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Old 07-19-2018, 01:34 PM
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LVSteve LVSteve is offline
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Default Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish

My wife's 2014 Cadilliac shredded its transmission at under 50k miles, but through the wonders of CPO Cadillac rebuilt it for free. In the meantime, they gave us an XT5 crossover as a loaner.

STYLING: The XT5 is the successor to the SRX crossover. My first impression was that the XT5 is styled more plainly than the SRX but has smaller blindspots as the roof line is higher at the back with more glass. It's not quite at the Audi Q5 level of yawn inducing blandness, but it's definitely gone that way.

ENGINE: On paper, they don't look much different, but the devil is in the detail. Both have 3.6 V6 motors, but the XT5 is using a newer, slightly larger design with greater sophistication. For example, under light constant load or the overrun, the XT5 motor runs as a V4 instead of a V6. The transition is seamless, probably due to some active engine mount magic. Combined with the new transmission the gas mileage seemed pretty good getting 20+ mpg in mixed conditions with the A/C on 100% of the time.

TRANSMISSION: Backing the new motor is an 8-speed transmission that was desperately needed due to the 3.6 motor's lack of real grunt in a 4000lb+ vehicle. The transmission is very smooth and Cadillac give you paddle shifters for when you need to downshift in anticipation. When you do, watching the rev counter shows just how close together the ratios are spaced. Shifts were smooth. One thing MANY may not like is that GM have decided that the old shifter pattern needed changing. With the new system it is easy to get the car into manual mode and unless briefed, you may not know how to get out of it. An MMI change for changes sake, and not a helpful one IMHO.

INTERIOR: The interior was nice for the base model but I know many would scream blue murder at the lack of sunroof. Not me, I hate the things. Cadillac have simplified the CUE system to some degree and returned some of the A/C controls to switches rather than the "haptic controls" on the SRX. Hooray! Only thing is the A/C system is noisy for the amount of output. I have the same beef with the SRX.

RIDE AND HANDLING: Ever heard the thing about the curate's egg, good in places? This applies 100% to the XT5. Being a base model it came with 18" wheels and tires with lots of sidewall. I expected this to give a really cushy ride compared to the SRX Premium I've ridden in that had 20" wheel.

Nope. The XT5 clumped noisily over road repairs at town speeds in a most un-Cadiilac manner. I checked the repuusres to find they were dead on spec, probably only the second time from a shop in Vegas. Certain surfaces, even smooth ones, set up some awful racket in the vehicle at freeway speeds. Weirdly, a run down the concrete section of I-15 to Stateline was pretty serene. Color me baffled. Web research suggests the tires are the culprit, Michelin Premier LTX. Supposedly a 60k tire, many folks are reporting them done at 25k.

Handling was OK within the limits I would push a vehicle of thins type. I did not that it is very short of droop capability in the rear suspension. Drivng off the street onto my drive at an angle the inside rear wheel would come off the ground, and my drive is not that extreme. The older SRX does not do this.

WHY I PROBABLY WOULD NEVER BUY ONE: The XT5 has two "no sale" features.
#1 No spare wheel, just an inflation kit. There appeared to be space for a spare, so maybe it's an option.
#2 You cannot disable the auto stop feature on the engine. That is an utter deal breaker for me.
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Last edited by LVSteve; 07-19-2018 at 01:53 PM. Reason: Added gas mileage and A/C comments
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Old 07-19-2018, 02:27 PM
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Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish  
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I've gotten too old to keep up with all the models today, having grown up with Impala, Galaxie, Fury, etc.

Now they all seem to to acronyms of nothing - XYZ4C, HAK2, and so on.

How's that for an old man rant in an unexpected place?
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Old 07-19-2018, 02:47 PM
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Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish  
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Are the tires run-flats? That would contribute to the harsh ride. I think all GM cars have a non-defeat able stop/start system. Supposedly it gives more bonus points toward their fleet mileage than if it can be turned off.

