For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Ascent have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Cadillac XT6 doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.
The Ascent has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The XT6 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Ascent. But it costs extra on the XT6.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Ascent’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The XT6 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.
Both the Ascent and the XT6 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the Cadillac XT6:
|
Ascent |
XT6 |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
21% |
25% |
Neck Compression |
8 lbs. |
28 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
159/292 lbs. |
161/358 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
210 |
305 |
Neck Injury Risk |
33% |
38% |
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 Subaru Ascent is safer than the Cadillac XT6:
|
Ascent |
XT6 |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
37 |
98 |
Chest Movement |
.5 inches |
.7 inches |
Abdominal Force |
73 G’s |
117 G’s |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
81 |
180 |
Spine Acceleration |
27 G’s |
41 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
149 |
292 |
Hip Force |
637 lbs. |
666 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
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 front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Ascent its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 113 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The XT6 is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.