The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Refined V-6 option
- Available Super Cruise
- User-friendly infotainment
- Big cabin
Dislikes
- Bland cabin
- Quirky rear-end styling
- Subpar base engine
- Best options hike price too much
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Cadillac XT6 is spacious and can be equipped with impressive driver-assistance features, but it lacks the kind of luxurious interior we expect at this price point.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Cadillac XT6? What does it compare to?
Cadillac’s XT6 is a three-row crossover SUV with plenty of interior room. Compare it to the Volvo XC90, a well-equipped Hyundai Palisade, and the BMW X5.
Is the 2025 Cadillac XT6 a good SUV?
The 2025 Cadillac XT6 looks good outside and has a comfortable, if somewhat uninspired, cabin. Equipped with the V-6 engine and Cadillac’s slick Super Cruise system, it’s a great road-trip machine, but it’s also an expensive one. Overall, the XT6 is a decent choice that scores 6.2 out of 10 on the TCC scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Cadillac XT6?
The XT6 carries into 2025 unchanged.
This three-row crossover stretches about 199 inches long, making it the biggest Cadillac SUV shy of the gargantuan Escalade. It wears sharp exterior styling with some especially neat touches up front, but its cabin comes up a dullard against more dynamic competitors. On the bright side, the XT6 has plenty of interior space with comfortable front seats, a good second row, and a third row that can accommodate adults for shorter stints. It also has a spacious cargo area.
Skip the 235-hp turbo-4 that anchors the lineup in favor of the 310-hp 3.6-liter V-6 included in Premium Luxury and Sport trim levels. The V-6 is smooth, strong, and not all that much thirstier than the turbo-4, plus it can run on less-expensive regular unleaded (the turbo-4 needs premium.) A 9-speed automatic transmission does a good job shuffling power to the front or, optionally, all four wheels with either engine. But beware that the all-wheel-drive version has a front-wheel-drive mode. You very well might not remember to switch it back into all-wheel drive until you’re sliding through snow.
The XT6’s best driving asset is its comfortable ride—or maybe its available Super Cruise tech, which allows for stretches of eyes-on, hands-off driving on a wide range of highways. It’s a terrific system, though it’s also rather expensive to buy.
The XT6 has a mixed crash-test record now that the IIHS has re-evaluated it using its latest criteria. Last year’s Top Safety Pick award has given way to several “Poor” blemishes that dent it in our ratings system.
How much does the 2025 Cadillac XT6 cost?
The XT6 starts around $51,000 and can climb quickly from there. Base Luxury versions are pretty well outfitted with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, and a big sunroof. But you’ll want to step up to the mid-level Premium Luxury for its V-6 engine. It’s also the gateway to far more driver-assistance tech and luxury features.
Where is the 2025 Cadillac XT6 made?
Spring Hill, Tennessee.
2025 Cadillac XT6 Styling
The 2025 Cadillac XT6 is slick outside, staid inside.
Is the Cadillac XT6 a good-looking car?
It’s pleasant enough outside, with simple, crisp lines that earn it a point above average. Its interior fails to impress us, though, so the XT6 winds up as a 6 out of 10 on the TCC scale.
The XT6 wears a traditional SUV-style two-box shape with a high roofline that helps give it impressive interior room. The big, shield-like grille and narrow headlights lend a modern look up front, though the chunky taillights at the rear aren’t quite as well integrated.
XT6 Sport versions have more color-matched trim and bigger wheels, but given their performance doesn’t live up to their billing, we don’t see much reason to spend up for one.
Inside, look for a convenient control layout but little in the way of luxury touches. The 8.0-inch touchscreen is perched high on the dash above a panel of touch-sensitive climate controls. The overall look is more fitting for a Buick than a Cadillac, though, and even top-end models with dressier interior upgrades lack the kind of fancy materials we expect at $70,000 or higher.
2025 Cadillac XT6 Performance
The 2025 Cadillac XT6 is at its best with the available V-6 engine.
Cadillac’s biggest crossover has a comfortable ride that earns it a 6 out of 10 on the TCC scale. Models with the V-6 don’t earn a point above average, though those with the base 4-cylinder might actually lose one if rated separately.
Is the Cadillac XT6 4WD?
It can be. When equipped with available all-wheel drive, the XT6 has a two-wheel-drive mode ostensibly to save fuel. Just don’t forget to re-engage AWD when snow flies.
How fast is the Cadillac XT6?
It’s certainly not quick with the base 235-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4. That engine simply lacks the power to move a 4,400-pound SUV with any authority.
