Page 18 - Motor Trend (January 2020)

SUVOTY I Contenders
S U V O T Y I C o n t e n d e r
Cadillac XT6

PRO Elegant exterior • Intuitive infotainment • Comfortable ride
CON Falls short on value • Old interior design • Competition is better
he 2020 Cadillac XT6 arrives RWD platform. But Cadillac body control, ride comfort, and delivers the most basic-looking
with elegant styling, a chose to fast-track the XT6, given handling—”Sporty even on the interior, not the standard of the
Tcomfortable ride, and a the popularity of three-row SUVs winding road,” Seabaugh said— world,” Loh said. The rest of the
spacious interior. But when being and the hole in its lineup. but noticed significant body roll interior—except the revamped
compared to the new Lincoln That led to the XT6 being and tire noise. infotainment system, which is
Aviator—its most direct compet- based on the two-row XT5, The XT6 arrives with only one one of the best in the business—
itor—the Cadillac falls short on saving development time and engine, a 3.6-liter V-6 that sends seems old.
many fronts. cost, “but inevitably, it would 310 hp and 271 lb-ft to the front It’s clear the Cadillac XT6
We were fortunate to have de force compromises versus a or all four wheels via a nine- was a three-row SUV conceived
Nysschen—who was president of purpose-developed premium speed automatic. But compare with limited resources. And
Cadillac when the XT6 was being crossover architecture,” de its numbers with the rear-based when you compare that against
developed—as a guest judge. He Nysschen said. Aviator with 400 hp, and the XT6 other three-row luxury SUVs, the
didn’t pull punches, saying the The XT6 is still a comfortable already falls short. Caddy falls short in almost every
three-row crossover should have vehicle. Judges liked the way the The interior styling also category.
been based on GM’s Omega suspension is tuned in terms of disappointed judges. “The XT6 Miguel Cortina

SPECS 2020 Cadillac XT6 Sport AWD 400
Base Price/As Tested $58,090/$73,040
Power (SAE net) 310 hp @ 6,600 rpm
Torque (SAE net) 271 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm
Accel, 0-60 mph 6.8 sec
Quarter Mile 15.2 sec @ 93.1 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 131 ft
Lateral Acceleration 0.82 g (avg)
MT Figure Eight 27.2 sec @ 0.67 g (avg)
EPA City/Hwy/Comb 17/24/20 mpg

Vehicle Layout Front-engine, AWD, 6-pass, 4-door SUV Engine/Transmission 3.6L DOHC 24-valve V-6/9-speed automatic Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 4,725
lb (56/44%) Wheelbase 112.7 in Length x Width x Height 198.5 x 77.3 x 68.9 in Energy Consumption, City/Hwy 198/140 kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions,
Comb 0.99 lb/mile

Chevrolet Blazer

PRO Attractive RS trim • Impressive packaging • The Camaro of SUVs
CON Expensive • Unimpressive base model • Poor AWD implementation

he new Chevrolet Blazer Chevy offers a front-drive-
is among Chevy’s most only 193-hp I-4 and a 308-hp V-6
Tsuccessful designs of late. It that’s available with front- or
seamlessly brings Camaro styling all-wheel drive. Chevy only sent
cues into the crossover format, us a Blazer RS—complete with the its sheetmetal promises. The Our tester’s $50,765 as-tested
providing a sporty-looking V-6 and a more advanced AWD Blazer manages the difficult task price also gave us pause. Fit
alternative to the traditional system. Of our staff, only Gale of balancing steering feel with and finish was OK, but the cheap
cookie-cutter crossover. had driven a lesser Blazer. He compliant, livable ride quality. switchgear from GM’s junk
Although a design-driven wasn’t impressed: “The Blazer’s Elsewhere, we were disap- drawer—including the plastic
exercise, the Blazer doesn’t give magic doesn’t extend evenly pointed by GM’s insistence on drive mode knob that literally
up much in utility. The cabin is across the entire line.” making AWD driver-selectable—a flexes when you twist it—detract
comfortable and flexible, and With sporty acceleration quick way for customers to find from an otherwise nice cabin.
rear passengers get a flat floor and good ride and handling themselves stuck when the Blazer Still, if you want to be the cool
and reclining seats. The seats manners, the RS model does at doesn’t warn you to manually shift parent, this might be the SUV for
fold flat for more cargo space. least deliver on the performance into all-wheel drive soon enough. you. Christian Seabaugh

SPECS 2019 Chevrolet Blazer RS AWD
Base Price/As Tested $44,695/$50,765
Power (SAE net) 308 hp @ 6,700 rpm
Torque (SAE net) 270 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm
Accel, 0-60 mph 6.1 sec
Quarter Mile 14.6 sec @ 95.6 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 117 ft
Lateral Acceleration 0.82 g (avg)
MT Figure Eight 27.3 sec @ 0.67 g (avg)
EPA City/Hwy/Comb 18/25/21 mpg

Vehicle Layout Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV Engine/Transmission 3.6L DOHC 24-valve V-6/9-speed automatic Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 4,398
lb (59/41%) Wheelbase 112.7 in Length x Width x Height 191.4 x 76.7 x 67.0 in Energy Consumption, City/Hwy 187/135 kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions,
Comb 0.94 lb/mile
18 MOTORTREND.COM JANUARY 2020