XT5 is a star in Cadillac lineup; prices for 2023 begin at $44,195
Cadillac’s compact, fivepassenger XT5 crossover utility vehicle returns for 2023 with no major changes, and comes in three trim levels, with a starting price of $44,195 (plus $1,395 freight).
The XT5 base Luxury ($44,195) and midlevel Premium Luxury ($49,945) models still come with the 2.0-liter turbocharged fourcylinder engine, introduced three years ago, while the top-of-the-line Sport ($57,095) comes with the 3.6-liter V-6. That engine is available on the Premium Luxury model for $1,000 extra.
Luxury and Premium Luxury come with front-wheel drive, but allwheel drive is available for $2,000 more. The Sport model comes only with all-wheel drive.
For 2023, there are three new exterior color choices – Radiant Red Tintcoat and Opulent Blue Metallic, both for $625 extra, and Argent Silver Metallic.
There is also a super-premium Crystal White Tricoat exterior for $1,225 extra, which was included on our 2023 XT5 Sport test vehicle.
Also new for 2023, the Cadillac User Experience with Navigation is now standard on Premium Luxury and Sport, and a compact spare tire is now standard across the line.
A year ago, there were some changes, mostly on the Sport model. It got an upgrade to Brembo front brakes, along with red front and rear calipers; and 20-inch, 12-spoke wheels with Pearl Nickel finish.
Other premium colors at the $625 price are Latte Metallic, Rosewood Metallic, Stellar Black
Metallic, and Wilder Metallic (forest green). Added last year were colorkeyed floor mats for both seating rows.
The four-cylinder turbo engine cranks out 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 updates three years ago, 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, moreaggressive 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.
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.)
On our test vehicle, the V-6 produced plenty of power for highway and around-town driving.