2024 Cadillac XT6 Review: The Safe Seven-Seater SUV

There is a Cadillac in every segment of the automotive market, and the XT6 fills the midsize, three-row SUV slot. Its more car-like nature is meant to make it more comfortable around town, but the base turbo-four engine feels underpowered. A more potent V6 with 310 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque is on offer and even a model with some sport-tuned mechanicals. All of this is surface-deep, though, and doesn't help to put the Caddy on the same level as the Audi Q7 or Volvo XC90. These cars look and feel more premium, but there is no denying the XT6 comes with a good list of standard features and plenty of space for up to seven passengers. Considering how accomplished the competition is, this probably won't be enough to see the Cadillac XT6 move up the line.

New for 2024

While the new Cadillac XT6 SUV receives no mechanical changes or new features, there are some additional customization options in the form of Blue, Red, or Bronze Accent packages. These only really change the color of the wheel center caps, though. Two new colors are added to the exterior paint palette, too, namely Emerald Lake Metallic and Midnight Sky Metallic.

2024 Cadillac XT6 Price: Which One to Buy

The price of the 2024 Cadillac XT6 starts at $48,795 for the base Luxury trim, while the Premium Luxury will cost you $54,995. With its performance suspension and Brembo brakes, the Sport trim asks for a higher investment of $60,295 MSRP. The latter gets an all-wheel drivetrain as standard, but the Luxury and Premium Luxury require a $2,000 surcharge to swap out the RWD. On top of this, you will need to pay the $1,225 destination charge.

While the Sport model may have some more performance-focused upgrades, the XT6 is not a particularly athletic car. That being said, we wouldn't settle for less than the Premium Luxury, as this is where the more powerful V6 engine comes into play, and it is a big step up from the lackluster four-cylinder engine. You also get ventilated front seats, a wireless charger, and a superior 14-speaker Bose sound system.

Interior and Features

While spacious, the interior of the XT6 is neither as luxurious as the price would suggest, nor as well-put together.

The interior of the XT6 doesn't do much to stand out, though its styling is a little odd. There are grooves along the dashboard, traveling down from the side air vents to the central control panel, where there are a few physical buttons. The rest of the features are accessed via the landscape-oriented touchscreen interface or the steering wheel-mounted controls. Perhaps the most egregious characteristic of the cabin is that its build quality does not match the price tag. It isn't bad, but it's just not up to what rivals offer. At least a good number of features come standard.

Space

As a three-row SUV, the Caddy XT6 can seat up to seven passengers in its standard configuration, though opting for the captain's chairs drops this down to six. In either setup, the seats are comfortable, but interior space decreases as you move back. Those in the middle shouldn't feel pinched, but only small children should be seated at the back. Getting inside is relatively easy, but accessing the third row does take a little more effort. The front seats are power-adjustable as standard, so finding a confident driving position shouldn't be hard, however, there are some large blind spots you'll need to be aware of. You'll need to rely on the inclusive driver-assist features to overcome these.

Cargo

For a seven-seater SUV, the XT6 actually has slightly above-par cargo space. With all the seats in place, you get 12.6 cubic feet to work with, which is enough for some moderate shopping, but definitely not for a weekend getaway with the family. For that, you'll need to be hauling no more than five people so that you can fold down the rear-most seats and create a 43.1 cu-ft loading area. At its most accommodating, the midsize Caddy can stow up to 78.7 cubes of cargo. All of this withstanding, accessing the trunk is simplified with a power-operated liftgate, but the upper trims can fold down their rear seats at the press of a button.

Like so many other family-centric cars, the XT6 offers plenty of places to rest your cups or store smaller items. These include a small bin under the climate controls, a pair of cupholders beneath a cover, with two more in the middle and rear-most rows, and sizeable door pockets. For larger items, there is a standard glove compartment and a midsized armrest cubby.

Materials and Colors

Upholstered with Inteluxe leatherette as standard, the Luxury trim is presented solely in Jet Black, accented with Lunar brushed-aluminum trim along the dash and console. Once you upgrade to leather in the Premium Luxury, you get a few more interior colors to choose from, like Cirrus and Dark Auburn. The optional semi-aniline leather is presented in Jet Black or Maple Sugar. Aside from the lack of Dark Auburn as a choice, the Sport is otherwise identical. The cabin trim is Misty Matrix wood in the Premium Luxury and Twenty-Two Carbon Fiber in the Sport.

