2020 Cadillac XT5 debuts with new tech, more standard equipment
Cadillac's best-selling SUV gets an updated looks and loads more tech.
- North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
The Cadillac XT5 is a relative newcomer to the automaker's stable of vehicles, but has rapidly risen to become the best-selling model in the brand's portfolio. In order to keep the compact luxury SUV competitive, it's getting a midcycle refresh for the 2020 model year with an updated look, a new powertrain option and, of course, loads more technology.
The visual changes are subtle. Inside, there are new color themes and trims, as well as a redesigned center console that's been reshaped to better hold cups, phones and other items. Externally, a bit of sheet-metal sharpening brings the XT5's look more in line with its sibling, the new XT6. Last year's premium LED headlamps are now standard equipment, flanking a new mesh grille treatment.
Behind that grille, you'll find the automaker's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine serving as the new base power plant for most trim levels. It'll send 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque in the direction of the front wheels via a standard nine-speed automatic transmission, with all-wheel drive being available as an option.
Buyers will be able to upgrade to a 3.6-liter V6 engine for a bump up to 310 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. The V6 is standard equipment on a new Sport trim level that also features an adaptive damper suspension and a Sport All-Wheel Drive system with a torque-vectoring, twin-clutch rear differential that improves power delivery and stability while cornering.
Expect significantly more tech in the 2020 XT5, starting in the dashboard, where you'll find an 8-inch version of Cadillac and GM's Infotainment 3.5 system with a new physical control "jog wheel" located within easy reach on the center console. The new software is a huge improvement over Caddy's old CUE system, with an intuitive interface and pretty snappy performance. Still, I'm most happy to be able to ditch the old capacitive volume touch bar in favor of a trusty, accurate volume knob.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay continue as standard technologies, joined by new NFC smartphone pairing and high-speed USB-C charging ports scattered around the cabin.
The visual changes are subtle, but the 2020 XT5 boasts more standard safety and cabin technologies than before.
There are also more standard safety features including forward collision alert with low-speed automatic braking, Intellibeam automatic high-beam lighting and pedestrian detection for front and rear. Meanwhile, the 2020 options list also gets fleshed out with newly available night vision, improved versions of the automaker's rear camera mirror and surround-view camera systems and more.
The updated 2020 Cadillac XT5 hits dealerships in "late summer 2019." More standard equipment means that it will also come with a bump in price. We expect to learn exactly how much more closer to that launch window.