I drove a 2021 Cadillac XT6 Premium Luxury AWD on a recent 800-mile roundtrip excursion to the Texas gulf coast. My tech-savvy son Justin was the navigator on our road trip from Dallas to Port Aransas. We were attending a mini-family reunion at my daughter’s new vacation home.
What could have been an extremely stressful and tiring drive turned out to be a great road trip experience. We arrived in Port Aransas in record time, thanks to the Cadillac’s state-of-the-art navigation system (and my son’s skills) that provided turn by turn directions for the drive.
I’ve always appreciated Cadillacs and other GM vehicles because they feature OnStar, one of my favorite security blankets. While we didn’t need to use OnStar’s system on this drive, just knowing it’s there brings peace of mind–especially in case of an accident or any road problems.
Comfortable and Luxurious Cabin
Photo: Cadillac
The XT6 crossover drives like a dream, operating on a 3.6 liter direct injection V-6 engine for the premium luxury model. The engine is matched with a 9-speed automatic transmission that features electronic precision shift. The driver can select from four different driving modes, depending on road conditions.
Cadillac XT6 features a lovely cabin with every type of connection a driver could need. The top of the line premium luxury trim offered even more refinements. The spacious cabin boasts such luxe touches as exotic wood decor, Semi-Aniline leather seating surfaces and leather-wrapped instrument panel, and suede microfiber headliner.
Front and rear LED lighting technology and daytime running lamps are also featured. My test XT6 had 20” alloy wheels with all-wheel drive and driver mode selection. It was attired in a Shadow Metallic paint color with a cabin decked out in maple sugar tones with jet black accents.
Cadillac XT6 Premium Luxury Edition
Photo: Cadillac
The Cadillac XT6 Premium Luxury edition can carry seven passengers, but with just the two of us, we used the cargo space (up to 78.7 cubic feet) instead. This came in handy when we returned with a large, flat-screen TV for my son’s place. Loading was made easier with the hands-free liftgate and the power-folding third-row seat.
Fuel economy turned out to be better than anticipated for such a spacious and powerful vehicle. Mileage was estimated at 18 mpg in town and 25 mpg on the highway for an average of 21 mpg. Since most of our trip was on the highway, we only had to stop for fuel once on the way down, and again toward the end of our trip.
The MSRP for the 2021 Cadillac XT6 premium luxury all-wheel-drive test model was $54,795. But the manufacturer added a number of options, including the Platinum Package ($4,900), and Enhanced visibility and technology package ($2,350) to the test vehicle. That package added a head-up display, rear camera mirror and HD surround vision plus rear pedestrian alert and automatic parking assist. They also added a night vision package ($2,000), driver assist ($1,300), and others. After adding destination charges, the price tag for our test vehicle was $70,465.
