The 2018 Cadillac XTS is now available in the Middle East.

While that’s not entirely groundbreaking news, what’s interesting about the 2018 version of Cadillac’s compact saloon is that it’s actually had a pretty thorough going over.

On the outside, you’ll notice the facelift, with redesigned front and rear fascias that brings the car’s styling much more into line with the current generation of new Cadillacs. Now it looks quite a lot like a baby version of the smart CTS. There’s a new grille, and LED headlamps and tail-lights. Oh, and it’s actually 28 mm shorter than the old model. That should be good for handling.

So too will the chassis tweaks that Cadillac has worked on the XTS. These updates are ostensibly about improving the XTS’s ride comfort, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see them also pay dividends around the bends.

Inside, you get new front seats, which are supposed to be much more comfortable than the outgoing ones, as well as a whole load of interior colour and trim choices. Oh, and apparently the infotainment system has been totally redesigned – a good thing, given that Cadillac’s previous-gen infotainment system was ‘challenging’ to use.

Topping the range is the XTS Platinum V-Sport, which is powered by 3.6-litre, twin-turbo V6 developing 410 bhp. In a car as small as the XTS, that should be really quite potent. Further down the range, you can have a non-turbo 3.6-litre V6 developing 304 bhp, and there’ll probably be a four-cylinder along at some point as well.

Whichever option you choose, the power is driven to all four wheels and managed by an electronic limited-slip differential. And you get Brembo brakes as standard.

So, what do you think? Would you have this, or a BMW 3 Series?