The Cadillac XT5 Sport is the top of the line for this compact crossover utility vehicle. It comes with a 310-horsepower V-6 engine and nine-speed automatic transmission.
The 2022 Cadillac XT5 Sport has room for up to five passengers, and comes with a leather interior and lots of standard and available luxury amenities and safety features.
Cadillac brought many upgrades to its XT5 compact crossover just two years ago, including a new base 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, more safety features and some exterior design changes. For 2022, there are just a few changes, mostly on the top-of-the-line Sport model. It now gets Brembo front brakes, along with red front and rear calipers; and 20-inch, 12-spoke wheels with Pearl Nickel finish. New premium colors for 2022 are Latte Metallic and Rosewood Metallic, which are $625 extra. Also, there are color-keyed floor mats for all seating rows.
There are three trim levels available for 2022, beginning with the Luxury front-drive model with the 2.0-liter engine ($43,995, plus $1,195 freight), followed by the front-drive Premium Luxury ($48,795 with the 2.0-liter engine; add $1,000 for the optional 3.6-liter V-6); and Sport ($55,895). Sport models already come with the 3.6-liter engine.
All-wheel drive is available for $2,000 extra on the Luxury and Premium Luxury; the Sport model comes only with all-wheel drive. Luxury and Premium Luxury models come with the four-cylinder turbo engine, which has 237 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque. EPA ratings are 21 mpg city/28 highway/24 combined with front drive, or 21/26/23 with all-wheel drive. Sport models have the normally aspirated V-6, with 310 horsepower and 271 foot-pounds of torque.
A nine-speed automatic transmission is standard on all trims. It comes with Cadillac’s Electronic Precision Shift. With the 2020 changes, all three trim levels got a new grille design, available in two textures. Cadillac says the Premium Luxury model emphasizes “bright trim and contemporary décor,” while the Sport comes with a darker, more-aggressive appearance. The XT5, which for 2017 joined Cadillac’s lineup in place of the SRX, is a stylish, carlike premium sport utility meant for a range of consumers, from young families to empty-nesters and retired baby boomers.
There is room for up to five passengers, just like the SRX model it replaced. Early on, though, the SRX was offered with a third-row seat and room for up to seven. But Cadillac now offers the larger XT6 with three rows of seating. There also is a crossover smaller than the XT5, called the XT4, which accommodates five passengers.
The XT5 comes on the same chassis as the newest generation of the GMC Acadia, although the Acadia is slightly longer and does offer a third-row seat and room for up to seven. It’s also the basis for the XT6. For this report, we drove the XT5 Sport, with the V-6 and all-wheel drive.
XT5 was the first in the series of three new luxury crossovers from Cadillac. Next was the XT4, followed for 2020 by the XT6. Cadillac also still offers the luxurious full-size Escalade truck-based sport utility, which has a third-row-seat option. The V-6 engine has variable valve timing and active fuel management – a cylinder-deactivation technology that automatically switches to four cylinders from six during cruising to save gasoline.
EPA fuel economy estimates for the XT5 Sport are 18 mpg city/25 highway/20 combined. (For the V-6 with front drive, they are 18/26/21.) This powertrain produces plenty of power for typical highway and city driving. We drove mostly with two adults on board, on a mix of interstates, local streets and some interesting country roads. We had no problems passing or accelerating to highway speeds on uphill freeway on-ramps. The XT5 can tow trailers weighing up to 3,500 pounds with the optional towing package, but we didn’t do any towing during our test. Automatic engine stop/start is standard, stopping the engine when the vehicle comes to a halt in traffic, and restarting it instantly when the driver releases the brake. This is designed to save gasoline that otherwise would be wasted while idling in traffic.
The all-wheel-drive system has a twin-clutch feature that helps deliver power to the appropriate wheels automatically to avoid slippage. The system can transfer all available torque to either the front or rear axle.
On the rear axle, the electronically controlled rear differential can direct up to 100 percent of available torque to either wheel. A driver-selectable disconnect feature for the all-wheel drive sends all the power to the front wheels to improve fuel economy.
Although it’s not designed for serious off-road use, the XT5’s all-wheel drive works well on reasonably well-maintained gravel and dirt roads. The system does not have low-range gearing for serious hill-climbing and descending, however.
The front bucket seats and the outboard rear seating positions are quite comfortable, even for long road trips. But as in most vehicles these days, the middle position in the rear is best left to smaller adults or kids. Our tester came with the Crystal White TriCoat exterior color, which was $1,225 extra. We also had the 20-inch, 12-spoke diamond-cut alloy wheels with dark android satin-finish pockets ($600).