Features and Infotainment

A fair number of features come standard in the XT6, including tri-zone climate control, power front seats with heating, keyless entry, and remote start. There are dual diagonal color driver-info displays and an eight-inch touchscreen for the infotainment. This comes programmed with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM, and 4G Wi-Fi. The setup is paired with an eight-speaker in the Luxury and a 14-speaker Bose sound system in the remaining trims. Other changes as you move up the trim include a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, wireless charging, and navigation. As part of the various optional packages, you can add a larger driver-information display, power-adjustable captain's chairs, and a head-up display.

Performance

The base engine feels inadequate, but the V6 does a good job of moving the midsize SUV, albeit not particularly athletically.

You get to choose between two engines when buying the Cadillac XT6. The regular Luxury comes equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, while the Premium Luxury and Sport get a more impressive 3.6-liter V6 with 310 hp and 271 lb-ft. Both come mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission and, while both engines can send power to a rear- or all-wheel drivetrain, the Sport trim is AWD only.

In terms of performance, the V6 is the clear winner, but it still takes seven seconds for the Caddy XT6 to go from 0-60 mph. Top speed is rated at 132 mph, and the SUV has a maximum towing capacity of just 4,000 pounds. All of these figures fall flat when compared to German rivals. Still, the Cadillac is not unpleasant to drive. The steering is slight for such a large car, allowing you to handle bustling streets with ease, and the suspension is tuned to soak up speed bumps or undulations on the highway. The Sport trim has a modified suspension that rides a little firmer in exchange for better handling, along with Brembo brakes to bring the hefty SUV to a stop when you get a little too spirited.

Fuel Efficiency

Caddies are not known for their impressive gas mileage, and even with the smaller engine, the XT6 gets rather middling mpg figures. In FWD guise, it can cover 21/27/23 miles per gallon across the city/highway/combined cycles, while swapping to AWD sees it drop one mpg on the highway. Similarly, the V6 with FWD manages 19/26/21 mpg, with AWD models sipping a little more heavily at 18/25/21 mpg.

To make up for the disparity between FWD and AWD, the latter gets a higher fuel capacity of 22 gallons, as opposed to 19 gallons. This means that the XT6 can cover up to 506 miles with the four-pot or 462 miles with the V6 with the bigger tank.

Safety

The XT6 scores extremely well in NHTSA tests, but there were a couple of very low scores in the IIHS crash tests.

While the NHTSA's safety review of the Cadillac XT6 might inspire confidence at five stars overall, the IIHS has some concerns. It gave the SUV a worrying score of Poor in the updated moderate overlap front and side crash tests.

Every model in the lineup is equipped with ABS, stability and traction control, and seven airbags. More advanced driver assists include forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, front and rear park assist, an HD rearview camera, rear cross-traffic alert, lane change alert, and blind-spot warning. Upper trims and packages allow you to add full-speed emergency braking, a surround-view camera, rear automatic braking, and semi-autonomous Super Cruise hands-free driving.

US NHTSA Crash Test Result

Reliability

Cadillac is one of the more reliable brands in the USA, with the XT6 earning 84 out of 100 in JD Power's consumer survey. However, the car has been recalled several times over the last few years. This year's recall was for improperly sealed windshields, while 2023 saw two recalls for illegible tire labels and the wrong sun gear used when constructing the transmission.

The bumper-to-bumper warranty for the 2024 Cadillac XT6 is valid for four years/50,000 miles, and the powertrain is covered for six years/70,000 miles. You also get a single complementary maintenance visit.

Warranty

Design

It's not surprising that a car built in the States appeals to local buyers. A large grille is complemented by additional air intakes lower in the bumper and on the sides where the vertical LED daytime running lights are located. Slim LED headlights running along the edge of the good complete the front fascia. From there, the profile has some slimming elements to make the large car look a little sportier as you head towards the rear. Being an SUV, Cadillac couldn't do much back there, but there is a badge with the company name emblazoned just below and a small rooftop spoiler. On either side of the liftgate are vertical tail- and brake lights, and a pair of rectangular exhaust outlets are integrated into the lower bumper. Every model comes with a sunroof and roof rails as standard, and the 18-inch alloy wheels on the Premium grow to 20 or 21 inches on the Luxury Premium and Sport, respectively.

Verdict: Is The 2024 Cadillac XT6 A Good SUV?

The big selling points for the 2024 XT6 are its attractive appearance, good list of features, and the fact that you can seat up to seven passengers when required. However, it is by no means powerful or quick, it drives somewhat clumsily, and it is not nearly as high quality on the inside as the price tag would imply. Still, it's cheaper than real premium rivals, and this helps it secure a spot right in the middle of the pack. Overall value is quite good - and, of course, it's home grown, but you can do better.