The XT6 is a new design for Cadillac and its initial 3-row unibody SUV in around a ten years, but it is just not very “all-new.” Beneath the new style and design are acquainted bones: a platform and powertrain shared with other GM SUVs, from the Buick Enclave to the Chevrolet Blazer to Cadillac’s have XT5.
Enlarged style and design
When you get down to it, the XT6 is fundamentally a a bit larger edition of the Cadillac XT5. The XT6 is lengthier (198.8 inches versus 189.6) but with a wheelbase that, at 112.7 inches, is only .two-inch lengthier than the lesser design. The further size frees up room for the aforementioned 3rd row, bumping potential up to 7 passengers — or 6 with the optional 2nd-row captains chairs. The way-back is also relatively roomy, proclaiming a generous 37.two inches of headroom and 29.5 inches of legroom for 3rd-row passengers. The spaciousness extends to the cargo space where by the XT6 boasts 12.6 cubic toes behind the motorized 3rd-row bench and up to 78.7 cubes with equally rows tucked away — about 16 cubic toes far more than its lesser XT5 sibling.
The larger XT6 wears Cadillac’s recent style and design language very well and I like its sharp styling, which is capped off by even sharper vertical LED taillamps and daytime operating lights up entrance. The Activity Platinum design you see here also showcased gloss black trim, which assists the jewel-like LED headlamps pop, as very well as a dark-mesh grille. In the meantime, the flanks are filled by 20-inch alloy wheels.
Within, the XT6 Activity Platinum is fairly darn high-class, with awesome leather seats for all 3 rows, leather trim and woven carbon-copper accents. Some may connect with this glimpse dated — and I see where by they’re coming from — but I kinda dig it. At the very least, it is really a good deal much better put collectively than some of Cadillac’s other recent goods.
Enjoy this:
2020 Cadillac XT6: Elegant, sporty, seats for 7
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Driver support and safety tech
Likely with the Platinum trim level also rolls in practically each and every tech bell and whistle in Caddy’s arsenal, from a Bose effectiveness audio procedure — which life at the superior conclusion of “sounds fairly good” but not very “audiophile” — to a entire suite of driver-help and safety tech.
Cadillac’s 3-row SUV is related to the GMC Acadia size-smart.
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This illustrations arrives with adaptive cruise regulate that works in halt-and-go website traffic and entire-speed automated unexpected emergency braking that also works when reversing, which is a excellent safety net when backing out of a parking room. For acquiring into spaces, the XT6 can acquire edge of automated parking support that can equally parallel and reverse-perpendicular park, and encompass eyesight cameras that support when performing it yourself. The cameras pull double-responsibility when you might be away from the SUV, functioning as electronic online video recorders that can seize proof of door dings and fender benders. This feed is despatched to an SD card in the glove compartment.
Of the myriad possibilities offered on this Activity Platinum design, the one I’d skip is the $two,000 night eyesight enhance. Concerning the superb LED headlamps and the automated superior-beam support, I believe infrared night eyesight of very confined utility is type of unneeded, and would rather keep my eyes concentrated through the windshield rather than continually glancing at the instrument cluster display.
New CUE infotainment
One particular of the biggest improvements the XT6 ushers in is the new generation of Cadillac Consumer Experience (CUE) infotainment. The new standard procedure is fundamentally a re-pores and skin of the superb GM Infotainment three procedure that you’ll find in the new Chevrolet Blazer and the just lately reviewed Buick Enclave.
The new 8-inch touchscreen interface is very cellphone-esque with an icon-primarily based residence display and a bar for shortcuts together the lower edge, which would make hopping concerning the distinct functions swift and easy. The full set up should really be intuitive to anyone who’s utilised a fashionable smartphone and is effortlessly customizable by keeping and dragging icons close to the residence display.
Android Car and Apple CarPlay are standard for these who’d rather bring their have apps and maps, but the OEM program consists of a plethora of common 4G LTE-linked apps of its have, from Spotify to Glympse to iHeartRadio and far more. Even the onboard navigation is enhanced with functions like predictive route solutions and linked spot research.
Variable in the membership-primarily based OnStar 4G LTE connectivity that powers cloud-primarily based person profile syncing, distant auto checking and onboard Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 gadgets — a number of months of no cost assistance are provided to get you started out — and Cadillac’s dashboard is a revolution around the outdated CUE tech, which was fairly horrible.
