Cadillac gives away Apple iPads with new XTS sedan

When the Cadillac XTS goes on sale in late spring, buyers will be treated to a free iPad. It will come loaded with an application for CUE, the carmaker's multimedia system, with the goal of getting owners acquainted with the system.

That's sounds to us like an expensive little teaching tool, especially when it's not being used for much more than a tutorial. Hyundai was giving away iPads with its then-new Equus luxury sedan -- the gimmick was that it was being used in place of the paper owner's manuals -- but stopped the practice. Hyundai's U.S. CEO John Krafcik told Drive On at the time that so many Equus buyers already had smartphones, iPads or other digital devices, they didn't need another for information that could be easily downloaded from the Internet.

The Cadillac XTS is one of the first Caddys to come equipped with CUE, or Cadillac User Experience. The CUE app on the iPad will allow owners to "test-drive" the touch-sensitive system, according to Cadillac. The app mimics many of the controls and features that owners will see in the center display console on their XTS, says the luxury-car maker.

The iPad also comes preloaded with other apps such as OnStar RemoteLink and MyCadillac App, which lets you locate a dealer, schedule service and call roadside assistance. For folks interested in what type of iPad you get, it's the latest generation with Wi-Fi, according to Cadillac spokeswoman Jordana Strosberg.

--Colin Bird/Cars.com's Kicking Tires and Chris Woodyard/Drive On