I have shopped the X3 heavily but my wife hates the styling, and I'm luke warm on it. I'd test drive this XT5 as an alternative, especially in lower trim. Slap some better 20" wheels on a base model and I'd be happy at around $40K. I have a sport sedan for speed, this would be for trips, and who cares about acceleration when cruising?
Ill love my XT5 It looks awesome, its plenty fast. Drives very smooth and refined. . This guy didn't even know how to use the volume. It's a swipe style, NOT A BUTTON!!!
I like the styling of the XT5 more than any of the others mentioned and that changes how I feel about all its features. Primarily you have to enjoy being in it.
Absolutely correct. And I would argue that the inside is a lot more important than the outside. After all, you're going to spend more time looking at the inside of your car than the outside.
Great review like always! I am a sucker for those running LED accents. They really add to the up scale ambiance of this vehicle. Plus I love how clean the dashboard looks.
I have not seen a single commercial featuring this vehicle in which Cadillac has compared it to any of the vehicles you say they mistakenly market against. In fact, I haven't seen a single commercial where this vehicle is actively marketed against any of the vehicles you claim they should market against. Every commercial I have seen simply markets the XT5. Perhaps they are using different marketing approaches in different areas of the country? That said, the wife has test driven some of our friends BMW's, Mercedes, Lexus and Acura crossovers and test driven the XT5 at our local dealer and she has decided that she prefers the XT5 without question over those vehicles. So, next November for her birthday she will be buying the XT5 Luxury edition optioned to the hilt. We decided that that version is the best value in the line-up.
Unquestionably one of the most comprehensive automobile reviews I have had the pleasure of viewing- aside from the somewhat corny music overlay throughout the video. Thank you.
Not even a little bit. I'm not sure how you could possibly draw that conclusion from this review. I start off the review by saying they've done so well in the sport sedan segment that they've totally disrupted things, and end it by saying you won't be disappointed with the XT5. Should I just ignore the little things that buyers might find upsetting? I'd rather be honest.
The XT5 is elegant and understated and I will take it over the competition easily if I was in the market. However, the closest competitors to it is the MKX, XC60? and RX.
1. The Macan is a lifted hatchback and has far less utility and space. 2. The X3 is good, a better choice technically, but the styling is so-so and similarly equipped, it's not cheap either. Lux trim on the XT5 is cheaper than an X3 xdrive with leather, sunroof, xenons, and upgraded stereo. Pretty basic "lux" features. 3. The F Pace is superior. But it's a Jag. Ever talk to a Jag owner about reliability and hassles? They are underpricing it to launch their SUV line, so it's affordable now. But wait a couple years. Plus, you will pay MSRP for one, the XT5 is already discounted at lots. Tiny dealer network means you will likely have ONE choice to choose from, and if that isn't good, you're screwed. And forget about it if you live in a rural area. You will also wait months to get an F Pace right now, unless you want an oddball equipped version on the lot now.
A great review as always, and I would agree with your concerns. There is way too much hard plastic in this vehicle. And the cue system, though a good looking system, needs some work. There needs to be small tweaks and additions to really drive it home. I always found this to be the anti - Cadillac, Cadillac. And I think that's a good thing.
What? 14.5 average mpg? Are you kidding? I’m getting 26 around town and 30 highway. You need to learn how to drive. It’s super quiet and burns regular gas. I have the Luxury trim car and I love it.
I don't understand the negative and personal hits below. I think these are some of my fav auto reviews along with other CarGurus reviewers, motoman and Alex on Autos. Keep it up, kid. Doin' good! I keep looking at this car cause it seems to straddle the luxury/affordability demands I have. I am just disappointed in the MKX MPGs. Don't know if their tranny is just not up to date but they need to get a couple more city mpgs. I think a better comparison would be against the XC60 coming out. And Michael, PLEASE begin addressing the rear view/side views of these things as this is my biggest issue with buying. Its not just you,but few reviewers really give a look at this. Spending more time actually giving us a glance at these will help.
