To watch the video of this comparison test, click here.
I evaluate these SUVs at around the $50,000 price point, and I rank the vehicles on a scale from one to ten in seven different categories for a possible points total of 70 at the end of the article. Thank you to Fair Oaks Ford in Naperville, Illinois for allowing me to drive and review the Aviator! (https://www.fairoaksford.com/
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| 2020 Cadillac XT6, via allcarseveryday |
VALUE: The 2020 XT6 Premium Luxury is the base trim that the XT6 comes in, and it costs $53,690. On the outside of the Cadillac, standard features include big 20-inch wheels, heated exterior mirrors that are auto-dimming on the driver’s side, a hand’s-free power lift-gate, roof-rails, and LED headlights and daytime running lights. The Cadillac also has rain-sensing windshield wipers that turn on automatically. Finally, it has a key-less open system that allows the driver to unlock the car without ever touching the keys, or if the owner so chooses, to start the vehicle before entering it with the fob. This feature is also complimented by Connected Services, which allows drivers to evaluate the status of their vehicle and lock, unlock and start their vehicle from their smartphone. The inside of the XT6 is brightened up by the massive glass sunroof, where light shines onto the leather seating and steering wheel. The front two seats are eight-way power-adjustable with an additional two ways of lumbar adjustment. Both of these seats are heated as is the steering wheel, which will automatically turn on when the seat heaters are in use as well. The XT6 has a memory function for the front seat, mirrors and steering column the latter of which is obviously powered. The XT6 has a humidity sensor that adjusts the tri-zone climate control accordingly based on the levels it detects. The multimedia system in the Cadillac is called CUE for Cadillac User Experience. It’s more intuitive to use now than in its first generation, and it comes with an eight-inch screen in the center console that can learn to recognize your voice. It also brings six USB ports, some of which are USB-C ports, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For people who love their cellphones, the Caddy can charge them wirelessly and it has a 4G LTE hot-spot inside. The audio system is an eight-speaker Bose unit that delivers crisp quality. Rounding off the interior are SiriusXM, a universal home remote, a security package with an alarm and interior movement sensor, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a teen driver setting. This allows parents to control certain features about the XT6 to make the vehicle safer to drive for kids just getting their licenses.
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| 2020 Buick Enclave, via allcarseveryday |
The 2020 Buick Enclave Premium with all-wheel-drive starts at $51,595, or about $2,000 cheaper than the Cadillac. However, the two come from the same parent company, so I’m very interested to see the similarities and differences between these two. On the exterior of the Buick, 18-inch wheels are standard issue, and the exterior mirrors are heated and auto-dimming on the driver side, just like the Caddy. However, both of them are also power-folding. The tailgate is hands-free with a programmable maximum height. Again, like its corporate cousin, the XT6 has full LED headlights and DRLs, but the taillights are not LED. There’s a key-less access system here as well with remote start, and the final exterior feature worth mentioning is the roof rails. The Buick also has the connected services feature that allows drivers to control the Enclave from their smartphone, the exact same feature in the Cadillac. On the inside, the seats are appointed in perforated leather, and they’re ventilated in the front row and heated in the first two rows. The driver seat has a memory function for the seat, mirrors, and powered steering column, and it is eight-way power-adjustable. The passenger gets six ways of power adjustment, and the Enclave even has a powered rear bench seat that folds 60/40. The steering wheel is leather-wrapped with controls for the multimedia system, and it automatically heats when the seat heaters are turned on. Behind the steering wheel sits analog gauges with a 4.2-inch screen for the driver information center. The Buick has tri-zone climate control, HD Radio, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a 120-volt power outlet and 6 USB ports scattered throughout the cabin. SiriusXM, a universal home-remote and quiet tuning are part of the Buick’s interior. The Quiet Tuning is only worth mentioning because Buick has developed an insanely quiet interior, even across more premium luxury brands. The quiet can be disturbed by the Bose ten-speaker audio system, which is better than the Cadillac’s. The Buick has that vehicles humidity sensor and 4G LTE hot-spot, and the screen in the center console is eight inches. This screen hosts Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Bluetooth.
