Road tripping to a Georgia raceway in the Cadillac XT5
BRASELTON, Georgia — Three years ago, I watched here at Road Atlanta Raceway as a blood red, V-8-powered Cadillac DPi-V.R prototype streaked ahead of a snarling pack of IMSA race cars on its way to a victory at the Petit Le Mans 10-hour endurance race.
The Cadillac was the class of the field.
This year I returned to Road Atlanta driving an XT5 SUV, the bestselling Caddy in the luxe maker’s lineup. There is an unmistakable similarity between the DPi-V.R and XT5. They share Caddy’s teardrop headlights, vertical taillights and brand logo. And that’s about it.
These are the bookends of the Cadillac brand: the single-seat, 600-horsepower, championshipwinning race car and the five-seat, entry-level luxury utility vehicle. They are part of Caddy’s multiple identities formed from navigating the shifting winds of the auto industry over the last decade.
Consider: the DPi-V.R is the V-8-powered halo for the V-series CT4 and CT5 Blackwing sedans that are soon to be retired because Cadillac is going all-electric beginning with the Lyriq later this year — the
model that will replace the XT5. Yet, Cadillac’s racing program will live on with a new, V-8-powered hybrid race car coming in 2023, the same model year as the battery-powered Lyriq. The race car will be the fiercest V-8 this side of a 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V.
Confused? Join the club. But as I drove through Road Atlanta’s gates in the XT5 — loaded with four family members — it had an undeniable cool factor.
My family and I were at Road Atlanta because we have a team of three sports racers that compete in amateur motorsport. We loaded four carry-on suitcases, a briefcase, and backpack under the rear hatch with room to spare. We three Payne boys are all north of 6 feet and were able to sit comfortably.
With 462 miles of gas range and gas stations everywhere, we didn’t give the Caddy XT5’s fuel needs a second thought as I merged into 80 mph Atlanta interstate traffic.
With a 3.6-liter V-6 under the hood, the XT5 Sport model spits out a healthy 310 horsepower (an upgrade from the car’s standard, 235-horse turbo-4). But the engine is EV-quiet. On road, the XT5 is competent but didn’t inherit any DPi-V.R DNA.
Wireless Apple CarPlay proved wonky on our trip. The dash design is tasteful, though it won’t impress those looking for fashionable, expansive dash screens. The smallish, 8-inch console screen was useful for tight parking in the Road Atlanta paddock.
The Road Atlanta grounds attracted thousands of spectators — some queuing in Shelby Cobras, Acura NSXs, Porsches, Corvettes and so on. I saw a 1950s Cadillac Eldorado — an icon the Lyriq intends to re-create. The XT5? Not so much. It will never achieve Eldorado’s legendary status, but it offers a comfortable daily driver experience.