I don't know when that changed, a few years back I didn't think the stop/start feature counted at all.
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Old 07-19-2018, 04:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johngalt View Post
Are the tires run-flats? That would contribute to the harsh ride. I think all GM cars have a non-defeat able stop/start system. Supposedly it gives more bonus points toward their fleet mileage than if it can be turned off.

I don't know when that changed, a few years back I didn't think the stop/start feature counted at all.
Nope, not runflats as far as I could see. Tirerack seems to agree.
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Old 07-19-2018, 08:06 PM
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Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish  
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I always wish for a `65 Chevrolet Impala SS. 325 HP 396 and Powerglide. Nothing to hairy for sure. New vehicles are engineering nightmares.
Old and nice was always so practical with style.
Oh, and red with a black interior. Im sold.
Good luck with your repaired Caddy.
Jim
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Old 07-19-2018, 09:22 PM
Ivan the Butcher Ivan the Butcher is offline
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Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish  
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Steve you plight over a new set of wheels has had me looking at every car that is out of the ordinary. Today while doing my bicycle ride, I was passed by a black 4 door Porch The glare and script lettering didn't allow me to catch the model (Panam...4S)> The driver seemed very proud of his "Family Sports Car" but to me the body design was rather plane! The sound of the acceleration was boring at best! I have no idea of the cost, but there are lots of unexciting cars for less money!!

Tuesday, I was passing a different neighborhood that surrounds a different golf course. It was the lunch time rush (about 35% of morning or evening rush) and a Black 4 door Maserati came whipping around the corner opposite me. The body style was breath taking and the acceleration was some of the type of authority we used to hear from the late 60's corvettes my uncle had! I didn't catch a model name or number anywhere on the car, Just the name in distinctive script and the Trident!

While I have no desire for a sports car with 2 or 4 doors (I like playing off road too much) I was left yawning by one, and my heart was left racing by the other. I hope there is a local dealer there in Vegas to go get a test drive!

Ivan
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Old 07-20-2018, 12:48 AM
kaaskop49 kaaskop49 is offline
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Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish  
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Thanks, Steve. Been a long time (3 years?) since your last review. IIRC, it was on the Corolla. You bemoaned its lack of an engine...

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Old 07-20-2018, 01:55 PM
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Thanks, Steve. Been a long time (3 years?) since your last review. IIRC, it was on the Corolla. You bemoaned its lack of an engine...

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I did a Range Rover Evoque and a Land Rover Discovery Sport earlier this year.

Courtesy car review: Range Rover Evoque. LONG

Courtesy car report: Land Rover Discovery Sport
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Old 07-20-2018, 04:10 PM
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Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish  
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I am not a big fan of the mid-size SUVs. The Range Rover Evoque is really tiny on the interior....I am 6'3" and it was uncomfortable for me personally.

Ended up going with a new Volvo SUV when I rented.

I have always been a fan of Cadillac. Owned a 63 Coupe Deville, 64 Fleetwood, 64 Eldorado convertible, 65 fleetwood, 1995 Eldorado, and was thinking about the Escalade (few years old) for my next vehicle.

I know Cadillac has to appeal to a wide audience, but sometimes I wish they would get back to their big bold roots. This IS a Cadillac and that is America's best. Check out a 1940(s) convertible...what a time machine.

To me their styling is just really conservative right now. The Escalade was wildly successful and that is in part because of it being new to the market in terms of design.

Ok, back to your regularly scheduled programming...sorry I was long winded.
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Old 07-20-2018, 04:35 PM
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Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish Loaner car review: Cadillac XT5, longish  
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A friend just got the Alfa Romeo SUV (Stelvio?). It is roughly the size of an Audi Q5. The back seat is a little tight, the front is roomy. Fit & finish, quality of materials is outstanding. Definitely one of the best looking SUVs out there.

He got the base engine, which is a turbo 4. There is an optional turbo V6 built by Ferrari, but that is a very expensive option - it doubles the price of the car.

It has no spare, but does not have run-flats either - it comes with a tire sealer kit.

The stop/start system can be disabled.
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Old 07-20-2018, 04:42 PM
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Found a picture of the one I always wanted:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ible_coupe.JPG
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