Like the other versions of Infotainment three, the new CUE is a touchscreen procedure, but differs from the relaxation with the addition of a actual physical regulate wheel on the centre console. This permits the interface to be navigated with a twist or tap, and functions components shortcuts for quantity, skip, map, cellphone and audio supply. The controller would not do the job excellent with Android Car or Apple CarPlay and is just not as intuitive as just touching the display, but it is really awesome that the solution is there for these who like actual physical controls.
The XT6 ushers in a new and enhanced generation of dashboard tech primarily based on GM’s Infotainment three suite.
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On the highway
Like its sibling and platform-mates, the 2020 XT6 is driven by GM’s LGX three.6-liter V6 engine coupled with a nine-speed automated transmission. Output is rated at 310 horsepower and 271 pound-toes of torque. (Convert the torque determine to Newton-meters and you get 367 which, liberally rounded up, is how you explain that stupid “four hundred” badge on the tailgate.)
The XT6’s V6 is sleek at the low- to midrange, if a bit wheezy at the prime conclusion. This feels like a relaxed workhorse of an engine for far more peaceful family-hauling, grocery-acquiring driving variations — which is in line with my observations with the approximately similar powertrain in the Enclave.
Entrance-wheel drive is standard with optional all-wheel drive, but which AWD procedure you get is dependent on the trim level decided on. Top quality Luxurious XT6 AWD models aspect torque on-demand to the rear axle with an open rear differential. Activity models enhance to a twin-clutch rear diff that permits the SUV to conduct rear-axle torque vectoring (which works along with entrance axle brake-torque vectoring) for much better electricity delivery and steadiness when aggressively cornering.
Activity models glimpse and sense sharper than the Top quality Luxurious trim, but the effectiveness still skews strongly to convenience and quietness.
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Activity models also aspect standard electronically adjustable active dampers, far more aggressive throttle and shift programming, a faster steering ratio and large-responsibility cooling parts. Even with the Activity upgrades, the XT6 is a very convenience-oriented SUV. Like the larger Enclave, the XT6 rides efficiently and quietly around uneven pavement and boasts good equilibrium and regulate close to bends at realistic speeds. The Cadillac has a minimal far more wiggle room for far more aggressive throttle when exiting corners, but it is really nowhere around as sporty or powerful as the Lincoln Aviator.
Gas economic climate is fairly good many thanks to technologies like halt-begin (which you can disable if you want) and variable displacement cylinder deactivation below light-weight load. The EPA reckons 20 miles for each gallon mixed for entrance-wheel-drive models, breaking out to eighteen mpg city and twenty five mpg highway. Optioning all-wheel drive knocks the city and highway estimates down by one, but curiously would not influence the 20-mpg mixed estimate. I ended my week — which provided some gasoline-hungry online video manufacturing and aggressive driving — at fifteen.two mpg, but you’ll in all probability do much better.
Is this the SUV for you?
The 2020 Cadillac XT6 begins at $52,695 for the Top quality Luxurious trim with its far more relaxed steering and suspension set up, or $fifty seven,095 for the Activity design with its effectiveness upgrades. Likely with the Activity sharpens the glimpse and effectiveness, but really don’t anticipate far too considerably of a change in athleticism for the dollars.
My instance is also equipped with the Platinum bundle. This is technically a $three,700 solution, but has so many bundle prerequisites — Visibility and Tech Deal, Driver Support Deal, Ease and comfort and Air Good quality Deal — that it fundamentally adds $10,000 to the bottom line. All in, this instance rolls out with a $71,one hundred ninety sticker selling price together with $995 for spot prices and a number of more possibilities.
I liked the XT6 — particularly the glimpse — but it struggles when cross-shopped with the new Lincoln Aviator.
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I seriously appreciate the 2020 Cadillac XT6. I dig the sharp type, the relaxed journey and most of the bells and whistles. In a vacuum, I’d have no issue recommending it. Having said that, this SUV exists along with some rigid opposition. At the lower trim ranges, the XT6’s realistic selling price (and generous incentives) assist, but as the possibilities pile on, the Cadillac turns into significantly less of a benefit proposition and far more of a rough market around the European opposition — BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS-Course, Volvo XC90 — and, most notably, the new Lincoln Aviator, which is just a considerably much better SUV, no matter if you might be speaking electricity, functions or tech.
Unless of course you seriously appreciate the glimpse — potentially the sole edge I give the XT6 around the Aviator — I’d wait to see if a midcycle update provides Super Cruise, a killer engineering that could even the playing field a good deal.