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2020 Cadillac XT6 Sport First Drive Review | An unexpectedly strong performer

Cadillac is in an unenviable position right now. Over the past few years, it developed some excellent driving sedans just in time for the world to demand nothing but crossovers. Now it’s working fast to get more crossovers on the market besides the XT5. Its latest is the 2020 Cadillac XT6, a large three-row luxury crossover designed to slide under the enormous Escalade and provide less truck-like driving characteristics. And while it has an underwhelming wrapper, itÂ’s actually a refined, capable and spacious luxury crossover. Still, it must be emphasized that the Cadillac XT6 does not make a strong first impression. The Escalade is brash, bold and above all, big. That's exactly what's been historically expected from Cadillac, but the XT6 just looks like any three-row crossover with some creased lights and lines that help make it look like a Cadillac. ItÂ’s not ugly, but it's not memorable, either. The interior is a mixed bag. The materials are impressive, with interior panels covered in leather and suede in a loaded Premium Luxury version we drove (we haven't had a chance to see a base version). The other trim level, the Sport, gets real carbon fiber trim thatÂ’s made more interesting with copper wires woven into the material for a metallic glint. ThereÂ’s real metal trim throughout, too, from the shift paddles to the nicely weighted infotainment and volume knobs. Unfortunately, the actual dash design looks uninspired and even a little cheap. This is something that weÂ’ve noticed on many GM vehicles, and what seems to be the culprit is that every panel is oddly chunky and blunt. There are no crisp or sharp edges, no thin details, no "wow" moments. The seats arenÂ’t particularly impressive either, as theyÂ’re flat and not very supportive. More lumbar and bolstering would help. The interior is at least spacious, with loads of head, leg and shoulder room in the first two rows. The third-row seat is even usable by adults, at least for short trips since head- and legroom are tight and the seat itself is low. It's similar to what you'd find in the more expensive BMW X7, but less than a Buick Enclave or most non-luxury three-row crossovers. Access to the third row is quite good thanks to the far-sliding second row, and it folds away into the cargo floor at the push of a button at either rear door. There are also USB outlets for every seating position, another thoughtful touch. Once the Cadillac XT6 is on the road, it has some impressive aspects.

Meet the other Cadillac wagon. It's as American as ABBA

The Cadillac CTS Wagon became a cult classic the second it went on sale. We all knew that it was never going to sell in anything approaching significant numbers, and if that "we" didn't include those actually working at GM, one would have to wonder what they were smoking. Cadillac was still having a hard enough time trying to convince people that it was now a BMW-fighting sport luxury brand rather than the purveyor of Grandpa-piloted land yachts. To many, a sport sedan like the CTS seemed like a stretch. But a CTS sport wagon? It sure seemed like GM was just doing things for funzies, an impression only enhanced by the CTS-V Wagon. Forget cult classic. That thing was an instant legend.  And yet, the CTS wasn't the only Cadillac of that era offered as a wagon. It wasn't even the first. Before GM said "to hell with it, let's have some fun" on this side of the pond, over in Europe, it had already taken a page from its old badge-engineering playbook to create the 2006 Cadillac BLS Wagon. It was available as a sedan, too, but its awkward majesty is best enjoyed as the long-roof model.  There's just something off about the whole thing, right? That's probably because it also looks vaguely familiar, as if you've seen it before. So where the hell does this thing come from? Sweden! Behind that Cadillac Art and Science face is a Saab 9-3, and in the case of the BLS Wagon, the Saab 9-3 Sport Combi wagon. The roofline is the dead giveaway, as no other wagon has ever looked like that. In fact, the roof and windows were the only exterior elements to copy directly over from 9-3 to BLS. No kidding. With the Cadillac front end, doesn't the Saab-funky-boxiness make it look like a miniature hearse? The answer is yes. GM's design team, led by Ed Welburn, was quite pleased with his work. Perhaps it even egged him on to create a real Cadillac sport wagon? "The whole team was very excited to apply Cadillac's design language to a wagon for the first time," said Welburn in a press release from the time. "The V-shaped chrome-plated grille, a Cadillac hallmark, is picked up again by the shape of the rear window, and the body side character lines make it unmistakably a Cadillac." The interior is surprisingly different from the 9-3, including the ignition switch migrating from the center console up to the steering column. It also wasn't exactly in keeping with the Cadillac norm of the time.

Cadillac applies to trademark Symboliq, Optiq and Celestiq names

GM Authority found a General Motors trademark filing with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property for the phrase "Cadillac Symboliq" and the name "Symboliq." The documents submitted on July 22 were for the category of "Motorized land vehicles, namely automobiles.” It appears the Swiss action was GM following up on what it had done the day before in the U.S. On July 21, GM filed paperwork with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to secure three words and three phrases: Symboliq and Cadillac Symboliq, Optiq and Cadillac Optiq, and Celestiq and Cadillac Celestiq. Every name is listed for application to "Motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles." Cadillac recently explained its switch to model names that end in "iq," pronounced "ick," and the fact that the Celestiq name is among the recent trio leads us to believe the automaker has strong intent to use the other two on future products. We know the Celestiq — a large, hand-built, flagship sedan that will follow the Lyriq to market, predicted to retail for close to $200,000 whenever it goes on sale. We also know Cadillac has three more battery-electric products in the works after the XT5-sized Lyriq and "massive" Celestiq. As laid out in a 2019 GM Sustainability Report pitching 20 new electric vehicles across all brands by 2023, from Cadillac we're anticipating an XT4-sized crossover, an XT6-sized three-row crossover, and an electric take on the Escalade. Two of those three could get the Symboliq and Optiq names. The lineup, and more important, Cadillac's vision, will make more sense on August 6 when we finally get to see the Lyriq concept, with its single pane of 33-inch glass forming the instrument and infotainment display across the dash, tall taillights, and 22-inch wheels.   Related Video: