The 2021 Cadillac XT6 is Cadillac’s first three-row crossover, and delivers enough power for all driving situations. It offers sophistication and expressive styling with its distinctive lighting and responsive performance. The 2021 BMW X5 is a highly ranked luxury midsize SUV. Let’s put it up to the 2021 Cadillac XT6.
Design
The 2021 Cadillac XT6 offers style and distinction that sets it apart from the crowd. It offers three rows of style, with plenty of room for your family and friends. Spacious, comfortable, and quiet, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your ride. Seven passenger seating, with available captain’s chair configuration for six passengers. Premium materials are offered, beginning with the Luxury trim, from exotic woods or carbon fiber to leather appointments and metallic accents and décor, making the XT6 first class. The one downside is the limited cargo space behind the last seat, with 12.6 cubic feet behind the third row and a total of 78.7 cubic feet of maximum cargo space when all seats are folded down. There are three choices of trims for the XT6: Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Sport. Pricing starts at $47,994 for the Luxury and ranges to a starting price of $58,420 for the Sport trim.
The 2021 BMW X5 features plenty of cargo capacity and passenger seating, with options for your comfort and convenience, along with luxury finishes. It seats up to five people in its base model; an optional third row raises the seating capacity to seven. The first two rows are spacious, but the optional third row is tight and better for seating for children. The X5 has 33.9 cubic of cargo space behind the rear seats and 72.3 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. The plug-in-hybrid is a bit smaller, with 33.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 71.2 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. It comes with a standard hands-free power liftgate that makes it easier to access the cargo. There are plenty of high-quality materials, including standard synthetic leather upholstery as well as available genuine leather upholstery and a leather-wrapped dashboard. The X5 comes in five trims: sDrive40i, xDrive40i, x45e, M50i, and the high-performance X5 M, with starting prices at $59,400 for the sDrive40i trim and ranging to $105,100 for the X5 M.
Safety and Technology
Safety ratings are overall good for the XT6 in most test results; as well as offering you plenty of standard safety features to help you feel secure on the road. Standard safety features include safety alert seat, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, front pedestrian braking, rear park assist, automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, IntelliBeam auto high-beam assist, and HD rear vision camera. Higher trims add lane change alert with side blind zone alert, blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert, front Rainsense wipers, and available Night Vision. The Cadillac XT6 offers a CUE infotainment system with plenty of choices to select the trim and features that will be suited for your needs. It features an 8” diagonal touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto capability.
The BMW X5 has a long list of standard and optional safety and tech features. Standard driver assistance features include a rearview camera, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, front and rear parking sensors, rain-sensing windshield wipers, adaptive LED headlights, and automatic high-beam headlights. Its iDrive infotainment system offers a 12.3-inch touch screen, wireless, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 10-speaker stereo, a touchpad controller, voice recognition, Bluetooth, five USB ports, navigation, HD Radio, satellite radio, and automatic climate control.
Power
Buyers can choose from either 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 237-horsepower or a 310-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 engine. A nine-speed automatic transmission comes with either engine and standard front-wheel drive or available all-wheel drive. The 3.6 V6 is strong enough for power on the highway and passing, but some competitor’s available engines have horsepower ratings higher than the XT6. It has an available Smart Towing Trailering System that includes Hitch Guidance with Hitch View, hitch, hitch cover, 7-wire harness, and a 170-amp alternator and heavy-duty cooling system. This system can tow up to 4,000 pounds. Estimated fuel economy is 18/25 mpg city and highway.
There are a few options to consider with the BMW X5. The sDrive40i and xDrive40i are powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine with 335 horsepower, the xDrive45e plug-in-hybrid trim is brand-new for 2021 and features a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine and an electric motor that produces a combined 389-horsepower. For high performance, the M50i trim is powered by a 4.4-liter V8 engine with 523-horsepower. It will get to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. The M trim offers the same engine, but produces 600-horsepower. It is quicker, with hitting 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. An eight-speed automatic transmission comes with every trim. The base trim estimates 21/26 mpg in the city and on the highway. The high-performance variants will give you 16/22 and 13/18 mpg city/highway. The plug-in hybrid gets 50 mpg equivalent combined city/highway and has a 30-mile all-electric range. It can tow up to 7,200 pounds when properly equipped.
Conclusion
The 2021 Cadillac XT6 and 2021 BMW X5 are full of sophistication and distinctive style, offering a smooth and comfortable ride. The BMW X5 delivers more power with its available engine options and trims; as well as offering a plug-in-hybrid trim, but it comes with a much higher price tag.