and adaptive cruise control, but it doesn’t do semi-self-driving. And that’s fine because it was such a pleasant car to drive all by myself that I didn’t miss the autonomous stuff.

Here’s the bottom line: The XTS V-Sport is a car in which you can set out on a drive of several hours and get some serious thinking done. It is a machine for meditation. A road-tripper that encourages contemplation.

No, it isn’t the snazziest Caddy in the stable. But it’s my new favorite.