Compare the2024 Cadillac XT6VS 2023 Audi Q7

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

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the XT6 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q7 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Q7 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the XT6 and the Q7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, night vision systems 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 Audi Q7:

	XT6	Q7
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	25%	25%
Neck Compression	28 lbs.	37 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	38%	44%
Leg Forces (l/r)	9/6 lbs.	46/29 lbs.

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Cadillac XT6 is safer than the Q7:

	XT6	Q7
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	176	225
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	19 cm	30 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Femur Force R/L	.2/.1 kN	5.5/.1 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	4%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD

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 Audi Q7:

	XT6	Q7
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	98	187
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	117 lbs.	128 lbs.
Hip Force	255 lbs.	350 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	180	337
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	62 G’s
Hip Force	249 lbs.	888 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	40 G’s

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 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 Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Q7 last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the XT6 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Q7 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 84 percent more Cadillac dealers than there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the XT6’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XT6 first among upper midsize premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Q7 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in long-term dependability. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

Engine

The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 49 more horsepower (310 vs. 261) than the Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XT6 gets better mileage than the Q7:

			MPG
XT6
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy
Q7
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	18 city/22 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the XT6’s fuel efficiency. The Q7 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Cadillac XT6 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The Q7 55 TFSI requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

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 Q7 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 to 7 out of 10) than the Audi Q7 (3 to 5). This means the XT6 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q7 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Cadillac XT6, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Q7.

Brakes and Stopping

The XT6 stops shorter than the Q7:

	XT6	Q7
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Cadillac XT6’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Audi Q7 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The XT6 has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Q7 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The XT6 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Q7; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the Q7 don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

Suspension and Handling

The XT6 Sport AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Q7 Prestige pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the XT6’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the Q7’s (38.7 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Cadillac XT6 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 pounds less than the Audi Q7.

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 Q7 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 Q7 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The XT6 has .3 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more third row headroom, .3 inches more third row legroom and 4.1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Q7.

Cargo Capacity

The XT6’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q7.

	XT6	Q7
Third Seat Folded	43.1 cubic feet	37.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	78.7 cubic feet	69.6 cubic feet

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the XT6’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q7 doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

Towing

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the XT6 uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q7 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Audi. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 15% lower rating, Audi is ranked 8th.

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XT6 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q7 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The XT6’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Q7’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XT6 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Q7 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Model Availability

The XT6 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q7 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the XT6 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the XT6 will cost $695 less than the Q7 over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XT6 is less expensive to operate than the Q7 because typical repairs cost much less on the XT6 than the Q7, including $52 less for a muffler, $72 less for front brake pads, $647 less for a starter, $345 less for fuel injection, $106 less for a fuel pump, $565 less for front struts and $377 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Cadillac XT6 will be $10564 to $18225 less than for the Audi Q7.

Recommendations

The Cadillac XT6 outsold the Audi Q7/SQ7 by 745 units during 2022.

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