On July 18th, XT6, Cadillac’s brand-new medium and large SUV, was officially launched, with a price of 419,700-549,700 yuan. The brand-new C1XX platform provides two layouts: 6 seats with 2+2+2 and 7 seats with 2+3+2. The whole system is equipped with a 2.0T+9AT powertrain with good energy consumption and performance. It seems that XT6 is not weak in the medium and large SUV market, but in fact, XT6 is one level behind medium and large SUVs.
This level refers to the chassis As we all know, German cars have made great achievements in handling performance and creating a sense of movement. The reason is that most models adopt the chassis form of front and rear drive, which not only gives it better sports properties, but also deserves praise for its handling stability. With the front suspension with front double wishbone structure, the German car has a more balanced performance in comfort and handling. Even the most affordable Audi brand in BBA, starting from A4 level, has provided front double wishbone suspension to ensure the stability of vehicle handling, and the four-wheel drive system of some high-end models has also made its driving stability more obvious.
In fact, Xiaobian wrote about the difference between double wishbone suspension and McPherson suspension some time ago (The front suspension is the key to control. On the difference between McPherson and double wishbone suspension）。 Simply put, the front double wishbone suspension is more suitable for medium and large SUVs or luxury cars; McPherson is more suitable for small cars or cheap models. The form of the front suspension directly determines the high-speed stability and safety of the vehicle.
For example, entry-level models such as BMW X1 and Audi Q3 will also be built with the front drive platform of the former McPherson structure due to cost and positioning problems. There is nothing wrong with this. After all, the body size of these entry-level models is not very large, and they are generally 4-cylinder small-displacement engines (the front axle is lighter). Under special circumstances such as emergency lane change, the body weight will not bring more burden to the front axle, and the handling performance can still be guaranteed, which is the basis of the high-speed stability of the vehicle (which is the reason for high-speed drifting) and the basis of driving safety.
Cadillac XT6 rivals at the same level can also prove the advantages of the double wishbone. Looking at competitors at the same level, only Lexus RX, which is completely home-style, adopts the front McPherson suspension, while all European competitors adopt the front double wishbone suspension without exception. Even the lower-level GLC, Audi Q5 and domestic Haval H9 and other medium and large SUV models all adopt the front double wishbone suspension without exception, so it is customary to adopt the double wishbone suspension at this level.
As for XT6, whose body length has exceeded 5 meters and curb weight has reached 2 tons, especially on the basis that the engine compartment can be completely integrated into the double wishbone structure, what forced Cadillac engineers to insist on choosing the former McPherson structure for this big guy? Xiaobian thought of the following two points.
A better McPherson front suspension is not necessarily worse than a double wishbone, is it? Yes, it is true that training is also one aspect that Xiaobian can think of. Otherwise, how can French cars use the rear suspension of a scooter to play many independent suspension competitors? However, can Cadillac’s engineer training level really be higher than that of German brand car companies? This small series really has reservations. The training level can’t win others, and the lower-end suspension form can only confirm that Cadillac has a gap with German brands in research and development capabilities.
In addition to research and development capabilities, the only explanation that Xiaobian can think of is that Cadillac wants to further reduce costs to obtain better terminal prices. However, consumers are considering luxury brand models. Will they really give up vehicle handling and safety because of the price problem? If I were a consumer, I would definitely buy a car with a higher chassis quality.
Of course, the small series of the four-wheel drive system should also be worded. In the eyes of car companies, four-wheel drive systems are divided into four-wheel drive systems built by front and rear drive platforms and four-wheel drive systems built by front and front drive platforms. Although they are all four-wheel drives, their performance varies widely. XT6 also chose a lower-end front transverse four-wheel drive structure. Although XT6 owners will not participate in any off-road activities, compared with the four-wheel drive models built by the front longitudinal rear drive platform, XT6’s wet road performance does not take any advantage, and the only advantage is that the research and development cost is lower.
Focal view
Therefore, as far as Xiaobian is concerned, XT6 is really one level lower than those competitors in terms of chassis capacity alone. Therefore, if you value chassis texture and vehicle performance, German SUV is still your first choice. The only thing that makes me want to buy Cadillac XT6 is that it has a preferential terminal price as soon as it goes on the market. By the way, Xiaobian learned from the 4S shop that XT6 had a terminal discount of 20,000 yuan before it arrived in large quantities, so it is not a dream to wait for 300,000 yuan to buy XT6.
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