The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Comfortable ride
- Good V-6 option
- Quality infotainment tech
- Big interior
Dislikes
- Light on personality
- Can get expensive
- Needs a hybrid option
- Sport is far from sporty
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Cadillac XT5 checks many boxes, but its limited personality leaves little longstanding impression.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Cadillac XT5? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Cadillac XT5 is a compact luxury SUV with seating for five. Compare it to the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, as well as the Lincoln Nautilus.
Is the 2025 Cadillac XT5 a good SUV?
The XT5 is a good overall choice with a comfy ride and a strong V-6 option, but rivals with fresher lines and better fuel economy are worth more serious consideration. The 2025 XT5 rates a 6.0 on the TCC scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Cadillac XT5?
Nada. The XT5 carries into 2025 unchanged.
Overshadowed by Cadillac’s growing EV lineup, the XT5 nonetheless has its merits. Its angular styling and humpback profile are pleasant enough outside, and it rides on crowd-pleasing 20-inch wheels that look great in its big wheel wells. It’s less impressive inside, though nice materials and plenty of space are assets.
The XT5 comes with a 235-hp turbo-4 that delivers quicker acceleration than the modest output and hefty curb weight would otherwise suggest, but the gem of the lineup here is the big 3.6-liter V-6. It’s thirsty, but the V-6 is also quite smooth and powerful. If you like your luxury cars old-school, this setup is about as classic as you’ll find in 2025.
With the 4-cylinder, the XT5 can top 30 mpg on the highway. The V-6 will struggle to beat 26 mpg on the highway, though. Most other rivals have a hybrid option now, but not the XT5.
Inside, the XT5’s cabin may lack for pizazz, but it’s spacious enough and the seats are quite comfortable. We like the user-friendly 8.0-inch touchscreen, even if it doesn’t have GM’s latest Google built-in tech. Still, simple menus and quick responses make it an appealing system to operate and it has wireless smartphone projection.
The XT5 has done well in government and independent crash tests. It includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and active lane control, though the optional and somewhat costly adaptive cruise control system is not Cadillac’s latest Super Cruise system.
How much does the 2025 Cadillac XT5 cost?
Cadillac wants around $46,000 for a base XT5 Luxury with its synthetic leather trim, 8.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and heated front seats with power adjustment. That’s all right, but we’d spend up for the leather-clad Premium Luxury, and then we’d still add the optional V-6.
Where is the 2025 Cadillac XT5 made?
In Spring Hill, Tennessee.
2025 Cadillac XT5 Styling
The 2025 Cadillac XT5 lacks a luxury-grade cabin.
Is the Cadillac XT5 a good-looking car?
It’s fine but familiar outside, which earns the 2025 XT5 a 6 out of 10 on the TCC scale. Inside, though, the XT5 is adequate but light on upmarket details.
The XT5 shares many styling cues with the smaller XT4 that sits just below it in Cadillac’s big lineup of SUVs. Its wide grille and angular headlights that reach toward the windshield are clear ties to the rest of the Cadillac family. It lacks the tall tailligihts that work so well on other models, though. And the XT5’s hunchback side profile has more or less been around since this offering was called SRX.
The XT5 looks good with its standard 20-inch alloy wheels, and the automaker offers a particularly broad palette of paint colors.
Inside, you’ll find a cabin that could have come from a Buick, not a Cadillac. To be clear, it’s a nice enough place with good materials and convenient controls, but the XT5 has lumpy details and little in the way of design flair. It lacks the precision you’ll find in competitors, and Cadillac instead relies on heavy-looking trim and materials rather than delicate touches.
2025 Cadillac XT5 Performance
The 2025 XT5 is a cruiser, not a corner carver.
Cadillac’s compact luxury SUV nets a 6.0 on the TCC scale thanks to its comfortable ride. It’s not particularly fun to drive, though.
Is the Cadillac XT5 4WD?
The Luxury and Premium Luxury trims can be had with front- or all-wheel drive, while the top XT5 Sport is all-wheel drive-only.
How fast is the Cadillac XT5?
The base XT5 has good power, but it’s no rocket. Its 2.0-liter turbo-4 puts out 235 hp, which works well with its 9-speed automatic transmission for good grunt away from a stop and decent passing power.