The Platinum Package ($3,650) added Jet Black semi-aniline leather seating on both rows, along with leather-wrapped instrument panel, console and door trim, premium carpeted floor mats front and rear, and illuminated front-door sill plates. A Technology Package ($2,275) brought HD Surround Vision, the rear pedestrian alert system, an eight-inch color gauge cluster, a head-up display, automatic parking assist with braking, and the Rear Camera Mirror system. It uses a camera to project an unobstructed rear view in the mirror at the top of the windshield, instead of the standard rearview mirror image. It eliminates blind spots caused by headrests and body panels.
With this system, the driver always sees everything behind the car in the rearview mirror, rather than having that unobstructed view that a rearview camera system gives only when the vehicle is backing up. The driver can switch back to the standard mirror by flipping the lever under the mirror. Other extras included Night Vision ($2,000); the Driver Assist Package ($1,300), with adaptive cruise control, enhanced automatic emergency braking, reverse automatic braking and auto seatbelt tightening; the Comfort and Air Quality Package ($1,200), with tri-zone automatic climate control, ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, and air ionizer. Also added to our tester was the Cadillac User Experience infotainment system with Navigation ($1,025), which had an eight-inch color display and 14-speaker Bose Surround Sound system.
Other XT5 Sport standard features include a MacPherson strut front suspension and five-link rear suspension; electric power steering; four-wheel disc brakes with GM’s Duralife rotors; and an electronic parking brake. Also included are heated front seats with eight-way power adjustment on the driver’s side and six-way power on the passenger side, with two-way power lumbar adjust on both sides; Apple CarPlay; an ultra-wide sunroof with power shade; IntelliBeam LED headlights (standard on all trims); cornering lights; wireless phone charging system; keyless entry and pushbutton start; and power tilt/telescopic heated steering wheel.
Wireless phone charging is inside a vertical slot in front of the center console box, behind the shifter. Just drop the phone in the slot and it begins charging. There’s also a convenient shelf/slot in the center lower dash that can hold two smartphones stacked together. The cargo area has 30 cubic feet of space with the rear seatback in place, or 63 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. The tailgate is power-operated and has a hands-free operation feature.
Standard safety features include the rearview camera system that shows in the dash screen; blind-zone alert for both sides, with lane-change alert (beeps if you start to change lanes with traffic in the adjacent lane); rear cross-traffic alert; forward collision alert, with front pedestrian detection; lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning; front low-speed automatic braking and following-distance indicator; and front and rear parking assist.
Among other standard features are 4G LTE connectivity with built-in Wi-Fi; OnStar and satellite radio (subscription required for each); a driver’s-side memory system; rain-sensing wipers; dual-zone automatic climate control; and a self-dimming conventional rearview mirror. With freight and options, the sticker price on our vehicle topped out at $70,365. The automotive columns of G. Chambers Williams III have appeared regularly in the Express-News since 2000. Contact him at chambers@auto-writer.com or on Twitter @gchambers3.
The package: Compact, five-passenger, five-door, front- or all-wheel-drive, turbo four-cylinder or V-6 powered crossover utility vehicle. Highlights: Cadillac’s compact crossover arrived for 2017, replacing the SRX. It has bold styling, along with lots of standard and optional amenities. All-wheel drive is available on all models (standard on Sport). Negatives: No third-row seat offered. Engine: 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder (Luxury, Premium Luxury models); 3.6-liter V-6 (Sport model; optional on Premium Luxury for $1,000). Transmission: Nine-speed automatic. Power/torque: 237 HP./258 foot-pounds (2.0); 310 HP./271 foot-pounds (V-6). Brakes, front/rear: Disc/disc, antilock. Length: 189.5 inches. Base curb weight: 3,915 pounds (2WD); 4,257 pounds (AWD). Cargo volume: 30.2 cubic feet (behind rear seat); 63 cubic feet (rear seat folded). Towing capacity: 3,500 pounds (V-6 only, with trailering package). EPA fuel economy: 18 mpg city/26 highway/21 combined (V-6, 2WD); 18/25/20 (V-6, AWD); 21/28/24 (2.0-liter, 2WD); 21/26/23 (2.0, AWD). Fuel capacity/type: 19.4 gallons (2WD)/21.7 gallons (AWD), regular unleaded. Base price range: $43,995-$55,895, plus $1,195 freight. Price as tested: $70,365, including freight and options (Sport model). Major competitors: Lincoln Nautilus, Lexus NX, BMW X3, Infiniti QX50, Volvo XC60, Acura RDX. On the Road rating: 8.7 (of a possible 10). Prices shown are manufacturer’s suggested retail; actual selling price may vary.