Cadillac XT6 AWD Sport 2019 first drive

This is Cadillac playing catch-up, a familiar role for the still-struggling American premium brand. The catch-up in this case is about offering a less-than-gargantuan three-row SUV with a touch of sporting class.

The XT6 sits between the Cadillac vast, separate-chassis Escalade and the smaller XT5, making its closest equivalents over here the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90. It’s powered by a 306bhp 3.6-litre petrol V6 coupled to a nine-speed automatic gearbox, and this Sport version comes with four-wheel drive, shift paddles, a quicker steering ratio, 21in alloy wheels, adaptive dampers for its five-link rear and MacPherson strut front suspension and brake-controlled torque vectoring.

The XT6 comes pretty well equipped in standard form, with power-folding rear seats, a rather mean 8.0in infotainment screen, leather upholstery, a powered tailgate, a sunroof, a heated steering wheel and tri-zone climate control. Options include night vision and some quite heftily priced packs.

The interior is fairly lush but presents quite a confused constellation of materials, textures, finishes and tones, as per most Cadillacs of the recent past. The competing Kia Telluride costs thousands of dollars less while providing a more inviting interior that's better planned, too.

Unexpectedly rorty when you sink the throttle, the V6 sounds almost incongruously eager and racy. Amazingly, it also revs to 7000rpm. The gearbox is responsive and for the most part meets the not-inconsiderable challenge of being in the right ratio at the right time.

If you think otherwise, however, the alloy shift paddles are easily pawed. Or you can press the modestly labelled and obscurely located button marked ‘mode’, your selection confirmed in a display revealing that in Touring, power is sent to the front wheels only. 

On the switchback roads of the Angeles Crest Highway, the XT6 is noticeably more adept in four-wheel-drive Sport, when it’s less prone to the SUV habit of heeling onto its outside-front wheel. Indeed, the harder you push it, the better it gets, with the shuffling of torque between the axles and brake vectoring allowing it to corner with some alacrity if you push it particularly hard. And harder than most owners will, especially if they’re carrying passengers. 

At less ambitious speeds, the XT6 feels less remarkable, especially as the pleasingly weighted steering masks most of what’s going on below.