The Car Connection Expert Review
Andrew Ganz Senior Editor
August 16, 2021
Likes
- Spacious inside
- V-6 power
- Optional Super Cruise, eventually
- Good infotainment system
- Sharp front-end style
Dislikes
- Blah rear end
- Underwhelming interior design
- Laggard base engine
- Can get expensive
Buying tip
Skip the base model and go for the Premium Luxury with its more powerful V-6 engine.
features & specs
AWD 4-Door Luxury
AWD 4-Door Premium Luxury
AWD 4-Door Sport
MPG
21 city / 26 hwy
MPG
18 city / 25 hwy
MPG
18 city / 25 hwy
MSRP
$50,595
MSRP
$54,995
See Full 2022 Cadillac XT6 Specs »
The 2022 Cadillac XT6 is a stylish, spacious crossover, but it does little to make a strong impression.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Cadillac XT6? What does it compare to?
The XT6 is Cadillac’s largest crossover, but its second-largest SUV. With its carlike ride and handling, it squares off against the Lincoln Aviator, BMW X5, Kia Telluride, and Buick Enclave, among others.
Is the 2022 Cadillac XT6 a good car/SUV?
The XT6 is a solid effort, but it doesn’t stand out as much as some competitors. We rate it at 6.8 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
Cadillac nailed the XT6’s front-end styling and this SUV’s feature can be decent for the money if you’re careful with options. We just wish its interior was a little more impressive.
What's new for the 2022 Cadillac XT6?
Later this year, Cadillac will begin offering its Super Cruise suite of hands-free driver-assistance tech on the XT6. That’s a big upgrade for drivers who spend a lot of time on the highway. The XT6 is a three-row crossover with edgy styling up front not quite matched by a relatively dull tail end and a bland—but spacious—interior. Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Sport trim levels are on offer. Underhood, a 2.0-liter turbo-4 is standard fare, but XT6s make better use of the 3.5-liter V-6 fitted to mid- and high-level XT6s. All-wheel drive is standard on the Sport, and optional elsewhere. A 9-speed automatic is the only transmission choice. The XT6 never lives up to its Sport billing, but it does have a good ride and capable handling. Frugal the XT6 is not; expect fuel economy in the low 20s. Interior space is excellent, aside from limited space behind an upright third row. Finishes don’t quite match the prices Cadillac charges, especially on higher-end models. Crash test scores have been good so far and Cadillac fits the expected collision-avoidance tech to all models. We don’t know how much Super Cruise will cost, but it’s probably going to be worth the coin. How much does the 2022 Cadillac XT6 cost? The 2022 XT6 starts at just over $50,000, but you’ll want to grab the $54,000 or so XT6 Premium Luxury for its V-6 (and all-wheel drive is $2,000 more). Where is the 2022 Cadillac XT6 made? In Spring Hill, Tennessee.
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2022 Cadillac XT6 Styling
The 2022 Cadillac XT6 makes a good first impression, but it doesn’t impress as much as it could when it comes to the details.
Is the 2022 Cadillac XT6 a good-looking car?
The XT6 pairs a two-box profile with an attractive front fascia. We rate it at a 6 out of 10; if its interior was as impressively styled, it’d be ranked higher.
The big, mesh-style grille gives the XT6 a distinctive face up front, and it’s paired with crisp lines along the sides. The SUV’s rearward styling is comparatively bland, though. Inside, things don’t get a lot more interesting. To be sure, the XT6 has a convenient control layout, but its execution feels more middle manager than executive suite. Semi-aniline leather dresses it up, but also hikes the cost.
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2022 Cadillac XT6 Performance
Plan to step up to the optional V-6 in the 2022 Cadillac XT6.
Is the Cadillac XT6 4WD?
It can be. Front-wheel drive is standard, while an all-wheel-drive system that disconnects the rear axle to save fuel is available. The system can require tapping a four-wheel-drive button, though, which may be something drivers forget until after the snow has fallen.
How fast is the Cadillac XT6? We haven’t driven the base XT6 Luxury with its 2.0-liter turbo-4, but 237 hp is not a lot to lug around upward of 4,400 lb. Bypass that version in favor of the strong, smooth 3.6-liter V-6 fitted to other trims. Its 310 hp is put to good use through the 9-speed automatic transmission. Ride quality is stellar, though the optional adaptive dampers didn’t make much of a difference on a recent Premium Luxury tester. On a separate XT6 Sport, though, they smoothed out bumps encountered by the 20-inch wheels. Even in Sport guise, the XT6 is not really a corner carver. It handles competently and doesn’t feel especially unwieldy around town. For a big SUV, those are wins in our book.