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| 2020 Lincoln Aviator, via allcarseveryday |
Next, let’s check out the 2020 Lincoln Aviator, which should be at least somewhat different than the first two cars we’ve been over. The Aviator standard starts at $51,100. It has full LED headlights, a quad-exhaust system, a hands-free powered lift-gate, a roof rack, and power-folding, heated side mirrors that automatically dim on the driver’s side. The Lincoln has signature lighting that shines from the bottom of the door handle onto the ground below it, so at night the Lincoln logo is displayed on the ground. The wheels are 19 inches in diameter and look good in machined aluminum. Getting into the Aviator is similar to the other vehicles in this test, with a smart key that allows for key-less access and locking as well as remote start. The headlights automatically turn on when the windshield wipers turn on, and the windshield wipers automatically turn on when they sense rain. On the inside, the Lincoln has a leather substitute for the seats and genuine leather for the steering wheel that has redundant controls for the audio, media and climate. The front seats are heated, and both are adjustable ten different ways with lumbar support. The driver’s seat has a memory function for the seats and mirrors, and toward the headliner are a frame-less rear-view mirror with an auto-dimming feature and a universal garage door opener. The technology in the Lincoln is centered around the 10.1-inch screen in the dashboard which houses the SYNC 3 infotainment system. This multimedia interface brings Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, voice recognition, and over-the-air software updates to the Aviator. Additionally, this also gets the Aviator the smartphone app feature that shows a vehicle status and locator as well as having the ability to lock, start, or unlock the Lincoln from your phone. Convenience features in the Lincoln include a tri-zone climate control system, a 110-volt power-outlet, four USB ports, a 4G LTE hot-spot and SiriusXM as well as Bluetooth. The audio system is an in-house unit with ten speakers and a sub-woofer. The second row has a power tilt and slide feature, and the bench can fold in sections 35/30/35, for a lot of seat customization. The third row has full power-folding, and the sections back there are 50/50.
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| 2020 Infiniti QX60, via allcarseveryday |
Finally, last but not least comes the 2020 Infiniti QX60 Luxe all-wheel-drive. The Infiniti is the least expensive of the group by a significant margin at $48,150. At the front of the car are LED DRL’s headlights and fog lights. The Infiniti also has LED brake lights, and a power moon-roof, both of which are features that no other vehicle has except for the Cadillac’s sunroof. The lift-gate out back is powered but it’s not hands-free like some of the other vehicles here. The side-view mirrors are heated and power-folding with an integrated turn signal, but auto-dimming is an option. The Infiniti has roof-rails and 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, but it’s missing rain-sensing wipers. It has the same smart-key as the other vehicles but it’s lacking remote start. The climate control is tri-zone, and the steering wheel is heated and it and the shift knob are leather. The Infiniti has lots of USB ports, two of which are USB-C. The seats are leatherette like most other vehicles in this comparison, and the front two captain’s chairs are eight and six-way power adjustable, and both are heated, respectively. There’s a two-person memory system in the Infiniti for the seat, side mirrors, and powered steering column. This memory function also stores that user’s last used audio and climate settings. The second-row seat is a bench that folds 60/40, and the rear is a 50/50 folding bench. Audiophiles will love the Infiniti’s 13-speaker Bose premium audio system, which is best in test. Bluetooth, SiriusXM, and HD Radio complement the system, as does the voice recognition software that is compatible with Song By Voice. The Infiniti has voice-recognition but lacks any form of 110 or 220 volt outlets. The gauge cluster has two analog gauges and in between is a small driver information center, like the Buick. Like in the other cars, the rear-view mirror dims and has a HomeLink universal transceiver. Finally, the screen in the dashboard is eight inches, and the multimedia software is called InTouch. It brings the app services that the other cars have but only the lock, unlock, and vehicle finder features. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are painfully absent from this vehicle, which is probably due to its age.
Now that we’ve looked at all the features of the four vehicles, let’s score them out of ten. The Cadillac is the most expensive in test, but it did come with a lot of features, like the 20-inch wheels, sunroof, and real leather, among other small ones. It was missing powered rear seats, though which is a staple feature in this segment. I wouldn’t say it necessarily was worth $2,000 more than the Buick, so it gets an eight point five out of ten for value. The Buick has some carryover features, a better audio system, and power rear seats. Nine out of ten. The Aviator was decked out on the outside, and the interior had nearly the same features as the Buick, with a bigger infotainment screen. It was missing out on real leather though. Nine point three for the Aviator. The Infiniti was the cheapest in the comparison by a lot, and it was missing some features that the other cars have. But we can’t forget about the LED brake lights, sunroof, and 13-speaker Bose audio system. Even still, the aging QX60 is missing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it gets a nine point five out of ten, winning the value segment.
