Cadillac, synonymous with the ‘American dream’
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- Published on Friday, November 25, 2016
Photo by Ben Castle. The design of the Cadillac XT5 is modern and edgy, a natural evolution of the 2016 SRX.
Ben Castle
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One of my earliest memories growing up in the UK is listening to Billy Joel with my parents, in particular, the 1970s pop song “Movin’ Out”, where he sings about “Sergeant O’ Leary”, “trading in his Chevy for a Cadillac” and then hearing the V8 soundtrack of a car driving off at the end of the song (although it turns out this was actually a Corvette). Pop culture has made Cadillac arguably North America’s most aspirational brand and driving a Cadillac is synonymous with the “American dream”.
Unfortunately, after the excesses of the post-war years, in the 1980s and 1990s, Cadillac’s image became rather staid and although it retained the luxury, it tended to be favoured by a more elderly demographic. Fortunately, Cadillac rebooted for the new millennium with all new models such as the CTS sedan and SRX and Escalade SUVs. These new models universally revived its aspirational image, producing a range of luxury sedans and SUVs that are every bit a match for luxury vehicles from Europe and Japan. So where does that leave the new-for-2017 Cadillac XT5?
Good car, great warranty
All Cadillac XT5s in Canada come with a 3.6 litre V6 engine, with 310 horsepower and 271 pound feet of torque, which is driven through an 8-speed torque converter automatic transmission. Probably thanks in part to that 8-speed transmission, Cadillac claims an impressive 8.9 litres per 100 kilometres highway, which is pretty impressive for a V6 mid-sized SUV and over 10% better than the “old” SRX with the six-speed transmission. Maximum towing capacity is 3500 pounds, which is average for the class and matches the outgoing SRX. Cadillac customers also benefit from a 4 year/80,000km bumper-to-bumper warranty and 6 year/110,000km powertrain warranty, matched by 6 years roadside assistance and 6 years complimentary courtesy transportation if your Cadillac should require warranty repairs. The Cadillac Premium Care Maintenance program also includes complimentary oil changes, air filter changes and tire rotations for the first 4 years/80,000km. This is one of the best warranty packages in the business and makes the XT5 surprisingly affordable to run!
From $45,000 to $68,000
XT5 is available with four equipment packages. Base starts at $45,100 and is only available with 2WD, but being a Cadillac, still comes exceptionally well-equipped with automatic projector-beam headlights, LED tail-lamps, 18 inch aluminum wheels, power and heated leather seats, XM radio, adaptive remote start, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, proximity entry with push-button start, power lift gate, rear-view camera with backup sensors and a Bose 8-speaker sound system being just a few highlights of the comprehensive standard spec. A $4,150 upgrade to Luxury gains you memory driver’s seat with power lumbar, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, power folding mirrors, front parking sensors, rear cross-traffic and side blind zone alert, rain-sensing wipers and a panoramic roof. Add $2,870 if you want AWD. A further $7,710 will buy you the Premium Luxury package with standard AWD, Bose surround sound with 14 speakers, navigation with voice recognition, LED Intellibeam headlamps, ventilated front seats, 20 inch aluminum wheels, performance suspension with selectable modes and the driver awareness package comprising safety alert seat, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, front pedestrian and automatic braking. The ultimate XT5 is the Platinum, at an additional $8,765, which adds tri-zone climate control, head-up display, hands free power lift gate, rear camera mirror, heated rear seats, 360 degree camera, premium grade leather and advanced security. The rear camera mirror is a class exclusive feature whereby you get a virtual image of what is behind you in the rear view mirror courtesy of a rear-mounted camera. Some of the features on Premium Luxury and Platinum are also optional on Luxury.
Divisive design
Cadillac’s new design language is divisive, but I like it. It’s modern and edgy and unlike anything else available from domestic, Asian or European competitors. It is a natural evolution of the 2016 SRX’s design and brings it bang up to date. The best features are the curved LED lights that offer fantastic illumination (better than any other vehicle that I have tested this year) and the illuminated exterior door handles. I was, however, surprised that the XT5 does not feature puddle lamps in the bottom of the door mirrors or doors, as the illuminated door handles do not light up the ground as brightly as I would like.
Plenty of features, new or improved
The test model supplied by Murray Cadillac in Brandon was an XT5 Premium Luxury, $61,340 as tested, including a wheel upgrade, block heater and the $770 tri-zone climate control package, which also comes with heated rear, outboard seats. As one would expect of a Cadillac, the seats are extremely supportive and comfortable and the leather and interior plastics are of excellent quality. Cadillac has improved their much-maligned CUE infotainment system and the 8 inch touchscreen is now much more responsive. They have also added buttons on the dash for the climate controls and heated rear seats. Due to the panoramic roof on this model, there is no dome light in the roof, but the LED interior lights in the front provide ample interior lighting and the blue accent lighting around the door handles is a classy touch. My only minor complaints are that the steering column stalks feel a little less premium than the rest of the interior and the storage space in the centre console is a little smaller than I expected. The wheelbase has an increased 2 inches from the SRX, which translates to 3 inches more rear legroom. This gives it one of the roomiest and most comfortable rear cabins in the class, even for three adults. The load area, at 850 litres, is a small improvement on the SRX, but although not as tall as I expected, there is additional storage underneath, where the spare wheel would be (a compact spare wheel is optional). In addition, the rear seats fold down to give a useful and completely flat load area with minimal intrusions.
Out on the road, the V6 has ample power, is very refined and sounds good under acceleration with the 8-speed transmission being an excellent, seamless, slick-shifting companion, even in manual mode using the steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters.
Electronic shifters that work well
I averaged 11 litres per 100 kilometres during my time with the car, which is pretty decent for a near 2 tonne, V6 AWD mid-size SUV. XT5 defaults to Touring mode, which is 2WD for maximum efficiency, but you can switch to AWD or Sport mode on the hop. In Touring mode, with the engine barely ticking over at 1500rpm at 110 kilometres per hour, I would expect Cadillac’s claimed highway figure to be more than achievable on an extended highway run. Having heard about issues with other manufacturer’s electronic shifters, this one is actually very simple and intuitive to use. Just flick the lever back to put it into drive or twice to put it in manual mode, forward and to the left for reverse and press the button on top of the shifter for park. It allows you to take off much more efficiently without having to shift through reverse and neutral to get between park and drive and the standard stop-start system is seamless and responds more quickly than you can think! XT5 deals with the bumps well and takes the edge off the big ones, but I still felt them a bit more than I expected to.
Perhaps the 18 inch wheels standard on Base and Luxury would give more of the luxury ride that I would expect from a Cadillac.
This firmer than expected ride makes more sense when you throw it down a twisty road, where the XT5 has a more sporty feel than expected. The steering is a little weightier than anticipated, especially in Sport mode and at speed it feels very composed with little body roll or “float” in the bends, which means that you can comfortably maintain a fairly swift cross-country pace. On the highway, I found the lane departure warning a little inconsistent, but perhaps I just needed to adjust the sensitivity. Most of my test drive was carried out under darkness and the LED headlights really are excellent and the adaptive lighting, where an additional light illuminates in the direction you are turning to give you a better view of the intersection, is an excellent feature which enhances safety and works really well.
The leather and plastics of the interior of the XT5 are high quality, the seats are comfortable and there are plenty of new and improved features.
For my money, the XT5 Luxury AWD would be the one to go for in terms of value and features, with the smaller 18 inch rims hopefully giving more of that Cadillac magic carpet ride. I would also want the Tri-zone climate control package with the heated rear seats. However, if you value the extra features such as the upgraded Bose system, navigation, ventilated seats and those admittedly excellent LED, Intellibeam headlights, then the Premium Luxury model also represents a compelling case.
So, should you buy one? For $10,000-$15,000 less, you could get a similarly sized and fully-loaded GMC Terrain or Buick Envision, but you will miss out on the Cadillac ambiance, styling, refinement, prestige and that excellent 8-speed transmission. European rivals from Porsche and Audi will offer you more power and a sportier drive but less luxury, whereas rivals from Jeep and Volkswagen are more luxury-oriented without having any real sporting pretensions. However, if you’re after sporty handling, luxury and prestige, only the XT5 and possibly the new Jaguar F-Pace offer all three. So, if you want cool styling, badge appeal, sporty handling, refinement, good fuel economy and a luxurious interior in your mid-size SUV, then the 2017 Cadillac XT5 would make an excellent choice.
