The American company’s Cadillac has built a reputation for building some of best driving luxury sedans and coupes. Sadly the same cannot be said for Cadillac’s crossover and SUV lineup. The Escalade prefers driving at a slow and steady rate. The smaller SRX has been compared to the Lexus RX more than German rivals for its smooth and relaxing ride characteristics. But the replacement for the SRX, the XT5 could be the one to change this.
Exterior and Interior Changes
The Cadillac XT5 doesn’t really differ from the SRX in terms of its overall shape, with crisp lines and sharp angles. The details are where the XT5 begins to pull away from the SRX. Up front is a larger and wider grille featuring the wreath-less Cadillac emblem and new LED headlamps with LED daytime running lights running into the front bumper.
Along the side is a bit of chrome trim around the window frame and door sills. Our Platinum tester came with a set of 20-inch multi-spoke aluminum wheels. Lower trims get 18-inch wheels as standard. The rear features a new tailgate design with taillights that extend into the rear fenders, chrome trim and dual exhaust tips.
One area the Cadillac SRX was somewhat lacking in was luxury appointments. Not to say the SRX wasn’t a pleasant place to sit in. But compared with its rivals, the SRX paled in terms of material quality and design. For the XT5, Cadillac made an effort to fix these shortcomings and it shows. Our Platinum tester featured stitched leather and real wood trim on the dash and door panels, which helps make the XT5 feel like it stands a class above. Piano black trim surrounds the center stack, which isn’t a great choice since it will become littered with fingerprints. But at least Cadillac provides a microfiber cloth to clean it up.
Engine and Mileage Performance, HP
The new Cadillac XT5 featured the optional heads-up display. The display shows speed and can be customized to display engine RPM, navigation and what you’re listening to through the infotainment system. We like the heads-up display Cadillac uses because it’s easy to read no matter the conditions outside and provides simple adjustments in terms of height and brightness.
Specifications
- Model: Cadillac
- Make: XT5
- Year: 2018
- Price: $ 40,000 (USA)
- 0-60 time: 4.0 seconds
- Engine: V6
- Top Speed: 760bhp (Est.)
- Horsepower @ RPM: 450HP
- Displacement:2.7 L
- Price: $40,000
New 2018 Cadillac XT5 Price and Release Date
The new Cadillac XT5 2018 will be available at a starting price of $40,000 U.S dollars. It should be noted that the base XT5 only comes front-wheel drive. The vehicle’s official release date has not been confirmed yet however it is believed to be released at the end of 2018.
Summary
The Cadillac XT5 is an improvement over the SRX in some areas. The exterior styling has become more distinctive and the interior shows noticeable improvements in terms of appointments and overall usability. It doesn’t hurt that the XT5 is quite spacious for passengers and it delivers one of the quietest rides in the class. It’s disappointing that Cadillac didn’t give XT5 a bit of the handling magic that its sedans and coupes are known for.
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