2020 Cadillac XT6 – Three-row luxury SUV. Automakers building luxury vehicles from mainstream models is kind of like people picking their noses. Everyone does it, and everyone knows everyone does it, but no one wants to be caught in the act. While the 2020 Cadillac XT6 mines the corporate parts bin, General Motors won’t be caught two knuckles deep with this overdue three-row crossover. Most buyers will never suspect that there’s a Chevrolet on the dealer lot next door that shares so many nuts and bolts.
The XT6 rides on the size-medium variant of the platform also known as Chi, with a wide track and a relatively short wheelbase. It is dimensionally most similar to the GMC Acadia, while the Chevrolet Traverse and the Buick Enclave ride on a longer wheelbase. The wide-and-slender graphic elements of the handsome Escala concept car make their first appearance on a production vehicle here. Unfortunately, those styling cues lose their impact when applied to the XT6’s overall proportions that resemble a refrigerator box laid next to a microwave box.
At least that shape proves efficient for putting people inside. The six- or seven-passenger XT6 offers more third-row space than the five-inch-longer Escalade, but less than the taffy-stretched Escalade ESV. There’s room back there for small and average-size adults, although the third-row cushion sits on the floor like a beach chair in the sand. You’ll be hard-pressed to get much more than two carry-on bags behind the XT6’s back row.
The interior design lands better than the exterior. The rich materials and quality fitment of the Platinum package ($3700 to $4900, depending on trim) deftly mask the humble hardware that lies beneath. That option includes upgraded leather on the seats, a leather-wrapped dash, a suede-like headliner, and genuine carbon-fiber or wood trim, along with a host of convenience options.
Cadillac’s Cue infotainment system improves with the addition of a new rotary knob just ahead of the shifter, although it remains less intuitive than BMW’s iDrive or the (outgoing) Audi MMI system. If there’s a tell that the XT6 isn’t built from blue-chip bits, it’s the naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V-6 that is the only available engine. We like this silky and quick-revving 310-hp six-cylinder in, say, a reasonably priced Camaro. But it’s out of its element in a 4700-pound three-row crossover. The XT6 needs a turbocharger to provide the low-end torque that minces suburban traffic so effortlessly. At least the nine-speed automatic transmission remains alert and shifts smoothly to drop the V-6 into its sweet spot at a moment’s notice.
The XT6 lineup starts with the $53,690 front-wheel-drive Premium Luxury trim, with all-wheel drive offered for another $2000. Add another $2400 to step up to the all-wheel-drive–only Sport model, which places actual substance behind the name. Beyond the gloss-black trim, the Sport includes a quicker steering rack, adaptive dampers, a heavy-duty cooling package, and a twin-clutch rear axle that varies the torque distribution between left and right wheels. Cadillac tunes the suspension for what it calls “isolated precision,” which seems accurate, although this XT6 skews more towards isolation than apex-clipping accuracy. The din of the outside world barely trickles into the cabin, and there’s none of the hoof clopping you might expect from the 21-inch wheels, a $1000 upgrade for Sport models. Body motions are gracefully restrained, and the brake-based torque-vectoring and the Sport’s rear axle help pivot the XT6 into turns willingly. It’s all well-controlled, but you won’t call it sporty. More important, though, you won’t call it a Chevy, a GMC, or a Buick.
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