How the 2023 Cadillac XT6 stands up to the Acura MDX, Audi Q7, and even the Chevrolet Traverse

2023 Cadillac XT6 Sport AWD: The Cadillac of three-row SUVs?

Price: $75,715 as tested. Technology Package added $2,350; Driver Assist Package added $1,300; 6-passenger seating, $800; premium headlamps, $700; black paint, $625. More noted throughout.

Marketer’s pitch: “Confidently capable midsize luxury SUV.”

Conventional wisdom: Edmunds.com likes the “quiet interior, third row is roomy enough for most adults, easy-to-use infotainment system, available Super Cruise hands-free driving system” but not the “minimal cargo space behind third row, jumpy throttle makes it hard to accelerate smoothly, low towing limits, seems a bit overpriced for what you get.”

Reality: It is the Cadillac of SUVs, but that doesn’t mean as much as it once did. Still, there’s much to recommend it.

What’s new: The three-row midsized SUV is a popular genre, although the Cadillac price tag puts it in a more exclusive category. First introduced in 2020 to replace the SRX, the XT6 gets some minor revisions for the 2023 model year.

The XT6 is the well-bred cousin of the Chevrolet Traverse but happily does most things better.

Competition: Lincoln Aviator, Acura MDX, Audi Q7, BMW X5, Genesis GV80.

Up to speed: The 3.6-liter V-6 creates 310 horsepower and gets the vehicle to 60 mph in a healthy 6.4 seconds, according to Car and Driver. The SUV feels full of spunk as it moves around highways and country roads.

A 236-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder is also available, and while at three-quarters the power I think it might not feel so spunky, today’s fours often surprise.

Shifty: The 9-speed automatic transmission is operated through a BMW-like shifter — push up for Reverse and pull back for Drive. It’s shiftable through steering wheel-mounted paddles.

Edmunds thought it was rough, and it can be at full throttle and when letting off, but I thought it worked fairly well, better than most examples of the 9-speed I’ve tested.

On the road: The three-row SUV offers extremely nice handling. I noticed almost no body roll when taking it along country roads and tight curves. The vehicle also takes almost no time to get accustomed to, and I could squeeze it through tight spaces like an old pro after just a few moments behind the wheel.

The XT6 also handles nicely on highways. I drove it from central Chester County out to King of Prussia twice. Like most GMs, the XT6 handles better in AWD drive mode; comfort mode allows the car to drift far too much using just the front wheels. Sport mode also offers better control.

Driving assist: Cadillac’s SuperCruise ($2,500) remains simple to operate: When the steering wheel light glows green, you know the vehicle has taken the wheel. And its control is smoother than most systems I’ve tried.

For added safety, video and sensory monitoring keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. It requires a subscription at some point, a down side.

In the rain: I had the XT6 during the weekend when the remnants of Ian visited the region, and there’s no place that feels safer on slick and puddly roads than a Cadillac. I learned this a number of years ago in a CT6 on a trip to Sullivan County, as a drive across an almost-flooded Interstate 80 left me astounded with its wet-weather prowess.

In the dark: The $2,000 night vision seems like a great idea, but using the tiny screen between the gauges, not so much. If I spent even a second or two trying to focus on it, the vehicle would start to drift. Maybe it should be an infotainment screen item?

Out of touch: The view on the highways could feel limited, as well. The side-view mirrors are quite small and the pillars are all thick, so changing lanes could be frightening.

Driver’s Seat: The accommodations are Cadillac level, as expected. The semi-aniline leather seat is supple and supportive and provides plenty of room and adjustments, and the Modena leather-wrapped steering wheel feels nice in the paws, all part of the $3,800 Platinum Package.

Friends and stuff: The middle row features captains chairs and an easy walk-through galley to the third row. The seats provide ample space in both the middle and rear row, and at the same time, as well. Usually it’s one or the other.

The rear seat is a little small, but it’s still about one of the best among this type of vehicle.

Sturgis Kid 4.0 rode in the middle row for both those KOP journeys, though, and he found the seats to be extra firm.

Space behind the rear row is an exceedingly tight 12.6 cubic feet — about half the Traverse space (probably thanks to all the legroom in the XT6). There’s 43.1 cubic feet with the rear row folded, and the 78.7 behind the front seats bests the Acura and the Audi.

Play some tunes: The Bose 14-speaker stereo system provides good sound, about an A-.

The 8-inch infotainment touchscreen seems laughably out of place in such a luxury model, though.

Keeping warm and cool: Toggles control the temperature and fan speed, but everything else requires a trip into Touchscreen World, a reasonably user-friendly place.

Fuel economy: Here’s the real down side to the XT6 — the vehicle struggled to stay above 18 mpg.

The 2.0 turbo probably doesn’t do much to help that; it’s rated to add only 1 mpg to the highway and city numbers.

Where it’s built: Spring Hill, Tenn.

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the XT6 reliability to be a 2 out of 5.

In the end: The Cadillac is spacious and comfortable, drives decently, and the Super Cruise can’t be beat. Yet, I can drive a car without help (and a subscription), and I still fondly recall the MDX and the Q7, so I’d probably be starting there.

What’s not new: In last week’s review of the Nissan Altima, the debut of the VC-Turbo engine tested was incorrect. It became available in the Altima in 2019.