2023 Cadillac XT5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Affordable luxury vehicles are hard to nail, as it’s difficult to stuff high-end materials, generous tech, and a powerful engine into any model and keep the price reasonable. Cadillac tried and somewhat achieved that goal with the XT5, but the cabin would look more at home in a Buick or even a top-trim Chevy than something from the General Motors luxury brand. That said, the cabin is intuitively laid out, and it offers good space across both rows. The XT5’s above average cargo space goes a long way toward making up for those shortcomings, as there’s 850 litres of space behind the second-row seats.

Cadillac opted to leave many physical controls, instead of going all-touch, which gives the XT5 a more intuitive feel compared to many rivals. That also makes the cabin feel dated, however, and there’s also nothing that makes it memorable or unique. The Porsche Macan’s sporty seats and aggressive exterior styling accurately convey its performance, but its cabin looks and feels up to date as well. Similarly, the Volvo XC60’s cabin is minimalist and gorgeously designed, with all controls and displays integrated seamlessly into the dash and console.

The XT5 offers good headroom and legroom in both rows, and it’s available with a panoramic sunroof that gives the space a light and airy feel. Synthetic leather upholstery comes standard, while top trims like the XT5 Premium Luxury get genuine leather. In Canada, heated front seats are standard, while heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel are available on upper trims.

Cadillac equips the XT5 with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine making 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and either front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is in the high-seven-second range with the base powertrain, and the engine can sound rough under heavy throttle.

There’s also an available V6 engine that produces 310 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque, which makes a much more appropriate companion in all situations, but the XT5 lacks any notable driving excitement with either engine. Handling is decent, and the XT5 can hold its own on curvy roads, but ride quality suffers on broken pavement. We noticed more vibration and noise in the cabin than expected, and the ride can feel unsettled at times.

Compared to rivals, the Cadillac has ground to make up. The Porsche Macan S delivers 340 hp, and while other models place a heavier emphasis on refinement than performance, the XT5 can’t handle as well as the BMW X3 and doesn’t have the smoothness and responsiveness of the Genesis GV70.

Cadillac also doesn’t offer any performance variants or upgrades for the XT5, where many in its segment do. The Audi Q5 can be upgraded to the SQ5 with a rowdy V6, and the BMW X3 and X4 are both available with the automaker’s M treatment, which adds significant horsepower, improved handling, and more aggressive styling. Cadillac may not have been targeting these muscular SUVs with the XT5, but the brand’s SUV lineup is notably lacking performance models. The Escalade V is its only current offering.

The 2023 XT5’s Natural Resources Canada-rated fuel economy is lowest at 10.9 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving, 8.2 highway, and 9.7 combined for the XT5 with a turbo-four and FWD. The range-topping 3.6-litre V6 engine and AWD combine for 13.1/9.5/11.5 L/100 km city/highway/combined. Those are decent numbers that put the XT5 ahead of many in its class.

Though the XT5’s interior carries more hard plastics and cheaper materials than expected, Cadillac did a good job at incorporating plenty of useful storage spaces. There are multiple places to stash a phone and other small items, and the centre console storage bin is deeper than expected. The glove box isn’t suitable for much, but there’s enough space to store paperwork. Front-seat passengers have good ergonomics, with everything positioned for easy viewing and reach. Storage space isn’t as generous in the back, but passengers do have access to large seatback pockets, and the fold-down armrest offers two reasonably sized cupholders.

The maximum 850 litres of cargo space behind the two rows of seating is easy to access, thanks to a wide liftgate opening (a hands-free power liftgate is available) and low load floor. Folding rear seats open the space further to 1,784 litres. Those are generous specs in the XT5’s class. The Porsche Macan only offers 488 litres of cargo capacity with the seats up and 1,503 litres with them down. The Genesis GV70 starts with 818 litres of space. It’s also important to consider the cargo area’s shape, as vehicles like the Macan have sloping rooflines and curvy bodywork that makes accommodating larger or taller items more challenging.

Cadillac’s CUE (Cadillac User Experience) infotainment system offers an intuitive, responsive interface with crisp graphics and smooth navigation. It’s a big improvement over the systems in older Cadillac models and is competitive in the XT5’s segment. The system runs on an 8-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, dual-zone climate controls, and more. Passengers can interact with the system using a rotary controller, with their voice, or using the touchscreen. Cadillac offers a Bose premium audio system with 14 speakers, wireless charging, and navigation.

Rather than move all physical controls to a touch interface, Cadillac left physical buttons for the climate system and steering wheel controls. It’s a refreshing move at a time when many automakers are shifting away from physical controls to all-touch systems that can be infuriating and confusing to use at first. That’s a contrast from some rivals, such as the Porsche Macan, which offers a load of touch-based controls that stretch from the cupholders to the infotainment screen. Depending on the lighting and how spiritedly the driver is moving the SUV, the touch controls can be difficult to master. At the same time, the XT5 isn’t as generous with buttons as the Genesis GV70, which incorporates physical controls into its retro, almost steampunk-like dash design.

After its recent move to Google technology, Volvo may have one of the best infotainment systems in its class. It gets Google services, such as maps and assistant, and overall navigation is smooth and responsive. That said, simplicity with infotainment systems remains key. Many buyers report frustration with infotainment, and more complicated systems can be too distracting to use while driving. Though not as intuitive or smooth as Volvo’s system, Cadillac’s CUE is more than acceptable and is not distracting for the driver.

The last Cadillac XT5 to receive full crash test results was the 2021 model, which missed a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The SUV earned top “Good” scores in all crash test areas, a “Marginal” score for its headlights, and an “Advanced” rating for vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention. The optional crash prevention system earned a “Superior” score. IIHS testers also found that the XT5’s car seat anchors were located near other hardware that could be confused for the anchor points.

Standard safety tech and driver assistance features include automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front and rear parking sensors, following distance indicator, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, front pedestrian braking, a vibrating safety alert seat, rear-seat reminder, and more. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, automatic park assist, and other features are available on higher trims. Cadillac offers a Driver Assist Package that includes adaptive cruise control, automatic seatbelt tightening during emergency braking, enhanced automatic emergency braking, and reverse automatic braking. Other options packages add rear pedestrian braking, automatic parking assist, and a rear camera mirror.

For the 2023 model year, the Cadillac XT5 starts at a reasonable price in Canada of $51,629 for the XT5 Luxury trim including freight and PDI and other fees, but adding trims and options can drive that price tag well north of $60,000 in a hurry. Cadillac holds back many desirable features in added-cost options packages, even for the top trim level. That can make buying simpler, but it almost guarantees that buyers spend more money. That said, the mid-range Premium Luxury trim gets many desirable features, and the standard version lacks the V6-equipped XT5 Sport trim’s sky-high MSRP. XT5 buyers do have more choices for customization than with other brands, however, so the added-cost options may be worth the money for some.

The Volvo XC60 starts at $51,450 in Canada, fees in. The Volvo comes with better standard tech and a wider array of advanced safety features. It also earned better scores in IIHS crash testing, coming away with a Top Safety Pick+ designation. The BMW X3 starts at a little higher in Canada at $58,455. The Porsche Macan starts at a considerably higher price of just over $70,000 with fees, and climbs quickly from there. Stepping up to the Macan S, for example, pushes the base price to almost $85,000, and that’s before any of the dozens of upgrades Porsche offers.

Note: Images show a US model.