By: Joshua Lee
December 20, 2022
You don’t have to get the full-size Escalade if you want a three-row SUV from Cadillac as the XT6 fills the midsize SUV spot in the lineup. Sharing its platform with the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave, the XT6 is the most expensive. Being on the market for two years, how does it hold up to the competition?
GM Canada handed us the 2022 Cadillac XT6 Sport for the week. The XT6 comes in two engine choices; the 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the Luxury trim and the 3.6L V6 in Sport and Premium Luxury trims; all of which are paired with a smooth nine-speed automatic. The V6 is the engine you want to go for as it provides the right amount of power for this midsize SUV making 310 horsepower, 271 lb-ft. of torque at 5,000RPM, and can tow up to 4,000 pounds (1814 kilograms). The XT6 Sport also comes with performance suspension, twin-clutch AWD system, and four driving modes.
Among the luxury SUV category, the XT6 does struggle to stand out from its rivals. It’s still a handsome vehicle to look at with its angular body lines. Our Satin Steel Metallic XT6 Sport looks aggressive with its blacked-out grille, premium headlamp system ($805), vertical daytime running lights, and Brembo brakes with red calipers. It’s also fitted with optional 20-inch gloss black wheels worth $3,675 on Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 235/55R20 tires.
Getting into the XT6 Sport is easy as you don’t need to climb in. Our seven-passenger XT6 features a Jet Black leather interior and provides plenty of room for first and second row passengers. Third row passengers are better suited for children as it feels a bit cramped for adults. There is quite a lot of tech fitted in our XT6 Sport. The eight-inch driver’s display and eight-inch Cadillac User Experience (CUE) with connected navigation system ($1,250) gives a pleasant user experience with its quick touch response and a rotary knob control that’s placed very close to the driver. We like the comfortable ride, large panoramic roof, and slabs of carbon fiber detailing that looks very nice to the stainless-steel Bose Performance Series 14-speaker audio system grille covers.
Our XT6 is fitted with the optional Driver Assist Package ($2,275) and Enhanced Visibility and Technology Package ($2,705) that gave us a rear camera mirror which shows an unobstructed digital view out back, parking assist for parallel and perpendicular spots, and HD Surround Vision. Everything worked perfectly and wasn’t confusing to operate. Cargo space behind the third row is 356.8L, 1220.6L behind the second row, and 2228.8L behind the first row.
Standard safety features on the XT6 include automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert with following distance indicator, front pedestrian braking, front and rear park assist, backup camera with rear cross traffic alert, and lane keep assist and lane change assist with blind spot monitoring.
The feature we love most on our XT6 Sport was the optional ($2,875) Super Cruise function. Super Cruise works with the adaptive cruise control along with the vehicle’s cameras, sensors, GPS, and LiDAR map data to detect curves and keeps the car centered while providing a complete hands-free driving experience.
A camera is located at the top of the steering column that tracks the driver’s head position and the system will alert when it detects a lack of attention. Super Cruise is extremely easy to use and with over 320,000 kilometers of compatible roads (restricted to highways) in the US and Canada already mapped, it’s a worthy feature to have. Super Cruise also has ‘Lane Change on Demand’ which will perform lane changes when requested but this function is not available for 2022 and 2023 XT6 models. The steering wheel will light up blue when you manually steer the car and revert to green when Super Cruise is active again.
Fuel economy ratings for the XT6 are 13.1L/100KM city, 9.5L/100KM highway, for a combined 11.5L/100KM. We got 11.8L/100KM for the week. It’s not incredibly fuel efficient but the XT6 features cylinder deactivation and we have seen it go from six cylinders to four on the driver’s display while on the highway.
The XT6 starts at $60,997 for the Luxury trim and $65,697 for both Premium Luxury and Sport trims. Our XT6 Sport is fitted with $13,585 in options bringing the total up to $78,583 after taxes and delivery.
The 2022 Cadillac XT6 Sport does fit well into the rebranding of Cadillac. Sometimes luxury doesn’t need to look loud. There is enough styling that makes the XT6 appealing. We think the XT6 has everything for a luxury midsize crossover, but it still feels like it’s lacking something. The market is loaded with other rivals that stand out more and it’s up to the buyer’s decision whether it’s worth choosing the XT6. You won’t regret purchasing one; with luxurious appointments, amazing safety technology, plenty of power, and a quiet relaxed ride, it’s distinctively a Cadillac.
