2020 Cadillac XT5 Sport: The Brand’s Midsize Luxury Crossover

The XT5 Sport is located on the grounds of the Herndon Home, Atlanta's first black millionaire.

Highlight: The Sport trim is all-new for the 2020 model year.

Test Vehicle’s MSRP: $59,740 (Base Model: $45,090)

Seating Capacity: 5

Standard Safety Features: air bags; a rearview camera; a tire pressure monitoring system; a tire inflator kit; a rear park assist system; an electronic stability control system; a traction control system; a teen driver safety configuration system; following distance indicator; a forward collision alert system; a lane keep assist with a lane departure warning system; and a front pedestrian braking system

Standard Equipment Base: 18-inch wheels; a 9-speed automatic transmission; a 2.0-liter horsepower, 237-horsepower; an adaptive remote start; a dual zone climate control system; lockable glovebox; a keyless entry system; an in-vehicle Wi-Fi system; a power front seats; pseudo leather; a power tilt/telescopic steering wheel; second row slide and recline seats; a capless fuel filler door; a push-button ignition starter; a power lift gate; electric parking brakes; an automatic start/stop system; an 8-inch infotainment screen; a remote start system; and heated front seats

Standard Equipment Sport: 20-inch wheels; all-wheel drive; a 9-speed automatic transmission; 3.6-liter, 310-horsepower; a cargo management system; lane change alert with side blind zone alert system; two position memory operated driver’s seat; an automatic rearview dimming mirror; a rear cross traffic alert system; a heated steering wheel; a power tilt/telescopic steering wheel; an in-vehicle wireless charging system; a hands-free programmable lift gate; a real time dampening suspension system; a heavy duty cooling system; and driver select mode                                                                                                                                                                      
Options On Test Vehicle: HD surround vision; rear pedestrian alert; rear camera with washer; 8-inch gauge cluster; a heads up display system; a navigation system; a 14-speaker BOSE audio system; a cargo net; and an inflator kit

Other Trim Levels:

Premium Luxury

Standard Audio On Test Vehicle: an 8-speaker Bose AM/FM/HD with SiriusXM 

Apple CarPlay & Android: Yes

Bluetooth Connectivity: Yes

USB Connectivity: Yes

Android/Apple CarPlay: Yes

Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty: 4 years or 50,000 miles

Powertrain Warranty: 6 years or 70,000 miles

Standard Engine/Horsepower: 3.6-liter turbo, 6-cylinder/310-hp

Recommended Fuel Sport: Premium

Standard Fuel Mileage Sport: 18-city/26-hwy

What’s New: For the 2020 model year, Cadillac has made a number of trim
and content changes, which has increased the overall cost of the base model midsize crossover by approximately $1,500. The luxury brand has redesigned its center console and added a new turbocharged engine to the all-new Spots trim.

Why: The midsize XT5 is the brand’s most popular model. The luxurious and roomy five-passenger XT5 is available in a front wheel drive or an all-wheel drive configuration. After being overhauled in 2017, with a fresh new look and design, the 2020 model has experienced a mid-cycle refresh. Over the years the vehicle has gone through a name change, dropping the SRX name for a new alpha numeric number, following the lead of its luxury predecessors. Added to that, the vehicle no longer looks like a miniature hearse.

For the 2020 model year, the stylish XT5 is available in a variety of trims: Luxury, Premium Luxury and the all-new Sport.

Depending upon the trim, buyers have an opportunity of opting for a new 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder turbo, which produces 237-horsepower or the peppy 6-cylinder engine, which kicks out 310-horsepower.

We had an opportunity to spend a week with the brand’s higher end Sport trim. The new Sport’s trim was outfitted with a standard 6-cylinder engine. The vehicle was also outfitted with 20-inch wheels, which not only changed the overall look and handling of the model, but also enhanced the XT5 ride quality. In fact, the 20-inch wheels complimented the brand’s dampening suspension system, which separates the vehicle from a number of its top tier competitors, balancing the ride quality.

Also the 2020 XT5 was infused with the latest safety driving aids too. Some of those features included the optional 360-degree camera to a forward collision braking system.

Both the ride height, the easy-to-use functions such as the navigation and audio system with the duplicate knobs, makes the swipe smartphone-like system user friendly. The previous CUE system in the Cadillacs were too high tech for its customer base and were found to be difficult to make simple adjustments.

But: Why is it that the vehicle does not include a brake hold feature, when stopped at traffic lights? Most of the luxury makes and several of the mainstream vehicles offer this feature. The brake hold system serves as both a safety and convenience feature.

The Sport trim, which is only available with the model’s standard 6-cylinder engine, can only be powered by an all-wheel drive configuration. A front wheel drive model in the Sport trim could boost the fuel efficiency of the XT5, while also altering the handling capabilities of the vehicle.

Verdict: Pricing for the base trim has increased by $1,500, when compared to the 2019 model. However, Cadillac has made a number of content enhancements to this stylish vehicle to justify the pricing.

Overall Cadillac has made great strides to make this midsize premium crossover a first rate luxury vehicle. After swapping out of a smaller BMW crossover a week earlier, which had a price tag that matched the larger Cadillac, it was quite obvious why this is the brand’s most popular make. There was really no comparison, when comparing the ride quality of the XT5 to the smaller BMW. It was literally night and day.

So, while the brand has struggled with its car line up, Cadillac has nailed it with its midsize crossover. The XT5 is worth placing on one’s shopping list.

  

Competition: Audi RDX; BMW X5; Infiniti XX; Lincoln Nautilus; Mercedes-Benz GLC; and Volvo XC60