RELIABILITY: I get this statistic from Consumer Reports who extensively evaluates every new vehicle for sale. Though they have not yet rated the XT6, every single vehicle in Cadillac’s lineup is rated worse than average reliability. The XT5 has the exact same engine, and a slightly different transmission and is rated as such. Either way, don’t expect more from the XT6. The Enclave is rated by the organization, and naturally receives the same rating because it’s a very similar SUV. The Aviator isn’t rated yet either, but based on the engine, it too receives the same rating. Maybe the Japanese vehicle will be better? Nope, the QX60 is again rated worse than average. Apparently if you want this level of luxury you’re going to have to compromise with some visits to the dealership. I assign a point and a half to each step up or down in Consumer Report’s ratings, but since all four vehicles get the same rating, they also all get a pretty weak score of 5.5 in the reliability segment.
POWER-TRAIN: The XT6 comes with Cadillac’s standard 3.6-liter V6, in this model it makes 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque. In the interest of fuel economy, it also has a stop/start function for traffic lights or standstill traffic, where the Cadillac will shut off the engine for periods where the car is stopped with the driver’s foot on the brake to conserve fuel. This feature works well on some cars more than others, and fortunately if you find this distracting, you can disable it. Though the engine has been around the block a few times, the transmission is still a new product for General Motors, as it has nine speeds. The Cadillac sends power to the front wheels only, the cheapest all-wheel-drive version of this SUV was around $3,000 more and out of the scope of price range for meeting the $50,000 mark. All in, the XT6 should hit 60 miles per hour from a standstill in about 7.1 seconds.
The Buick has an identical engine, but General Motors must have tuned it for the Cadillac because in the Buick it makes the same 310 horsepower but less torque at 266 pound-feet. Like in the other vehicle it retains its stop/start technology. Since the Enclave’s redesign, it also got the new nine-speed. The Buick is quicker than the XT6 with a 0-60 time of 6.4 seconds, which is entirely due to the all-wheel-drive.
The Aviator gets a powerful and modern twin-turbo V6 that makes 400 horsepower and a 415 pound-feet of torque, which really makes the Lincoln feel speedy. And speedy it is, with an estimated 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds. I had the opportunity to drive the Lincoln, and like the 0-60 time suggests the thing gets down. Though I thought the driving dynamics were well sorted out for a vehicle this big, I can’t factor that into the points evaluation until I can drive all four vehicles. The Lincoln is not all-wheel-drive in the trim I’m comparing, but power is routed to the rear wheels through Ford’s 10-speed transmission. The Lincoln’s engine also gets a stop/start feature like the GM cars.
The Infiniti uses Nissan’s VR series 3.5-liter V6 engine. This engine is really old, but on the plus side, it’s had all of its flaws worked out and it does its job rather well. It’s been bumped to 295 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque but is still no match for the twin turbos in the Lincoln. The Infiniti is the only SUV here with a Continuously Variable Transmission, which is a type of transmission without real gears. Instead, it has infinitely swappable ratios that try and keep the engine either in the prime of its power-band, or—more likely—at the most fuel-efficient RPM. These transmissions tend to be annoying, but some won’t even notice a difference. The Infiniti hops off the line with its all-wheel-drive, but still takes 7.2 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour. The Infiniti is the only vehicle here without stop/start tech. The older power-train and CVT bring down the Infiniti’s score, but the all-wheel-drive brings it up a tad to seven point two. The Cadillac gets an eight for the engine and nine-speed, and the Buick gets an eight point five for the all-wheel-drive. The Lincoln, however, dominates this category, with pure brawn, an awesome ten-speed automatic, and it obliterates the drag race. It doesn’t have all-wheel-drive in the Standard trim however, which knocks it down from a perfect ten to a nine point five.
FUEL ECONOMY: Now that we’ve seen how the power-train of each SUV performs, let’s look at how much premium fuel it’s going to suck down. The Cadillac’s V6 manages to get 18 miles per gallon in the city and 25 miles per gallon on the highway. The Enclave gets 17 in the city and 25 on the highway. This is ironic because the two GM vehicles have the same engine but the Enclave has all-wheel-drive, yet there’s only a one point difference in city fuel economy. The Lincoln matches the Cadillac in the city at 18, but scores a point on it in the highway with a mileage estimate of 26. The QX60 gets the best scores in the test, but not by a whole lot with 19 in the city and 26 in the highway. The Infiniti has all-wheel-drive though, which only one of the other competitors has, yet it still manages the best numbers. That’s going to be a seven for the Buick, a seven point two for the Cadillac, a seven point four for the Lincoln, and a seven point six for the Infiniti.
