2018 Cadillac XT5 Premium Luxury AWD
Distance: 925km
Location: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York
Date: February 15-24, 2019
Up front: The upright seating position would benefit Cadillac’s geriatric customer base more than the relaxed front seats of the flagship XTS sedan at the time. However, it’s not quite as generous as the sedan even in the top trip level. The speakers only work for vocal songs from the 90s to the mid-2010s and the piano black interior is a concert of reflections and a medley of fingerprints from the hand lotion I use in winter.
The one benefit of having a shorter cabin than the XTS is the shorter reach to buttons. I could reach most buttons without my back leaving the seat. The heads up display is useful for warnings, but I skipped using it to display speed.
In the back: I managed to fit five adults comfortably in the car in winter clothes for short trips under 30 minutes. The rear outboard heated seats are a fine feature except for the ping in the middle who will suffer one warm and one cool butt cheek if the neighbours don’t play nice. Legroom was comfortable for the outboard adults, but the middle adult had to negotiate foot room to straddle the large transmission tunnel.
The boot is smaller than it looks. Although the car looks angular on the outside, the sloping rear hatch and and the seat recline means luggage can only be stacked at an awkward angle. The large wheel arches don’t help either. Japanese mass-market models like the Nissan Rogue and Toyota Rav4 have more user-friendly dimensions and larger overall volume.
Driving: The XT5 is only a compact crossover but it drives like a mid-size. While this makes it competent on the highways with sold brakes, confidence-inspiring acceleration with the 3.6L V6 engine, and good grip on New England snow, it feels awkward to park. The angular styling makes it look modern and tough but rear visibility is poor, so when the camera is covered in snow it’s impossible to tell how far you are from the hood of the car behind you. The safety systems work even in moderate snow—I would know, it saved me from rear ending a car when a light suddenly turned red from a short yellow.
For the same money, you can get the faster, more powerful, more fuel efficient, and higher quality BMW X3 with only a minor penalty to interior space. At least BMWs actually like to turn corners.
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