Hey I truly appreciate all you guys at Car Gurus do. I love these videos. The only thing I would suggest is a change in the camera tone, the color filter is a bit pale and dim in my humble opinion. Don't get me wrong, it looks nice but I think if it was a bit brighter, the overall colors would be less distorted and more vibrant. Especially when you view the interior of the cars, the issue tends to be more apparent. Other than that, please keep doing what you do guys. You all are awesome and I truly appreciate all your reviews, one of the best in the business. 👍
Thanks for the kind words, Regenerated SlaveofChrist03! (I just *had* to type that out.) I'm a tad colorblind so I'm speaking slightly out of my element here, but the GoPro cameras we use for the interior just can't keep up with the more expensive cameras we use for other shots. We'll take a look and see how we can further improve though. Thanks again for the feedback!
Our second car is the 2017 XT5 Platinum. I get much better mileage than you did. I really like it, better than our previous SRX Premium. The top trim levels in Cadillacs are expensive, however they really throw in a lot of great "goodies" over the mid and base models. I agree you can't really compare the XT5 against a Porsche. If you want a Porsche, then buy one. It helps if you are a GM guy. (most of our purchases have been GM).
I have an 18 & I avg21.7 city. Haven't been on a trip yet. Some of these split hairs,I get it but how many people buying 1 ever do 0-60? Plenty of power,handles well for where I'm going. They're a little pricey but mine was bought 2 yrs old,27,000 MI for 36,000$. I love it..
Well you start off by saying that you think it can't be a disrupter in the midsize segment. They are usually the second best selling in the segment what are they going to disrupt. Also you state that the car does not compete with the Jag or Porsche which is not true. GM can't share platforms or it is just a GMC. Audi, VW or Porsche for that matter can and they are not just optioned up vehicles. You then go on to bash the infotainment and anyone knows that CUE is not like my link from Chevy. Which is one of the best infotainment systems. You then display the car play screen to support your conjecture when you know that is not the CUE system. Also when you are using Benz or BMW's systems with that toggle you don't look away from the road as you scroll through menus to do simple commands? Heck with a old school radios you look away to do anything but change the volume. I could just go on and on but I stop at around 3 minutes when I keep hearing old school GM bashing when I have driven all these car and know better.
Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm certainly not a "GM basher" - watch my review of the Malibu for instance. But yes, I don't feel this has the chops to really affect the market the way their sport sedans have, and that's a fair statement. In my opinion, this just isn't to the level of the F-Pace or the Macan. That said, I didn't bash the infotainment system at all, in fact I said that it was attractive and worked very well. A few physical buttons would do wonders to make it even more efficient, that's all. Yes, it falls victim to the same shortcomings as most infotainment systems - BMW and Benz included. Watch until the end, you'll see I was doing anything BUT bashing GM or Cadillac. In fact, in my closer I actually recommended the XT5.
I guess you guys missed all the compliments I gave it. My opinion doesn't affect gas mileage or price or materials. Like I said, it's a great car for the base price, just not with the top-tier trim. Besides, I ended the review by saying you should give it a try, and that I didn't think you'd be disappointed.
at least cadillac uses their own material palates, interior architecture, sound dampening and tuning unlike Lincoln or Acura. and they are far higher end.
Dude complained about the volume buttons when I'm sure the majority of people use the volume buttons on the steering wheel anyways.. Why compare luxury brands to their normal counterparts? Review the car under the impression that it is a separate brand, I hate when reviewers do this. No one cares, if anything I'm sure we already know that it's a branch of GM, we look at the car because we want to know how the car performs, not how you think that "it's a high trim GM."
How it "performs" is relative to the price and quality, no? And as for the volume "buttons", that's exactly what I said in the review - I immediately just defaulted to the steering wheel buttons.
Michael Perkins Most people who search up a certain car know the price already and has probably done extensive research if they are seriously going to buy the car. They most likely know the price and the general information about the car, they don't however know how the drive quality feels or how well it performs to other cars within the same segment. Mentioning the history of the car or that it's a "high trim GM vehicle" or how you personally feel it's a GM vehicle isn't going to have an effect on the next driver. And yes, you mentioned the vehicle's volume buttons on the wheel, but you also complained as if a lot of people resort to the volume knob on the car anyways.
Ok, its july 2020, I found a 2017 "luxury model" for 20k, w only 20k miles! My only confusion is that within the lux model, some come w/ adaptive cruise, camera rear view mirror, auto engine stop... mine is missing all 3!