SAFETY: Since two of these vehicles are so new that they haven’t been rated by the IIHS yet, we will instead be looking at the active safety features that each SUV has to offer. The XT6 has lots of active safety features, a few of which are forward collision alert with pedestrian detection, lane-change alert with blind spot monitoring, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking and front and rear parking assist. Furthermore, the Cadillac has a following distance indicator for highway use, an inclination sensor that alerts the driver if their vehicle is being lifted off the ground either by thieves or a tow truck, and a seat that will vibrate the bottom cushion as a warning for the safety systems if the driver prefers that instead of hearing the warning beeps.
The Buick has the same features as the Cadillac, save the automatic emergency braking, inclination sensor, and rear parking sensors. For the record, the Buick received mostly good ratings from the IIHS and a five star overall rating from the NHTSA. Standard on the Lincoln are pre-collision assistance with automatic braking, forward collision warning, dynamic brake support, and pedestrian detection.
The Lincoln also has Ford’s CoPilot 360, which nets blind-spot detection with cross traffic alert, a lane keeping system, and automatic high beams which turn off the Lincoln’s brights when it senses oncoming traffic that could be blinded.
Drivers are aided in the Infiniti by the blind-spot warning system, predictive forward collision warning, and forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection. This isn’t as much as is in the other vehicles, as the Infiniti offers those features as an option on the QX60. The only commercial I ever remember seeing for this vehicle was the ‘We Choose’ campaign in 2012 that painted the model as the safest on the market with its back-up collision intervention system. Ironically, though that vehicle was the first to bring it to market, six years later that feature remains an option on the Infiniti and standard on its competitors.
The Cadillac will get a nine out of ten for its active safety features, missing the ten because the adaptive cruise control feature is optional. The Buick gets an eight point three, because of the three features it was missing relative to the XT6. The Aviator gets the same as the Buick, for missing the parking sensors but getting the auto high-beams. Finally, the QX60 brings up the rear with a score of seven, covering the basics but not adding any more premium features without having to spend more.
STYLING: This is a subjective category, and you could completely disagree with what I think looks good or bad. Starting with the front of the SUVs, the Cadillac looks the best. It looks serious but stylish, and to me conveys a more premium feel than the Enclave or QX60. The thin headlights and uncluttered grille are modern and very good-looking. The vertical accent lighting is now a Cadillac staple and contributes to the front end’s commanding stance. Unfortunately, below the belt-line the sheet metal makes the XT6 look a little too much like an SRX, like a big floaty Cadillac of yore. The rear of the XT6 is nearly as good as the front, however it is slightly more generic. The next best front design is the Aviator, which aesthetically takes a bigger step than the Cadillac in terms of design. The front is drawn back more, like a wind-swept look. It makes the Lincoln seem sportier than the Cadillac, but the LED accent lighting isn’t executed as well as I think the XT6’s is. The side profile definitely goes to the Lincoln as it’s windswept roof-line turns into a fastback/coupe look where the rear seats start. The belt-line stays constant as the roof-line drops, which is a common trend among almost all new vehicles, in my eyes it almost always looks good and the Lincoln is no different. The rear of the Aviator is the best in test, the big wheels make the vehicle’s stance aggressive from this angle. The taillights identify this as a Lincoln, but I think they are much more successful than the current Navigator’s. They’re more svelte and convey more luxury than in your face obnoxiousness. The roof spoiler and bumper cut-lines pull up toward the middle of the car, which gives the Lincoln a finite end to the car. Finally, though I like the Cadillac’s large dual exhaust tips, the Lincoln is more successful with the quad circular exhaust tips because it’s a bolder look. You won’t forget the Lincoln’s styling. The other two competitors are older and more challenged stylistically. The Buick doesn’t look bad by any means, but it looks a little inflated compared to the cut XT6 and sporty Lincoln. Again, it isn’t unattractive, but I think the side profile is a little busy, and both the front and rear fascias are too similar to the original Enclave that came out in 2008. Design has evolved since then. I like the front of the Buick better than the QX60’s but the rear of the QX60 is actually still pretty modern considering how old the car is. The thin taillights have an attractive shape, and the rear ditched the