Compare the2024 Audi Q7VS 2024 Cadillac XT6

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q7 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 its second-row seat belts.

Both the Q7 and XT6 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The XT6’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Q7 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The XT6 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the XT6.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q7’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The XT6 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q7 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seemlesly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The XT6 doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

Both the Q7 and XT6 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Q7 has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The XT6’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Q7 and the XT6 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 night vision systems and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi Q7 is safer than the Cadillac XT6:

	Q7	XT6
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	290	292
Hip Force	557 lbs.	666 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Audi Q7 is much safer than the XT6:

	Q7	XT6
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.1 in
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	40	170
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	156 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	POOR
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	1.61 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	2.2 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	13 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Audi Q7 achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The XT6 is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

The Q7’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the XT6’s (12 vs. 6 years).

Engine

The Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 26 more horsepower (261 vs. 235) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 258) than the XT6’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Q7 45 TFSI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 2 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 271) than the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6. The Q7 55 TFSI’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 25 more horsepower (335 vs. 310) and 98 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 271) than the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Q7 55 TFSI 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid is faster than the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport 3.6 DOHC V6:

	Q7	XT6
Zero to 60 MPH	7 sec	7.1 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.8 sec	5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.4 sec	15.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97 MPH	93 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q7 45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder Hybrid gets better fuel mileage than the XT6 3.6 DOHC V6 AWD (19 city/25 hwy vs. 18 city/25 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the Q7’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The XT6 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q7 has 3.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the XT6 FWD’s standard fuel tank (22.5 vs. 19 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Q7 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the XT6. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q7’s brake rotors are larger than those on the XT6:

	Q7	XT6
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.4 inches

The Q7 stops much shorter than the XT6:

	Q7	XT6
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	171 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q7 has larger standard tires than the XT6 (255/55R19 vs. 235/55R20). The Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the XT6 (285/45R20 vs. 265/45R21).

The Q7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the XT6’s standard 65 series tires. The Q7 Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q7 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the XT6. The Q7 Prestige’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Q7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The XT6 doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q7’s wheelbase is 5.2 inches longer than on the XT6 (117.9 inches vs. 112.7 inches).

The Q7 Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the XT6 Sport AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the XT6 Sport AWD (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.2 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Q7 has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the XT6 (8.3 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q7 w/Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 3 inches higher than on the XT6 (9.7 vs. 6.7 inches).

Passenger Space

The Q7 has .1 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the XT6.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Q7	XT6
Behind Third Seat	14.2 cubic feet	12.6 cubic feet

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Cadillac XT6 is limited to 4000 pounds. The Q7 offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Q7 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the XT6. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the XT6, the Q7 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Q7’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The XT6’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Q7 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the XT6 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Q7’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The XT6’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q7 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The XT6 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Laser headlights, optional on the Q7 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the XT6’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

Consumer Reports rated the Q7’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the XT6’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

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 Q7’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the XT6’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q7 Prestige offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The XT6 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Q7 has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The XT6 doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

A manual rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q7 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XT6 doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The Q7 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the XT6.

The Q7 55 TFSI Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The XT6 Premium Luxury/Sport’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Q7 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Q7 with a number “5” insurance rate while the XT6 is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q7 is less expensive to operate than the XT6 because it costs $173 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Q7 than the XT6, including $140 less for a water pump and $227 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q7 and the Cadillac XT6, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Audi Q7/SQ7 outsold the Cadillac XT6 by 51% during 2023.

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