Some competitors are quicker, some are not. The caddy wins on Styling (the Q5 is a feminine jellybean, the X3 is ok but proportions are too tall, the merc GLC is another jelly bean and the interior, though stylish, is impractical and has no storage up front) Handling - The X3 beats it. That's about it. The Q5 has numb steering, as does the XC60 and GLC. The XT5 makes sense in lower trim, it's ridiculous when loaded. But so are the Germans.
Noticed a lot of dash reflection on the windshield in your footage. Do you think that is a result of the camera angles or is it really as intrusive as it appears?
Hey, thanks! Really appreciate it, and hope you like what we've got coming up just as much! Look for my review of the e-Golf coming on Monday. That was a fun one! (Although I prefer the i3.)
I disagree completely on the interior of this guy's review. It's just plain sexy. For an example, turn off the car and the entire interior technology disappears. It all goes away, going fully dark. Makes the dash really sexy. No other Luxury SUV does that. And where plastic is used, you just don't see it. Plus that plastic will last forever, where other materials in those locations will go bad quicker. I agree on the engine/trim levels though. Cadillac should put more safety/tech in the lower models, and save engine magic for the high dollar. The surround cameras should be available in all trims. As well as the auto brake/park feature. And the $65K version should be a "V" twin turbo or something more exciting.
No, but probably 10% of those sold would be that. Go look at SRX sales. The vast majority are Luxury line, with a smattering of the others. That's a $45,000 vehicle, with discounts now availalble. It's essentially the same car. $20,000 less. That's where it makes sense and that's why it sells well. It doesn't really compete with European crossovers when loaded. They just toss those offerings in to grab that part of the market, as the changes are mostly easy to make from an engineering standpoint. I would rather have this than a $45,000 BMW X3 or Q5. They're older designs and getting a little stale.
I owned a glc 300. Nightmare and unsafe. Later I found out it's one of consumer reports most unreliable vehicles along with the fpace and from personal experience I can certainly understand why. And the cost of service is highway robbery. If those cars are engineered so much better, why are they so expensive too maintain?
Cadillac phoned it in on this one and raised the price. They do not beat any of the competition which is due for a new model next year ( X3, Q3, ect.). GM was very late to the party and forgot to bring food. They benchmarked the old crop and did not innovation or improvement upon current rivals. I know it will sell because all women want a luxury suv but just a terrible offering from GM especially considering what you have to pay verse an Acura RDX or LexusNX
The price increase barely covers inflation over the time period since the last price increase. It has a better drive, handling, ride, steering feel, interior, noise levels, etc. A 3% price increase isn't out of line.
What a weird review seriously. I've never been a GM guy but recently acquired an XT5 Plat after checking the Q5, X3, Infiniti, Acura RDX/MDX and MKX. I can't stand the front-end of the MKX, the X3 is ugly as hell, the infiniti looked like a clown shoe, the RDX is very nice for the price but my wife has one and it looks girly. I always purchase top trim so the Jag F-Pace S was way more expensive, and the XC90 R Design too expensive and too big. My only complain about the XT5 Platinum is door rattle from the Bose speakers in the doors but dealer will fix it under warranty. I would not purchase the XT5 in base trim though. Edit: Lexus is not available where I live.
This guy is a total diva.. where is my hot tea.. you promised me hot tea.
to be perfectly honest, the XT5 isn't all that bad, i'd take this over the X3 any day
I have shopped the X3 heavily but my wife hates the styling, and I'm luke warm on it. I'd test drive this XT5 as an alternative, especially in lower trim. Slap some better 20" wheels on a base model and I'd be happy at around $40K. I have a sport sedan for speed, this would be for trips, and who cares about acceleration when cruising?
Ill love my XT5 It looks awesome, its plenty fast. Drives very smooth and refined. . This guy didn't even know how to use the volume. It's a swipe style, NOT A BUTTON!!!
Love mine too. Get compliments all the time!
I like the styling of the XT5 more than any of the others mentioned and that changes how I feel about all its features. Primarily you have to enjoy being in it.
Absolutely correct. And I would argue that the inside is a lot more important than the outside. After all, you're going to spend more time looking at the inside of your car than the outside.
Great review like always! I am a sucker for those running LED accents. They really add to the up scale ambiance of this vehicle. Plus I love how clean the dashboard looks.
Honestly, it was a very nice place to spend a week driving and a couple days filming!