Opt instead for the smooth 3.6-liter V-6, which puts 310 hp to the wheels via a slick-shifting 9-speed automatic transmission. While not as powerful as some competitors, the V-6 has a refined feel and a broad torque band.
The XT6’s biggest asset is its ride quality. It’s smooth and comfortable, even with bigger wheel options in higher-end models. The top Sport version offers adaptive dampers, but its firmer suspension negates many of this setup’s benefits.
With accurate but syrupy steering and plenty of lean, the XT6 is no corner-carving champ. Competitors like the BMW X5 and Audi Q7 have a far more polished, sportier feel.
2025 Cadillac XT6 Comfort & Quality
The 2025 Cadillac XT6 has a comfortable cabin.
While it may not have the most stylish cabin in its class, the 2025 Cadillac XT6 has great space. We give it points for front- and middle-row comfort, plus another for its big cargo area. It’s an 8 on the TCC scale.
Standard power-adjustable front seats with heating offer long-distance support. Row two has 39.1 inches of legroom and wide door openings, plus buyers can opt for middle-row captain’s chairs. The third row is tolerable for average adults, so long as they’re not going too far. It has just 30.0 inches of legroom, though.
Behind row three, the 198.5-inch-long XT6 has 13.0 cubic feet of cargo space, which grows to 43.1 cubes with the third row folded. Cargo capacity expands to about 80 cubic feet with the second row flopped down.
XT6s we’ve driven have had a quality feel in terms of assembly, but there are too many hard plastics here where rivals swap in padded surfaces. Cadillac is also stingy with innovative materials, instead relying on basic padded vinyl over plastic where some competitors sprinkle in stitched surfaces and more interesting grain patterns. The result is a cabin that feels behind the times.
2025 Cadillac XT6 Safety
The 2025 Cadillac XT6 can be loaded up with advanced driver-assistance tech.
How safe is the Cadillac XT6?
The XT6 has a mixed crash-test record. It earns five stars from the NHTSA, but the IIHS rates it “Poor” in two of its updated tests. That said, we give it points for the feds’ rating plus its standard and optional driver-assistance tech. It’s an 8 out of 10 on the TCC scale.
Base versions tick all the boxes we expect from a $50,000-plus SUV, including standard automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, and active lane control. Optional adaptive cruise control can be upgraded to the automaker’s impressive Super Cruise system, though doing so requires first adding thousands in additional features.
Super Cruise is worth the spend for road warriors, though. It allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel for extended stints on most divided highways in the U.S., which can be an effective way to reduce road-trip fatigue. It's now rolling out to two-lane highways, where it's less effective.
2025 Cadillac XT6 Features
The Cadillac XT6 is a decent value in mid-level Premium Luxury guise.
Cadillac’s smaller three-row SUV comes in three trim levels, starting at around $50,000. They score a 7 on the TCC scale due to good standard features and a decent infotainment system.
The base Luxury trim has synthetic leather upholstery with heated front seats, a sunroof, Bose audio, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility. All-wheel drive costs $2,000 more across the range.
The XT6 is backed by a luxury segment-typical 4-year/50,000-mile warranty.
Which Cadillac XT6 should I buy?
Step up to the mid-level Premium Luxury. It’s about $6,000 more than the base version, but it adds the stronger V-6 engine, navigation, 20-inch alloy wheels, and leather upholstery, plus it’s the gateway to such niceties as adaptive cruise control and upgraded semi-aniline leather. You can also add Cadillac’s trick Super Cruise system, which costs about $2,500. Doing so results in a $70,000 XT6, which is pretty costly—but also pretty fancy when it comes to its tech story.
How much is a fully loaded Cadillac XT6?
The top XT6 Sport trim can top $80,000. With this kind of budget, we’d likely find ourselves in rivals’ showrooms, though, mostly because the XT6 Sport doesn’t live up to its sporty billing despite a performance-tuned suspension and Brembo front brakes.
2025 Cadillac XT6 Fuel Economy
The 2025 Cadillac XT5 isn’t especially fuel efficient.
Is the Cadillac XT6 good on gas?
It’s not great, especially considering some of its competitors now offer fuel-sipping hybrid configurations.
We base our 2 out of 10 score here on 2024 estimates from the EPA. Turbo-4 models rated slightly higher, at 21 mpg city, 27 highway, 23 combined with front-wheel drive, or 21/26/23 mpg with all-wheel drive.
The V-6 isn’t that much worse at 19/26/21 mpg with front-wheel drive and 18/25/21 mpg in all-wheel-drive configuration.
Interestingly, the turbo-4 needs premium fuel, while the V-6 can be run on less-costly regular unleaded. The V-6 is actually cheaper to drive as a result.