frumpiness of the front. The side profile isn’t bad either, with a BMW-like kink in the rear window and some of that sweeping look that the Lincoln has. However, the killer to the QX60’s design is the front, where the headlights are bulbous and too far apart. It hasn’t aged well either, and I can immediately identify it as old Infiniti styling, especially when you compare it to the QX30. On the interiors, the Lincoln is the best with its strong vent line and digital instrument cluster. Usually, I’m not a fan of the standalone screen in the dashboard (like in Mercedes vehicles primarily) but in the Aviator it seems to work better, maybe because it’s sunken below the absolute highest level of the dashboard. The Cadillac comes in second, it has very little analog controls which makes the dashboard look uncluttered. However, to get that look down well, the dashboard needs to be mostly one material, without a lot of surface changes, which I think Cadillac failed to notice. They could take a page out of Tesla’s book in the future if they want to maintain such a clean look. The Buick has nearly the same interior, and it’s a shame GM had a lot of part sharing here. The only real difference between the two is that the Cadillac is again more cut whereas the Buick is curvy. The QX60 interior isn’t a bad place to be, but it’s very obviously old again. Lot’s going on underneath the touchscreen, and there is nothing revolutionary on the inside that I feel like the Lincoln and Cadillac provide. Eight point three points for the Cadillac, nine for the Lincoln, seven point five for the Buick and six point nine for the Infiniti.
USABILITY: Now let’s move on to usability, which accounts for how well the SUV’s perform at the task they were intended, which is hauling people and their stuff. The Cadillac has 12.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 43.1 behind the second, and 78.7 with all seats down. The Cadillac has six USB ports, two of which are USB-C. The rear seats are similar to the other vehicles, with two access points to manually fold the seats. The Aviator has less USB ports at four, however it has power tip and slide in the second row and full power-folding in the third row, which parents and children alike can appreciate. The Lincoln has 18.3 cubes available behind the third row, 41.8 behind the second and 77.7 with all seats down. The Buick absolutely demolishes the cargo-capacity game, offering 23.6 cubic feet behind the third row alone, 58 with the second row folded, and 97.6 with all seats down. That’s significantly better than the other SUVs in test...if you do a lot of heavy travelling, the Buick is your vehicle. It offers 6 USB ports, with two per row of the vehicle. And let’s not forget that the third row is power-folding 60/40 in this vehicle as well. The QX60 has two different ways to move the second row like most three-row SUVs, and both are pretty easy. To get out of the rear seat it takes only one hand, to get in it requires two to push the seat down. It also has a 12-volt power outlet for the third-row rear seat, a USB for the second row, and two for the front. The Infiniti has 16 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats up, 40.5 with the third row down, and 76.2 with both rear rows down. Finally, the towing capacity for each vehicle is 1,500 pounds for the Buick, 1,311 for the Cadillac, an enormous 6,700 for the Lincoln, and 5,000 for the QX60. Points in this category are seven for the Cadillac, which is missing out on towing and cargo space, nine for the Lincoln, which has the best towing, easiest ingress and egress, and decent cargo capacity, eight point two for the Buick which had great cargo capacity and power seats, and seven point five for the Infiniti, which had the second-best towing.
CADILLAC: 53.5
LINCOLN: 58
BUICK: 54
INFINITI: 51.2
As you can see, the Lincoln won pretty handily. Before we get into why it won, I would like to point out that although the Lincoln dealer allowed me to drive the Aviator, it won fair and square. It had the best power-train and performance, was second best as a value proposition and in fuel economy. Again, styling is subjective, but I think the Lincoln is easily the best buy here. The Infiniti comes in last, which honestly isn’t saying much as it’s the oldest model here by a lot. However, dealers will be offering significant discounts when the new model comes out, so you could have a slightly older but still solid model from Infiniti for very cheap. The Cadillac was sort of a disappointment for me. It’s got great looks but a little less substance than I wanted, and its very existence is threatened by the fact that you can essentially get the same vehicle for far less money (and sometimes with more features) in the form of the Enclave. That SUV gets second, which to me has found its niche a long time ago and now does what it does very well. I’d be curious to see if an updated GM cousin could defeat the Aviator in the future, but for right now, the Lincoln is what I would recommend spending your money on.
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