Motor City Madness
Some sentimentality at Detroit auto show, but technology rules the day
What is it? Say goodbye to the long and angular Cadillac CT6 sedan, once the brand’s technology leader, and say cheers to its replacement, the XT6. The three-row, unibody luxury SUV promises a rich and luxurious interior to go along with a boatload of standard equipment, including AWD.
Riding on a long-wheelbase version of the C1XX platform, the 2020 XT6 is proportionally similar to the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave, but smaller than the truck-based Escalade — which also has three rows, but isn’t everyone’s favourite as it rides more like a truck with a bodyon-frame SUV. The XT6 joins the smaller and all new XT4, as well as the XT5, to make for a trifecta of car-based SUVs that consumers seem to want.
Standard features include a long list of safety technologies, with even more safety features as optional in either the Premium Luxury version or the Sport Design model. Both ride on 20-inch wheels, with 21-inchers available on the Sport. Cargo space is 2,230 litres behind the front seats with all seats folded, 1,220 L behind the second row and 355 L behind the third. That’s slightly less than the new BMW X7, but more than the Audi Q7.
For now a 3.6-L V6 with 310 horsepower and 271 poundfeet of torque is mated to a nine speed automatic transmission with “electronic precision shift.” Why does it matter? GM has a handful of three-row SUVs, but none that fit squarely into the luxury realm. The Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave just don’t command the luxury respect the way a Cadillac can.
The XT6 will also introduce new technology. In a first for Cadillac, the XT6 will use a rotary controller with a tilt function — similar to a joystick — to complement hard buttons and steering-wheel controls. The controller works in conjunction with an eight-inch-diagonal colour
touch-screen display that builds on the technology introduced on the XT4. When will Canada get it?
The XT6 will be available for ordering this spring. Pricing will be announced closer to the start of production.
Should you buy it? If you like Cadillac’s design direction and want a roomy, luxurious family hauler, the XT6 should be high on your list of SUVs to test-drive.