I have not seen a single commercial featuring this vehicle in which Cadillac has compared it to any of the vehicles you say they mistakenly market against. In fact, I haven't seen a single commercial where this vehicle is actively marketed against any of the vehicles you claim they should market against. Every commercial I have seen simply markets the XT5. Perhaps they are using different marketing approaches in different areas of the country? That said, the wife has test driven some of our friends BMW's, Mercedes, Lexus and Acura crossovers and test driven the XT5 at our local dealer and she has decided that she prefers the XT5 without question over those vehicles. So, next November for her birthday she will be buying the XT5 Luxury edition optioned to the hilt. We decided that that version is the best value in the line-up.
You might be onto something with your "different marketing approaches in different areas of the country."
Unquestionably one of the most comprehensive automobile reviews I have had the pleasure of viewing- aside from the somewhat corny music overlay throughout the video. Thank you.
Appreciated! Got a lot of good stuff coming up too!
You just hate Cadillac.
Not even a little bit. I'm not sure how you could possibly draw that conclusion from this review. I start off the review by saying they've done so well in the sport sedan segment that they've totally disrupted things, and end it by saying you won't be disappointed with the XT5. Should I just ignore the little things that buyers might find upsetting? I'd rather be honest.
Comprehensive and honest review.
where was this video shot? the houses in the background are BALLER
Mostly in and around Sausalito, CA.
The XT5 is elegant and understated and I will take it over the competition easily if I was in the market. However, the closest competitors to it is the MKX, XC60? and RX.
1. The Macan is a lifted hatchback and has far less utility and space.
2. The X3 is good, a better choice technically, but the styling is so-so and similarly equipped, it's not cheap either. Lux trim on the XT5 is cheaper than an X3 xdrive with leather, sunroof, xenons, and upgraded stereo. Pretty basic "lux" features.
3. The F Pace is superior. But it's a Jag. Ever talk to a Jag owner about reliability and hassles? They are underpricing it to launch their SUV line, so it's affordable now. But wait a couple years. Plus, you will pay MSRP for one, the XT5 is already discounted at lots. Tiny dealer network means you will likely have ONE choice to choose from, and if that isn't good, you're screwed. And forget about it if you live in a rural area. You will also wait months to get an F Pace right now, unless you want an oddball equipped version on the lot now.
A great review as always, and I would agree with your concerns. There is way too much hard plastic in this vehicle. And the cue system, though a good looking system, needs some work. There needs to be small tweaks and additions to really drive it home. I always found this to be the anti - Cadillac, Cadillac. And I think that's a good thing.
All great points.
Michael Perkins thank you!
What? 14.5 average mpg? Are you kidding? I’m getting 26 around town and 30 highway. You need to learn how to drive. It’s super quiet and burns regular gas. I have the Luxury trim car
and I love it.
His mileage numbers are way off
I don't understand the negative and personal hits below. I think these are some of my fav auto reviews along with other CarGurus reviewers, motoman and Alex on Autos. Keep it up, kid. Doin' good!
I keep looking at this car cause it seems to straddle the luxury/affordability demands I have.
I am just disappointed in the MKX MPGs. Don't know if their tranny is just not up to date but they need to get a couple more city mpgs.
I think a better comparison would be against the XC60 coming out.
And Michael, PLEASE begin addressing the rear view/side views of these things as this is my biggest issue with buying. Its not just you,but few reviewers really give a look at this. Spending more time actually giving us a glance at these will help.
paul pellico That's a good reminder, thanks!
Hey I truly appreciate all you guys at Car Gurus do. I love these videos. The only thing I would suggest is a change in the camera tone, the color filter is a bit pale and dim in my humble opinion. Don't get me wrong, it looks nice but I think if it was a bit brighter, the overall colors would be less distorted and more vibrant. Especially when you view the interior of the cars, the issue tends to be more apparent. Other than that, please keep doing what you do guys. You all are awesome and I truly appreciate all your reviews, one of the best in the business. 👍
Thanks for the kind words, Regenerated SlaveofChrist03! (I just *had* to type that out.) I'm a tad colorblind so I'm speaking slightly out of my element here, but the GoPro cameras we use for the interior just can't keep up with the more expensive cameras we use for other shots. We'll take a look and see how we can further improve though. Thanks again for the feedback!
