2019 Cadillac XT5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The XT5 is Cadillac’s midsize entry. With room for five people and their luggage, it occupies the same comfortable midsize category as the...

The XT5 is Cadillac’s midsize entry. With room for five people and their luggage, it occupies the same comfortable midsize category as the Lexus RX, Lincoln MKX, and Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class. For 2019, the XT5 sees no major updates.

From the outside, the XT5 is distinctly Cadillac, wearing the latest version of the brand’s corporate front fascia, which includes headlights that extend to meet matching lights in the bumpers, and a tall shield-shaped grille that focuses on making the car look wide. The sides are chiseled and muscular, and around back, you’ll find tall, vertical tail-lights, like any proper Cadillac.

Inside, the XT5 impresses with a tailored interior that’s full of interesting shapes. The switchgear is well-sorted and limited to specific areas, lending a clean look to everything. Subtle touches of sculpted wood or aluminum are dispersed throughout the cabin. Some buyers may object to the touch-sensitive controls in the center stack. Should you need to extend the cargo area, the rear seats fold flat in a 40/20/40 fashion.

The only engine for the XT5 is a 3.6-liter V6 engine with 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission. By default, the XT5 is front-wheel drive (FWD), but all-wheel drive (AWD) is an option. Those looking to drive athletically can opt for the a nicer AWD system that makes use of twin clutches and also includes a drive mode selector. Automatic stop-start comes standard, contributing to fuel economy ratings of 19 miles per gallon city, 26 highway, and 22 combined on regular fuel.

All four of the XT5’s previous trims return for 2019: Base, Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Platinum. The Base trim comes well-equipped, with 18-inch painted aluminum wheels, an 8-inch infotainment system, voice recognition, dual-zone climate control, genuine wood trim, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a Bose 8-speaker audio system, 4G LTE connectivity, a power liftgate, keyless entry and start, 8-way power driver’s seats, and a power tilt-and-telescoping steering column.

To this, the Luxury trim adds a panoramic sunroof, genuine leather upholstery, memory settings, a heated steering wheel, and wireless charging.

The Premium Luxury trim gets 20-inch wheels, a nicer 14-speaker sound system, navigation, LED headlights, illuminated door handles, cooled front seats, a performance suspension, and tri-zone automatic climate control.

Finally, the Platinum trim tops the range with a microsuede headliner, semi-aniline leather upholstery, heated rear outboard seats, an 8-inch LCD instrument cluster, an advanced security package, and unique exterior elements like the grille, wheels, and exhaust tips.

Like most luxury vehicles, the XT5 is just brimming with standard and optional safety technology. A reversing camera, reversing sensors, and a rear seat reminder are all standard. There’s also Teen Driver, which allows parents to monitor their teens’ driving behavior and set limits on certain functions of the vehicle. From there, the Driver Awareness Package adds a vibrating seat, forward-collision alert, a following distance indicator, lane-departure warning, front-pedestrian braking, and low-speed forward automatic braking. Lane-change alert, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, a surround-view camera system, and an LCD-based virtual rearview mirror are all optional. When the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tested the XT5 in 2018, it found the crossover worthy of perfect scores in every crash category, plus a top crash-avoidance rating with the optional equipment.