2020 Cadillac CT6 Interior Review: The Escalade of Sedan Interiors?

For a year or so at least, the role of “flagship” at Cadillac is transitioning from the CT6 sedan to the 2021 Cadillac Escalade SUV, after which perhaps the 2022 Celestiq EV luxury hatchback sedan may leapfrog both models. Full pricing has yet to be released for the 2021 Escalade Platinum, but we’re told to expect the upcharge for Platinum trim to increase by 6 to 8 percent from 2020 levels, in addition to the $1,000 across-the-board price increase for all Escalades. That’ll put the standard-wheelbase Escalade Platinum at around $102,000-$105,000 for rear-wheel drive/four-wheel drive—that’s $3,200-$6,200 more than the CT6 4.2TT AWD Platinum. How do their interiors compare?

Art & Color

The CT6 offers eight exterior and four interior seat upholstery colors (black, Sahara Beige, Auburn, and Very Light Cashmere), four accent wood schemes (one including carbon-fiber accents), and two dash-upper/headliner colors (black or maple sugar). Semi-aniline leather comes with the Platinum trim. Escalade offers eight interior packages that incorporate six colors, seven woods, and four different perforation/quilting patterns. Personally, the Jet Black version in our test car comes off looking a bit plain without any contrast stitching or piping (like that provided in a recent black Genesis G90), and with wood that’s so black its grain is hard to distinguish. There’s also a curious use of a sliver of carbon fiber along the bottom of the dash that’s almost hidden, making it hard to notice and appreciate. By contrast, the 2021 Escalade Platinum—especially in the Jet Black/Bittersweet upholstery combination with Mondrian seat stitching and Bitter Lace wood has the bespoke look of a hand-built low-volume vehicle.

Screens

Having entered production in the same year that Cadillac’s fabulous Escala concept broke cover at Pebble Beach, the CT6 does not benefit from any of that concept’s interior design cues, while the Escalade seems to have bolted the Escala dash in unchanged. That leaves the CT6 with a typical 12.0-inch fully digital instrument cluster and a 10.2-inch center infotainment touchscreen. The latter at least boasts much better resolution than what launched in 2016, but none of these LCD displays can compete with the Escalade’s three state-of-the-industry curved OLED displays—a 7.2-inch driver info panel on the far left, a 14.2-inch cluster display, and a 16.9-inch infotainment screen, each of which offers twice the pixel density of a 4K home television, guaranteeing crystal-clear resolution. As for rear-seat entertainment screens, the CT6’s motor up dramatically from the seat backs and offer power tilting, but they measure just 10.0 inches on the diagonal. The Escalade’s are less elegantly fixed to the front seat backs, but they measure an industry-topping 12.6 inches each.

Infotainment Interface

We crabbed loudly about the CT6’s touch-pad interface when the car launched in 2016, but last year the Cadillac User Experience traded that loathsome device for a more conventional rotary push-knob. It even features a separate audio volume knob (hallelujah!) just ahead of it on the center console, flanked by seek up/down buttons. The Escalade uses the same setup, and it’s both easily mastered and a cinch to operate without diverting your eyes from the road very long. Now users of either system have the option of touching the screen, selecting items via the push-knob, or using voice commands, all of which elevates CUE significantly in terms of usability.

Audio: 34 versus 19 or 36 Speakers

CT6 Platinum models get Bose’s finest automotive setup, dubbed Panaray. It features 34 speakers. These include four 2.8-inch ones mounted in back-to-back pairs inside 8.2-liter acoustic wave enclosures to cancel vibrations. There’s a 10-inch subwoofer in the rear package tray (SUVs don’t get one of those!), four 4-inch door speakers that each get their own sealed enclosures so as not to rattle any trim, and UltraNearField headrest speakers that allow the whole system to “throw its voice,” making sounds seem to emanate from specific points around the car. The Escalade parts ways with Bose to offer a choice of AKG systems, marking the first time AKG has done an automotive system. The base Studio setup boasts 19 speakers with a 14-channel amplifier and enclosed subwoofer, while the Studio Reference system features 36 speakers driven by three amps providing 28 channels of sound. Both systems include front headrest speakers, as well. Of course, on a speakers-per-seat or -per-cubic-foot of interior volume basis, the CT6 handily wins. Deciding which sounds best is strictly a job for pro audiophiles.

Back Seat Comfort

The CT6 Platinum clearly trumps the Escalade when it comes to spoiling rear-seat passengers. Sure, the entertainment screens are smaller, but they’re also slightly closer, so the image looks similar. Both offer privacy screens for the side windows, four-zone climate control, and seats with heating and cooling. But the CT6’s rear seats are power adjustable with four-way lumbar support adjustment and the same full menu of massage options offered to front-seat occupants (roll, knead, stretch, lumbar, and shoulders, most boasting three intensity levels). We also appreciate the ski passthrough and the ability to fold up the armrest housing most of the seat controls, the rear-seat entertainment system’s remote control, the headphones, and cupholders to allow for an occasional fifth occupant or larger dog to sprawl out across the seat. The CT6 does not, however, offer soft-close doors as the Escalade does.

2020 Cadillac CT6 4.2TT AWD
PRICE	$98,790
LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan
ENGINE	4.2L/500-hp/574-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8
TRANSMISSION	10-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	4,860 lb (55/45%)
WHEELBASE	122.4 in
L x W x H	205.8 x 74.0 x 58.0 in
0-60 MPH	4.3 sec (MT est)
EPA FUEL ECON	14/25/17 mpg
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY	241/135 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	1.11 lb/mile
ON SALE	Currently

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