XT6 offers comfort, good fuel economy, smooth ride
DRIVEN: 2020 CADILLAC XT6 SPORT AWD
Move over Escalade, there’s a new, big Caddy ute in town. This one is based on a car, instead of a truck and, as a result, is much more user friendly. The 2020 Cadillac XT6 is the brand’s new three-row crossover. It slots into the family’s utility vehicle lineup between the XT5 and the giant Escalade.
The XT6 is based on a modern, front-drive, unibody platform. The decades-old reardrive base beneath the Escalade is shared with the Chevy pickup truck. The XT6 is a front driver. But not in Canada. While our neighbours to the south get the base front-drive version, all XT6s sold in Canada will come with all-wheel drive.
The fact the body is not perched atop a separate frame, like the Escalade, provides a lower centre of gravity, more car-like driving dynamics and more room for third-row occupants.
While the XT6 is smaller than the Escalade, it offers more comfortable third-row seating. Because the larger Caddy is based on a truck platform, it uses a solid rear axle with a giant lump in the middle for the differential. The floor above it has to be high enough to clear that differential. The result of that raised floor is a third-row seat with a bottom pretty close to the floor. The result is an awkward/uncomfortable knees-up sitting position.
The lower independent suspension of the XT6 allows a lower floor above. Not only is the third row seat higher and more comfortable, getting to it is easier. There is ample knee and head room in either the second or third rows for an average adult.
The XT6 cannot compete with the bigger Escalade in terms of overall space. The XT6 is based on the same platform as the XT5. The wheelbase of that platform, has been stretched 14 centimetres for duty beneath the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave, providing more second- and third-row space. But Cadillac chose to go with the shorter version, perhaps to avoid stealing sales from the Escalade.
While it does not have the longer wheelbase and extra legroom in the second and third rows, the XT6 is 24 centimetres longer overall than the XT5.
Most of that extra length appears behind the second row, much of it allotted to the cargo area. As a result, the XT6 has 50 per cent more cargo area behind the second row than the XT5.
The XT6 is powered by a version of GM’s 3.6-litre V6 paired with a nine-speed automatic and the aforementioned all-wheeldrive system. To squeeze more mileage out of every tank, a fuel management system allows the V6 engine to become a V4 under light load conditions. The transition does not happen often in the hilly Maritimes, but when it does, the switch is all but unnoticeable.
The XT6 is offered in Sport and Premium Luxury trims. The tester was the former, which meant it was tuned for the more enthusiastic driver with emphasis on driving dynamics. The Sport gets quicker steering, larger wheels/tires and adaptive shock absorbers. The all-wheel-drive system has a torque vectoring system at the rear. It can send additional power to the outside wheel during cornering to help push the vehicles around the corner. The result is less understeer and a sharper feel at the wheel.
The XT6 has all the amenities expected of a luxury car. The list of standard features is extensive, as is the amount of latestgeneration safety technology. The interior of the Sport model features faux carbon fibre trim. Fit and finish are excellent, and the latest version of Cadillac’s CUE infotainment system more user friendly. The 20-centimetre touchscreen has a consolemounted controller making movement between functions much easier.
Cadillac’s first unibody threerow crossover is a better prospect than the Escalade for those with an occasional need for a third row. It does not have the towing capacity of the truck-based Ute, but does offer more comfort, better fuel economy, a smoother ride, improved handing and a host of modern safety and other features that could be incorporated in a newer architecture.