Test drive cadillac xt6 - "not worse than others"

And when, at the end of 9 months of 2020, the entire premium showed a drop in sales, only Cadillac grew by a record 52.9% (and another 2.4% for Porsche). It turns out that it was the crossovers - and the XT6 in particular - that made the Cadillac cash register? Let's try to figure out why - moreover, in the format of a checklist, without emotions: the car does not particularly indulge them.

DESIGN

If the XT5 still retained hints of the old corporate chopping, the XT6 almost did not have them, the new style was set by the Escala concept, from the Escalade "chest of drawers"??only the "scimitar" of optics, both front and rear, remained. And as a result, the XT6 looks like an average large - 5.05 meters long - premium crossover. Not worse than others. But also similar to many at once.

It is the same in the salon: no worse than others. The manufacturer promises premium luxury, natural wood, real aluminum and carbon. The test version has a Sport package - the interior is black, aluminum and steel in the trim are real, but the carbon does not look too expensive. The wood-trimmed brown interior looks much more expensive, at least in the pictures. The central touchpad is too small, today they wear more in premium. Two arrow "wells" on the dashboard are separated by a replaceable digital backing, where you can select the desired combination of data in the slide show mode. The projection of data on the windshield is also optional: speedometer, tachometer. A full range of premium electronic assistants, including night vision mode - although that was not the case in the XT6 test.

FACILITIES

The chairs are wide, but a bit short. Lateral support for both back and hips is minimal. The lower back is supported by a very convincing retractable roller, but no matter how you squeeze into the back, no matter how you move the steering column back and forth, the lower thighs remain unsupported, under the knees emptiness. Sooner or later you start crawling on the move.

A camera with streaming video in the rearview mirror isn't new to Cadillac. As usual, the brain does not immediately compare it with the analog image in the side mirrors, but if you play with the adjustment buttons, select a similar scale and brightness, both images in your head are aligned.

A heavy door with double glazing reliably cuts off external noises, nothing is heard from the engine compartment, the Bose active noise cancellation system helps. This audio system, by the way, has excellent sound even from the tuner in the FM radio, even with the factory equalizer settings set to zero - very high quality music. Wireless charging of a smartphone, instant connection to a car using NFC technology - but as before, traditionally for Cadillac, there is no heated windshield.

CAPACITY

"Space for the elite" - this slogan best explains why the XT6 is good. The XT6's cabin seats seven. The test version is six-seater, and in order to get to the third row, the "captain's" separate second-row seats do not even need to be reclined, the gap between them is sufficient, the floor is even, without a tunnel. The manufacturer is proud of 90 centimeters of distance from the seat to the ceiling in the third row for good reason, the spaciousness of the second and third rows is the main trump card of the XT6 and a weapon in the fight against seven-seater competitors.

POWER UNIT

If the XT6 has any problem, it's the engine. The car is equipped with only a two-liter 200-horsepower in-line turbocharged "four", which accelerates a large crossover to a hundred in 9.9 seconds. For even movement on the highway, it is enough, for complete confidence - at least 50 forces would be at least. The American 314-horsepower version obviously rides quite differently.

By the way, about uniform movement. The proprietary Active Fuel Management in the XT6 engine in a quiet highway mode turns off two of the four cylinders, saving fuel - the minimum consumption during the test was 8.6 liters per hundred, the average - 12.6 liters. In Escalade, the shutdown of half of the cylinders of its V8 is marked with a green V4 icon on the dashboard, in the XT6 the change of modes is invisible to the eye, but it is given to us in sensations: apparently, the system tries to "halve" the engine at every opportunity, so when you need to accelerate, you press the pedal The accelerator is a little too much, all the time it is as if you spur on the car, and then let it go, and it turns out acceleration - inertia, acceleration - inertia.

But this is in the front-wheel drive Tour mode, in the other three, AWD, Sport and Offroad traction control is completely intelligible, if not for the lack of power and torque. So it's better to turn on AWD or Sport right away - I rode in them most of the time. If the manual mode of the new 9-speed GM gearbox is forced to select the 5th or 4th gear, then, at 4500 rpm, a confident connection between the engine and the wheels is established and you can drive more or less actively. But then, behind the motor shield, a quiet but persistent bee wakes up and begins to itch - the motor strains.Also you can check reviewFiat Panda 4x4

Digriz Freelancer, author and good guy Let's face it, Volkswagen cars just have something special, which is why they are the second most popular automakers in the world.