The XT5 is a very important new model, because the SRX it replaces has come to symbolize growth for the brand. The outgoing version has sold consistently well, topping 50,000 units every year since its 2010-model-year introduction, and even doing better toward the end of its lifecycle. It brought nearly 40 percent of Cadillac’s U.S. sales in calendar-year 2015. Like the CT6, the XT5 splices in a multitude of lighter-weight materials and techniques yielding a crossover that's bigger than the SRX it replaces, but lighter and a better performer, according to the hype. The XT5 is built on a 112.5-inch wheelbase and checks in at 189.5 inches long. Compared to the outgoing SRX, it’s essentially the same length, width, and height; but its wheelbase is about two inches longer and its track an inch wider. That pushes the wheels out to the corners and, in theory, gives this vehicle a more grounded stance. In truth, the XT5 is far more sophisticated inside, but it doesn’t make huge gains in passenger accommodations. Cadillac boasts that thanks to the stretch in wheelbase this model has about three more inches of rear legroom than the SRX, but it’s remarkeably tight on headroom, in a class of vehicle where owners—realtors, salespeople, empty nesters—likely use the back seat for adults a little more often. Yet the cabin appointments are impressive in every way, with cut-and-sewn leather trim contrasting with three different woods, aluminum, or carbon fiber. There's also a Platinum edition with its own trim choices, like those on the big Escalade Platinum. The standard powertrain for the 2017 model year is a 3.6-liter V-6, making 310 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. It’s actually not the one that’s used throughout Cadillac’s sedan lineup, but a new V-6, paired with an 8-speed Aisin automatic that’s responsive, but nicely damped in its shifts. As such, the XT5 is quick and responsive, but doesn’t feel like a performance model in any way. It incorporates a strut front setup with a five-link independent rear end, and the rack-mounted electric power steering delivers surprisingly precise, nicely weighted feel. Eighteen-inch wheels are standard, while 20-inch wheels are an option; the 20s come packages with a set of continuously adaptive shocks, while a new Platinum model gets more compliant bushings for an even better, quieter ride. More so than its driving dynamics, the XT5 shows its leading place in the Cadillac lineup with a particularly innovative feature, the Rear Camera Mirror system, which essentially uses a video display in place of a rearview mirror. The display shows an image wider and crisper than you'd see in an actual mirror. What's really cool is that you don't need to adjust it -- however you twist the display on its mount, the view remains the same. Two things bothered me about the Rear Camera Mirror. It made cars to the rear appear closer than they actually were. When parking, the backup camera, showing on the dashboard LCD with a surround-view monitor, more accurately indicated how much space I had behind the XT5. And when I glanced up at the Rear Camera Mirror system while driving, my eyes took a moment to adjust from the real view in front to the flat video display. This last point may just be a matter of getting more used to it. For people who don't like this system, it's easy enough to flip up the display and use the real mirror that is part of the system. Along with the usual standard power features, the XT5 offers the CUE interface, with the system here upgraded with a faster processor. Wireless phone charging, 4G LTE hotspot compatibility, and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto round out the connectivity package. LED headlamps and a gesture-controlled power tailgate will be offered. The top Platinum model comes with a hands-free liftgate, a head-up display, a surround-view camera, ambient LED lighting, special leather dash and door trim, micro suede for the headliner and other trim, a unique exhaust outlet, and a more brightly chromed grille—plus standard 20-inch wheels. The XT5 is built for the U.S. at the GM factory in Spring Hill, Tennessee, once home to the Saturn division. XT5 prices start at $39,990 and crest at $65,835 for an all-wheel-drive Platinum edition with the optional Driver Assist package (adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, and park assist). There are four trim levels and a wealth of equipment alternatives. That value aside, the XT5’s not-so-secret weapon is Cadillac global president Johan de Nysschen. GM’s shrewdest move in the past five years was robbing this boss from Infiniti after he spent three years at BMW and 19 years with Audi. Instead of following the luxury incumbents, de Nysschen has pledged Cadillac will be a “challenger” brand, traveling its own path of “courageous innovation.” Watching that strategy unfold with the XT5 and 11 more new Cadillacs under development will be entertaining.

• published: 18 May 2016
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