If you routinely drive in hilly areas or find yourself with a full complement of passengers aboard, you’ll likely want the 3.6-liter V-6. Its 310-hp rating is good, but what’s particularly nice here is the steady stream of power that stands in marked contrast to the peaky nature of the turbocharged 4-cylinders that permeate this class. It’s a fuel-guzzler, though.
The XT5 has a smooth, well-controlled ride with a bit too much nose plow into corners and side-to-side lean for us. Even the top Sport trim level is far from sporty, though it can be fitted with adaptive dampers that provide a noticeable uptick in ride quality. Whether it’s worth spending that much is up to you, though, since a so-equipped XT5 easily tops $60,000.
The XT5 has good steering response, but little in the way of feel. Ultimately, it’s just not as athletic or nimble as its competitors. It feels every bit of its 4,000 pounds—a heft you won’t find in rivals.
2025 Cadillac XT5 Comfort & Quality
The 2025 Cadillac XT5’s spacious cabin has comfy front seats.
Although its interior may not be imaginatively designed, the Cadillac XT5 is plenty comfortable and has a good cargo area. Those points net it a 7 on the TCC scale.
The XT5 has firm but supportive front seats with excellent adjustment and standard heating. Real leather supplants synthetic stuff on the mid-level Premium Luxury trim, while semi-aniline leather is a (rather costly) option.
Rear-seat riders access a reasonably comfortable bench via massive doors. Watch out in parking lots! Three can sit abreast in a pinch.
The XT5 has a 63.0 cubic-foot cargo area with the rear seatbacks down. That area shrinks to about 30.2 cubes with them upright, figures that are typical for a compact luxury crossover.
Cadillac does a nice job sprinkling padded surfaces throughout the cabin, but even the top Platinum package lacks the attention to detail and delightful touches you’ll find in some competitors.
2025 Cadillac XT5 Safety
Cadillac’s a bit stingy with driver-assistance tech, but the XT5 has a good crash-test record.
How safe is the Cadillac XT5?
It is a safe overall choice that earns a 7 here thanks to a five-star rating from the NHTSA and standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. It misses out on another point since the IIHS says its “Marginal”-rated headlights prevent it from earning a Top Safety Pick award.
All XT5s also have active lane control and automatic high-beams, but Cadillac requires adding trim levels or packages to net adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitors. The XT5 is also not available with the brand’s spectacular hands-off Super Cruise driver-assistance feature.
2025 Cadillac XT5 Features
Shop wisely and the 2024 XT5 can be a five-seat luxury SUV value.
Cadillac wants around $46,000 for the base 2025 XT5 Luxury trim level, which is pretty well-equipped with features such as a power tailgate, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, synthetic leather trim, and heated front seats.
Those merits add up to an 8 on the TCC scale, with points above average for standard equipment, a solid infotainment system, and myriad options.
The 4-year/50,000-mile warranty also includes the XT5’s first service visit, but that’s not quite enough to eke out a point here.
Which Cadillac XT5 should I buy?
The mid-level Premium Luxury trim costs about $5,500 more than the base model. It adds leather upholstery, a big sunroof, a built-in navigation system, and blind-spot monitors. It’s also the gateway to option packages with nice features like adaptive cruise control and the strong V-6 engine.
We wouldn’t layer on too many options, but at $55,000 or less, a well-equipped XT5 Premium Luxury is a decent buy.
How much is a fully loaded Cadillac XT5?
The XT5 Sport runs north of $60,000 with its adaptive dampers and Bose audio, plus you can add softer semi-aniline leather trim and nicer wood bits. But at that point, several rivals such as the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class deliver a more luxurious overall experience for not much more.
2025 Cadillac XT5 Fuel Economy
Cadillac’s five-seat XT5 could use a hybrid configuration.
Is the Cadillac XT5 good on gas?
It’s not especially good. Base 4-cylinder versions of the XT5 are estimated at 22 mpg city, 29 highway, 24 combined, which nets them a 2 out of 10 on the TCC scale. With all-wheel drive , they slide to 21/27/23 mpg.
The big V-6 is a guzzler at 19/26/21 mpg regardless of which wheels are driven.
