CADILLAC XT6

Delivers Style And Luxury

For the 2023 model year, GM's luxury car division, Cadillac Motors, is featuring the XT6 Premium mid-sized, seven-passenger SUV crossover. This impressive people mover is slotted just below the full size "truck like" Cadillac Escalade within their product mix. XT6 is a family-friendly, three-row SUV and is generally cross-shopped in the category with the likes of the Lincoln Aviator, BMW X5, Acura MDX, Lexus RX, Volvo XC90, Infiniti QX60 and the Audi Q7.

The body design is stylish, trendy and telegraphs an upscale identifiable distinctive characteristic. It's uncluttered and brings forward GM's modern styling achievements. For the '23 version, Cadillac has added additional standard features on two of the trim levels. This includes their mid-level models and their flagship version. More precisely, enhanced navigation and ventilated front seats are standard.

There haven’t been any big changes in the factory's powertrain options; however, the more robust 3.6-liter V6 engine shows 19mpg city/26-highway. This engine produces a responsive 310-horsepower. Not to sidestep their entry-level Luxury trim XT6 models, it uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder powerplant. It's rated at 235-horsepower and the EPA numbers show 21-mpg city/27-highway. High octane/premium fuel is suggested from the factory with this in-line turbo engine. A 19-gallon fuel tank helps to extend the vehicle's drive range. Furthermore, a nine-speed automatic transmission is also standard. All-wheel drive is available on every XT6 model, as a front wheel drive chassis is standard. As expected, with AWD, gas mile-

BY DAVID FINKELSTEIN

age number will decline slightly.

With its comfortable interior passenger cabin and straightforward controls, welcomed technologies abound. It's apparent that a lot of thought went into the vehicle’s design. Unpleasant road noises are kept to a minimum with the XT6's heighten usage of sound-dreading materials. Seating is comfortable and leg room is uncompromised. Even with the third-row seating, ingress and exit maneuvers are indeed adequate. Large windows help improve the level of unobstructed visibility.

The dash assembly touch sensitive controls help as a gateway for operating many of the screen's enhancements, assisting in personalizing your driving experience. And if you prefer, with its effortless operation, the navigation feature responds to natural speech.

As expected, this Cadillac's infotainment and telematics system works well with various smartphone wireless integration.

The car’s automatic adaptive cruise control system was impressive. However, the automatic radar enhanced optional Super Cruise system, designed for semi-autonomous automated driving situations tended to struggle a bit in keeping the vehicle in a straightforward line at highway speeds. This upgrade will add about $2,500 to the sticker price.

The power operating flat-folding third-row seats are convenient, included are controls both at the cargo hatch and the rear passenger door area. Storage behind the third-row seats come out to slightly less than 13 cubic feet.

Worth noting is the impressive, comprehensive and transparent safety enhancements found on this Cadillac. This helps to elevate the level of safety to a five-star government crash test rating.

Sold in three trim levels, pricing starts at $49,990 and jumps to $61,490 for the highend Sport edition. I will add, this MSRP price point appears to be a bit eye-opening. The base bumper-to-bumper warranty is for fouryears/50,000 miles. The XT6 I tested, was the Premium Luxury, all-wheel drive edition. It had a window sticker of $74,315 after additional factory options and the $1,395 destination/shipping charges. It's assembled at the Spring Hill, Tennessee factory, with numerous components having been outsourced and shipped in from Mexico and Canadian.