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2022 Cadillac XT6 Comfort & Quality
The spacious 2022 Cadillac XT6 pampers inside, though it’s not as luxurious as it could be.
The 2022 Cadillac XT6 offers stretch-out space up front and in row two, and row three is tolerable in a pinch. Cargo space is excellent, too, but we wish that the interior was finished to an exceptional standard.
The XT6 offers seating for up to seven passengers, though a six-passenger version with third-row bucket seats seems to make the best use of its interior space. Front-seat riders have good, comfortable thrones with lots of power adjustment, and row two has 40 inches of leg room. The third row is tight for adults and definitely not trimmed out in luxurious materials.
Cargo space behind the erected third row is subpar at just 12.6 cubic feet, but that grows exponentially to 43 cubes with the wayback down and 78.7 cubic feet with row two down. Small-item storage doesn’t impress. Materials are just so-so for the price, even with the optional semi-aniline leather trim. Some less-luxurious rivals pamper drivers and passengers better, such as the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade.
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2022 Cadillac XT6 Safety
The 2022 Cadillac XT6 is a safe choice made even safer this year thanks to the addition of Super Cruise.
How safe is the Cadillac XT6?
The 2022 Cadillac XT6 boasts an excellent crash-test record, and it comes standard with a good array of features designed to prevent a wreck from happening in the first place.
It’s a 9 out of 10 from us, with only mediocre outward vision holding it back from a top rating. In testing performed by the IIHS, the XT6 earned top marks all around and a “Superior” score for its crash-avoidance features. The NHTSA scored it five stars overall, albeit with the expected four-star rollover rating typically found on SUVs. The XT6 comes standard with automatic emergency braking, parking sensors, and active lane control, while blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, and a head-up display are optional. This year, Cadillac will add Super Cruise to the XT6’s feature set. The hands-free driver-assistance system is tops among such tech, though Cadillac hasn’t said how much it will cost or what versions of the XT6 will offer it.
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2022 Cadillac XT6 Features
The 2022 Cadillac XT6 lives its best life in mid-level Premium Luxury trim.
Cadillac offers the XT6 in three basic flavors, but you’ll want to look closely to find the one for you. Overall, we score the lineup at 7 out of 10 based on standard equipment, optional extras. Cadillac offers a healthy 4-year/50,000-mile warranty—but just one free maintenance visit, while rivals cover those costs for years.
The automaker has not yet said how much it will charge for Super Cruise on the 2022 XT6, however. That may change our rating down the line.
Which Cadillac XT6 should I buy? Base $50,415 XT6 Luxury versions are pretty well equipped with synthetic leather trim, heated front seats, an 8.0-inch touchscreen for infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but they’re saddled with the turbo-4. For $50,000, we expect more power. We’d spend your money on the XT6 Premium Luxury at around $54,000, which tosses in the V-6 plus real leather and a power-folding third row of seats. Some caveats, though: for one, Cadillac wants $625 for any paint not called silver. Additionally, Cadillac charges $3,600 or so to add options we really like such as adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, and a more advanced automatic emergency braking system. All in, it’s still possible to keep an XT6 to around $60,000 with good features. How much is a fully loaded 2022 Cadillac XT6? Cadillac doesn’t charge much of a premium for the XT6 Sport once a few of its standard features are factored in. Keep going with options, though, and you’ll be looking at a bill for $78,000.
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2022 Cadillac XT6 Fuel Economy
The Cadillac XT6 is among the thirstiest three-row luxury crossovers.
Is the 2022 Cadillac XT6 good on gas?
Without a hybrid option, the XT6 is not exactly a fuel-efficient choice. Models with the V-6 are rated at a lousy 20 mpg combined; most rivals can top that, and some do so with a pretty hefty increase in power.
We rate the XT6 at 4 out of 10 accordingly. More specifically, the front-wheel-drive XT6 V-6 is rated at 18 mpg city, 25 highway, 20 combined. All-wheel drive dings city and highway figures by 1 mpg. Models with the turbo-4 are better at 23 mpg combined, at least on paper. We suspect they’ll use just as much fuel in practice given how much less muscle they have.