+Michael Perkins no problem at all my brother, and thank you! Please keep up the good work!
Our second car is the 2017 XT5 Platinum. I get much better mileage than you did. I really like it, better than our previous SRX Premium. The top trim levels in Cadillacs are expensive, however they really throw in a lot of great "goodies" over the mid and base models. I agree you can't really compare the XT5 against a Porsche. If you want a Porsche, then buy one. It helps if you are a GM guy. (most of our purchases have been GM).
I have an 18 & I avg21.7 city. Haven't been on a trip yet. Some of these split hairs,I get it but how many people buying 1 ever do 0-60? Plenty of power,handles well for where I'm going. They're a little pricey but mine was bought 2 yrs old,27,000 MI for 36,000$. I love it..
Liked the car, hated the review
This review is so off and totally biased.
Can you be more specific? Biased for or against? Being impartial in my reviews is a point of pride.
Well you start off by saying that you think it can't be a disrupter in the midsize segment. They are usually the second best selling in the segment what are they going to disrupt. Also you state that the car does not compete with the Jag or Porsche which is not true. GM can't share platforms or it is just a GMC. Audi, VW or Porsche for that matter can and they are not just optioned up vehicles. You then go on to bash the infotainment and anyone knows that CUE is not like my link from Chevy. Which is one of the best infotainment systems. You then display the car play screen to support your conjecture when you know that is not the CUE system. Also when you are using Benz or BMW's systems with that toggle you don't look away from the road as you scroll through menus to do simple commands? Heck with a old school radios you look away to do anything but change the volume. I could just go on and on but I stop at around 3 minutes when I keep hearing old school GM bashing when I have driven all these car and know better.
Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm certainly not a "GM basher" - watch my review of the Malibu for instance. But yes, I don't feel this has the chops to really affect the market the way their sport sedans have, and that's a fair statement. In my opinion, this just isn't to the level of the F-Pace or the Macan. That said, I didn't bash the infotainment system at all, in fact I said that it was attractive and worked very well. A few physical buttons would do wonders to make it even more efficient, that's all. Yes, it falls victim to the same shortcomings as most infotainment systems - BMW and Benz included. Watch until the end, you'll see I was doing anything BUT bashing GM or Cadillac. In fact, in my closer I actually recommended the XT5.
I agree, His mind is already made up. Terrible review.
I guess you guys missed all the compliments I gave it. My opinion doesn't affect gas mileage or price or materials. Like I said, it's a great car for the base price, just not with the top-tier trim. Besides, I ended the review by saying you should give it a try, and that I didn't think you'd be disappointed.
at least cadillac uses their own material palates, interior architecture, sound dampening and tuning unlike Lincoln or Acura. and they are far higher end.
I get 22 mpg in the city,don't know where u get those numbers from.
And it runs on 87 Octane (Regular Unleaded)
Dude complained about the volume buttons when I'm sure the majority of people use the volume buttons on the steering wheel anyways..
Why compare luxury brands to their normal counterparts? Review the car under the impression that it is a separate brand, I hate when reviewers do this. No one cares, if anything I'm sure we already know that it's a branch of GM, we look at the car because we want to know how the car performs, not how you think that "it's a high trim GM."
How it "performs" is relative to the price and quality, no? And as for the volume "buttons", that's exactly what I said in the review - I immediately just defaulted to the steering wheel buttons.
Michael Perkins Most people who search up a certain car know the price already and has probably done extensive research if they are seriously going to buy the car. They most likely know the price and the general information about the car, they don't however know how the drive quality feels or how well it performs to other cars within the same segment. Mentioning the history of the car or that it's a "high trim GM vehicle" or how you personally feel it's a GM vehicle isn't going to have an effect on the next driver. And yes, you mentioned the vehicle's volume buttons on the wheel, but you also complained as if a lot of people resort to the volume knob on the car anyways.
Just the same, I'd rather err on the side of caution and continue being thorough.
Ok, its july 2020, I found a 2017 "luxury model" for 20k, w only 20k miles! My only confusion is that within the lux model, some come w/ adaptive cruise, camera rear view mirror, auto engine stop... mine is missing all 3!
Some competitors are quicker, some are not.
