Compare the2022 Cadillac XT6VS 2020 Nissan Pathfinder

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Cadillac XT6 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The XT6’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The XT6 has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Pathfinder SV/SL/Platinum offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the XT6 has a standard cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Pathfinder SV/SL/Platinum has a cross-path warning system.

Both the XT6 and the Pathfinder have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Cadillac XT6 is safer than the Nissan Pathfinder:

	XT6	Pathfinder
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	167	337
Neck Injury Risk	25%	42%
Neck Stress	187 lbs.	464 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/358 lbs.	516/475 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	9/6 lbs.	479/476 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Cadillac XT6 is safer than the Nissan Pathfinder:

	XT6	Pathfinder
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	98	114
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	117 G’s	120 G’s
Hip Force	255 lbs.	457 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	41 G’s
Hip Force	249 lbs.	557 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	18 inches
HIC	292	338
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	42 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the XT6 is 1% to 2.4% less likely to roll over than the Pathfinder.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XT6 its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 63 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Pathfinder last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

The XT6 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Pathfinder’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the XT6 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Pathfinder. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Pathfinder ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The XT6’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Pathfinder’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the XT6 has a standard 220-amp alternator (155-amp - XT6 V6 and 170 optional). The Pathfinder’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac fifth in reliability, above the industry average. With 28 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

Engine

The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 26 more horsepower (310 vs. 284) and 12 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 259) than the Pathfinder’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the XT6’s fuel efficiency. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the XT6’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Pathfinder doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The XT6 AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Pathfinder (22 vs. 19.5 gallons).

The XT6 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Cadillac XT6 higher (6-7 out of 10) than the Nissan Pathfinder (3 to 5). This means the XT6 produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Pathfinder every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The XT6 stops shorter than the Pathfinder:

	XT6	Pathfinder
60 to 0 MPH	134 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Pathfinder (265/45R21 vs. 255/60R18).

The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pathfinder Platinum’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Pathfinder’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Cadillac XT6’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Nissan Pathfinder only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

The XT6 offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Pathfinder’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The XT6 Sport AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Pathfinder Platinum 4x4 pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XT6 Sport AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the Pathfinder Platinum 4x4 (27.2 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 29.2 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the XT6 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The XT6 uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The front step up height for the XT6 is .5 inches lower than the Pathfinder (18.5” vs. 19”). The XT6’s rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the Pathfinder’s (19” vs. 20.8”).

Cargo Capacity

The XT6’s cargo area is larger than the Pathfinder’s in almost every dimension:

	XT6	Pathfinder
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	15.5”/48”/80.2”	19.2”/43.7”/78.9”
Max Width	50”	45.9”
Min Width	43”	45.4”
Height	32.5”	31.4”

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the XT6’s second row seats and pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Servicing Ease

The XT6 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Pathfinder uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Nissan. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac fourth in service department satisfaction. With a 29% lower rating, Nissan is ranked 17th.

Ergonomics

The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and other key instrumentation readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The XT6’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Pathfinder’s parking brake has to released manually.

The power windows standard on both the XT6 and the Pathfinder have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the XT6 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Pathfinder prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The XT6’s front and rear power windows all open fully with one touch of the switches and its front windows also automatically close, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Pathfinder’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically. The Pathfinder SV/SL/Platinum’s rear windows don’t open automatically.

The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Pathfinder SV/SL/Platinum’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The XT6 has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The automatic headlight on/off feature is not available on the Pathfinder S.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the XT6 detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XT6 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The XT6’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Heated mirrors cost extra on the Pathfinder and aren’t offered on the Pathfinder S.

The XT6’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Pathfinder offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional Automatic Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XT6 is less expensive to operate than the Pathfinder because it costs $190 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the XT6 than the Pathfinder, including $219 less for a starter, $235 less for a fuel pump and $45 less for front struts.

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