2017 Cadillac XT5: First Impressions
The new 2017 Cadillac XT5, which debuted at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, is larger than the SRX it replaces while being lighter, more powerful and featuring styling that brings it in line with the rest of the Cadillac family.
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That styling may be the Cadillac’s best feature — this is one of those vehicles that doesn’t look as good in pictures as it does in person. Up close, the XT5’s lines are tight and clean, immediately identifying it as a modern Cadillac without being gaudy like a Lexus RX or boring like an Acura MDX. The proportions are right, the angles are slick, and everything meshes with a high-quality feel.
Inside, the design is equally attractive. Sadly, Cadillac hasn’t yet come to its senses like Ford has, and it continues to push the whole touch-sensitive panel controls for things like climate control. The XT5 features the same kind of controls, which we’ve come to hate on just about every vehicle in which they’re featured. There’s no quality tactile feedback to a dead plastic panel, and it detracts from an otherwise attractively appointed interior. Outward visibility is good, with decent sightlines, and there’s plenty of room up front for occupants.
In back, however, there’s a problem. The panoramic glass roof, which Cadillac says will be featured on just about 95 percent of XT5 models, eats into backseat headroom — to the point that anyone taller than 5 feet 9 inches is going to be uncomfortable sitting in back. My 6-foot-tall bulky frame found plenty of legroom in back, but my head was cocked at an angle to even fit into the backseat. With the backseat slid to its rearmost position and reclined to its lower slot, my head rested solidly against the rigid headliner. One good Detroit pothole and I’d be breaking vertebrae. This is not a problem with competitors’ SUVs.
It’s a shame about the backseat headroom issue as the XT5 shows a lot of promise for Cadillac in this segment. With its combination of light weight, appealing styling and high-quality interior materials, the XT5 looks to have the goods to go up against the heavy hitters in the luxury market.