The caddy wins on
Styling (the Q5 is a feminine jellybean, the X3 is ok but proportions are too tall, the merc GLC is another jelly bean and the interior, though stylish, is impractical and has no storage up front)
Handling - The X3 beats it. That's about it. The Q5 has numb steering, as does the XC60 and GLC.
The XT5 makes sense in lower trim, it's ridiculous when loaded. But so are the Germans.
Noticed a lot of dash reflection on the windshield in your footage. Do you think that is a result of the camera angles or is it really as intrusive as it appears?
Definitely a result of the camera angles. With the head-up display, it seems they were pretty careful about avoiding dash reflection.
Thank you for the response. Outstanding review, I hope CarGurus recognizes your natural talent and offers you a lot more screen time.------Congrats.
Hey, thanks! Really appreciate it, and hope you like what we've got coming up just as much! Look for my review of the e-Golf coming on Monday. That was a fun one! (Although I prefer the i3.)
I disagree completely on the interior of this guy's review. It's just plain sexy. For an example, turn off the car and the entire interior technology disappears. It all goes away, going fully dark. Makes the dash really sexy. No other Luxury SUV does that. And where plastic is used, you just don't see it. Plus that plastic will last forever, where other materials in those locations will go bad quicker. I agree on the engine/trim levels though. Cadillac should put more safety/tech in the lower models, and save engine magic for the high dollar. The surround cameras should be available in all trims. As well as the auto brake/park feature. And the $65K version should be a "V" twin turbo or something more exciting.
Are F-Pace, Macan and X3 really that much better than RX350, MKX and this Cadillac? Is there a particular model that trully punches above its weight?
The question I always ask is more in line with, "Is the XT5 *really* worth the nearly $65k price for the Platinum trim?
No, but probably 10% of those sold would be that. Go look at SRX sales. The vast majority are Luxury line, with a smattering of the others. That's a $45,000 vehicle, with discounts now availalble. It's essentially the same car. $20,000 less. That's where it makes sense and that's why it sells well. It doesn't really compete with European crossovers when loaded. They just toss those offerings in to grab that part of the market, as the changes are mostly easy to make from an engineering standpoint. I would rather have this than a $45,000 BMW X3 or Q5. They're older designs and getting a little stale.
I owned a glc 300. Nightmare and unsafe. Later I found out it's one of consumer reports most unreliable vehicles along with the fpace and from personal experience I can certainly understand why. And the cost of service is highway robbery. If those cars are engineered so much better, why are they so expensive too maintain?
Cadillac phoned it in on this one and raised the price. They do not beat any of the competition which is due for a new model next year ( X3, Q3, ect.). GM was very late to the party and forgot to bring food. They benchmarked the old crop and did not innovation or improvement upon current rivals. I know it will sell because all women want a luxury suv but just a terrible offering from GM especially considering what you have to pay verse an Acura RDX or LexusNX
The price increase barely covers inflation over the time period since the last price increase. It has a better drive, handling, ride, steering feel, interior, noise levels, etc. A 3% price increase isn't out of line.
Holy Crap. Those MPG numbers are HORRENDOUS! What is this the 80's Sexy looker though.
Good looking crossover. Not gay looking like Macan or rx350
What a weird review seriously. I've never been a GM guy but recently acquired an XT5 Plat after checking the Q5, X3, Infiniti, Acura RDX/MDX and MKX. I can't stand the front-end of the MKX, the X3 is ugly as hell, the infiniti looked like a clown shoe, the RDX is very nice for the price but my wife has one and it looks girly. I always purchase top trim so the Jag F-Pace S was way more expensive, and the XC90 R Design too expensive and too big. My only complain about the XT5 Platinum is door rattle from the Bose speakers in the doors but dealer will fix it under warranty. I would not purchase the XT5 in base trim though. Edit: Lexus is not available where I live.
I would get the Lincoln over this.
You guys from California take delight in shiting on anything N American made. The xt5 is a fantastic vehicle, I m not going to waste time on u
Bob Fitzpatrick I'm sorry you feel that way, but if you'll go through some of my other reviews you'll see I'm definitely NOT anti-American made.
Adaptive cruise and auto parking = You're a dolt who doesn't pay attention on the road, and you can't drive. Skip it.
Z-zzzzzzzzzzz!
Pretty terrible review, in my opinion.