This week we take a look at the 2019 Cadillac XT5 luxury crossover SUV. XT5 was completely redesigned in 2017 after replacing the Cadillac SRX.
The XT5 has the signature Cadillac look with the vertical LED lights in the front, 20” wheels, and a large grill that gives the XT5 an aggressive look. When they did the redesign, GM also set the wheels out to the corners and they made the wheelbase longer, both improved ride and handling, and I like that they tucked the rear wiper under the rear spoiler, that’s a nice feature when going through a car wash.
Pop the hood and you’ll find the very proven 3.6-liter V6 putting out 310-horses that is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with shift paddles. XT5 comes standard with front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive is optional, which is what I am reviewing this week.
The XT5 comes in 4 trim levels. The base model starts out at $41,695. From there you move up to the Luxury, the Premium Luxury, and then to the top-of-the-line Platinum, which is what I am testing.
Inside the XT5, you will find rich leather seating that is unbelievably soft and if you have back problems, the power lumbar supports have a lot of range.
A bright, colorful dash greets you when you sit behind the power tilt steering wheel with controls. In the center of the large tachometer and speedometer, is the driver information system that is controlled from the steering wheel and gives the driver a ton of information. This is where you switch drive modes from Touring, Sport, and Snow on the all-wheel drive, although I have to say, there is not much difference in the feel from Touring to Sport.
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The center console has large, hidden, cup holders, and there is a place to charge your cellphone. You will also find the shifter, which I am not a fan of, although some people are probably fine with it. Basically, there is a button to push if you want to put it in park, but if you want reverse, you push forward and to the left. For drive, you hit a release and pull back. It takes a little getting used to.
Above the shifter are the climate controls, heated and cooled front seats buttons, then just above that is the 8” color touchscreen that operates the Cadillac CUE system, which stands for Cadillac User Experience. It has been one of my favorite interface systems for years. CUE offers an enhanced 3D GPS navigation and phone integration compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
You also access the 360-degree rearview camera, the navigation system, real-time traffic and weather, and it will completely sync with your smart phone. Everything is simple and easy to operate.
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From the driver’s seat, you also have a terrific head-up display, and if you hit a button on the inside rearview mirror, it becomes a rearview camera to give you a much wider view of what is behind you. It is a neat feature for sure, but the things behind you are not as clear as using the regular mirror.
The back seat of the XT5 is spacious and built in a 40/20/40 configuration. You can also slide the seats forward and backward, and if you need more cargo area, they do fold very flat. Five people will be very comfortable in this SUV, and the cargo area is quite spacious.
The XT5 Platinum comes with everything you would expect from a loaded Cadillac. Most notable is the Bose stereo system with 14-speakers, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, a power moon roof, power hands-free lift gate, keyless entry, and remote start.
On the safety front, you get blind-spot monitoring, forward collision alert, lane keeping assist, forward and reverse automatic braking, and adaptive cruise control.
There are only two options on this SUV totaling $1270. It has the trailer towing package and the cargo convenience package, which includes the butt- ugly roof rack. For the life of me, I can’t imagine who would want these.
The XT5 handles, rides, and corners extremely well, and it is incredibly quiet inside. Fuel economy is 18 in town and 25 on the highway, thanks to cylinder deactivation that cuts you down to 4 cylinders at cruising speeds.
It also has start/stop technology which shuts the engine down at idle, but allows everything else to run. Unfortunately, this cannot be disabled, and that would prevent me from owning this vehicle.
I will add that I find the interior to be rather bland. The leather feels very soft, but it needs offset-colored stitching, or perhaps a different color leather insert in the seats to break up all the black inside.
MSRP on this SUV, completely loaded, is $68,100 and that puts it in line with other SUVs in its class.
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