Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
Reviews

2020 Cadillac XT6

By Benjamin Yong, 07 Aug, 2020 07:02 PM
  • 2020 Cadillac XT6

“The first-ever Cadillac XT6 delivers a compelling blend of spaciousness, safety and convenience features for customers who thrive on doing it all,” says company president Steve Carlisle.

 


Cadillac is “XT-ing” its entire SUV line-up, save for the flagship Escalade, and the newest member to don the badge is the mid-size XT6. Boasting the brand’s latest design language, three rows of seating and upscale interior appointments, everything looks great on paper. Lets see if it stacks up in real life.


“The first-ever Cadillac XT6 delivers a compelling blend of spaciousness, safety and convenience features for customers who thrive on doing it all,” says company president Steve Carlisle. “It joins the all-new XT4, which has soared to the top spot in its segment in the US, our global best-selling XT5 and the iconic Escalade to accelerate the brand’s global growth, with a spirit that is uniquely Cadillac.”

 


The vehicle looks fantastic wearing standard slim bi-LED headlamps, vertical LED signature daytime running lights, streamlined grille and big 20-inch wheels. Two specs are sold: Premium Luxury is for the buyer who prefers a classier experience, and Sport offers a more performance-oriented appearance.

 


The former is highlighted by a Bright Galvano finish on the 3-D grille, side window trim and roof rails, and red taillight housings, while the latter — which Darpan tested — has a blacked out mesh grille and lower air intake, clear tails and optional 21-inch wheels.


As mentioned earlier, the cabin is comfortable and plush featuring heated leather seating (ventilated as well for the front) and steering wheel, aluminum paddle shifters, leather dash and console coverings and on our Sport model, a generous amount of genuine bronze carbon fibre accenting.



Third row ingress and egress is made easy via an electric sliding second row. The liftgate is powered too, although is curiously missing a customary combination close and lock button. I wasn’t able to locate a remote release switch anywhere inside the crossover, either.


Audiophiles will appreciate the bangin’ Bose Performance Series 14-speaker stereo delivering clean sound and punchy mids and bass. Occupants are also treated to an odour-free olfactory experience when the available Comfort and Air Quality package is installed adding an in-vehicle ionizer.


Connectivity is no problem here. There’s a total of six USB ports, NFC one-touch smartphone pairing, 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot (requires subscription), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and high-speed wireless charging.


All XT6’s are powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine mated to an efficient nine-speed automatic transmission. Producing 310 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque there’s plenty of power on tap — I even managed to create some unintentional tire squeal after pushing the accelerator when the traffic light turned green. Built-in active fuel management allows two cylinders to deactivate under light loads for better fuel economy.


All-wheel drive is equipped on both variants, however the Sport utilizes a Sport Control active twin-clutch system with active yaw control yielding sharper handling. In addition, Sports have adaptive damping capability constantly adjusting to current road conditions and a faster steering ratio contributing to more driver feedback and greater overall responsiveness. After sufficiently tossing the SUV around for a week I can attest to the above claim.

 


Highlights


Motor: 5.6-litre V8 Horsepower: 400 @ 5,800 rpm Torque (lb-ft): 413 @ 4,000 rpm Gearbox: nine-speed automatic Layout: front engine, four-wheel drive Fuel economy: 20.0 L/100 km mixed city/highway (observed)

MORE Reviews ARTICLES

2017 Porsche Cayman 718

2017 Porsche Cayman 718
The way Porsche has made the car look so well-balanced with a motor and transmission sticking out the back is amazing. 

2017 Porsche Cayman 718

2017 Mazda CX-9

2017 Mazda CX-9
The CX-9 is a full seven-seater SUV that I have to say I really enjoyed driving, and I can’t say that about many of the larger SUVs I have tested in a while. 

2017 Mazda CX-9

LEXUS GS 350 AWD - A quality luxury car

LEXUS GS 350 AWD - A quality luxury car
As GS 350 is a powerful car you tend to drive it a little more aggressively and that is where the AWD really comes into its own as the grip on the pavement is superb.

LEXUS GS 350 AWD - A quality luxury car

MINI John Cooper S Countryman

MINI John Cooper S Countryman
MINI is really a misnomer, because measuring at 4,314 millimetres in length, 1,822 millimetres in width and 1,557 millimetres in height, it’s anything but miniature. That means the 2017 model is a full 200 mm longer and 30 mm wider than before. And rare for a performance vehicle, there is loads of cargo space, depending on how the back seats are configured.

MINI John Cooper S Countryman

OpenRoad to debut two new ultra high-end luxury vehicles at Luxury & Supercar Weekend

OpenRoad to debut two new ultra high-end luxury vehicles at Luxury & Supercar Weekend
The 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase Edition, and the new Karma Revero will debut at Luxury & Supercar Weekend

OpenRoad to debut two new ultra high-end luxury vehicles at Luxury & Supercar Weekend

2017 Jaguar XE R-Sport Diesel

2017 Jaguar XE R-Sport Diesel
If you are a penny pincher like myself and really don’t like the fuel consumption numbers on many new vehicles, then this new Jaguar XE R-Sport Diesel might be just the car you need. At the moment, this Jag is probably one of the only diesels on the market, and I know the only luxury model car so equipped. 

2017 Jaguar XE R-Sport Diesel