Test drive Cadillac XT5 (generation I restyling)

The whole photo session

Following many automakers, the Cadillac brand got rid of sedans in its line in our country. The decision, in itself, is probably correct, given that crossovers are now sold out with a bang! Another thing is that the crossovers and SUVs left alone should not only remain in the eyes of the buyer without an alternative, but also be attractive enough to make a choice in their favor. Besides, nobody canceled the magic of novelty. Everything worked out well for the American brand. The lineup has recently been almost completely refreshed, with models – from the Escalade to the new XT6 – really getting a lot of attention. But now we are not talking about them

On test, Motorpage has a mid-size XT5, which also recently underwent an update. The car is equipped with PREMIUM LUXURY, the only alternative of which is the SPORT equipment in the price list. For the first, they ask for 3,490,000 rubles, the second – for 100,000 more. And here the buyer is hardly worth saving this relatively small amount of money. In my opinion, get an active chassis and a Sport Control all-wheel drive system for this difference, Performance independent suspension instead of the usual independent, 20-inch alloy wheels instead of 18-inch wheels, an electronically controlled double-clutch final drive, plus “little things” such as transparent rear lights , black roof rails and Sport styled radiator grilles are, as you would be assured in the US, a good deal.

What can you say in appearance? At first glance, only one thing – in front of us is a Cadillac. The XT5’s design is as unique as it is family-friendly. These chopped, faceted, angular outlines of body elements, mirrors, headlights and lanterns immediately attract attention in the traffic flow. Some cars conquer you through the brand, others through practicality, but the XT5, like any other Cadillac, takes on design. Here is just the case when we can say that if a person likes just such a visual image, then this is his car and his brand.

Inside the XT5, everything is done in the same style. When I sat inside for the first time and looked around, I realized how difficult it is to describe in words all these intricate geometric shapes or something that resembles triangles, ovals, though not clearly delineated. On the other hand, they seem to be a carefully thought-out combination.

I liked the choice of interior trim materials, their transition from one to another, one facet of the interior to the next. The center console, predominantly trimmed with genuine leather, is reminiscent of this as a 5-tier layer cake. In some places – on the console and doors – their borders are outlined with chrome inserts, in others – they are emphasized by wood. They are repeated on the steering wheel. Present in the salon and coatings under the piano lacquer, but where is now without them. In XT5 they have especially generously decorated the multimedia system and climate control zone.

The instrument panel is a 5.7-inch color display integrated between the tachometer dials on the left and the speedometer dials on the right. With the ignition off, a black void gapes at the place of the tidy, in which only the arrows of the devices with risks are “suspended”, as a dotted line indicating the boundaries of the speedometer and tachometer. The digitization itself and the data on the on-board computer screen “appear” only with the turn of the ignition key. The instrument panel display design is configurable in two versions. At the same time, of course, you can display a variety of data on the screen – and multimedia control, and radio, and telephone ….

Another display in the cabin is the 8-inch multimedia screen. I didn’t have any complaints about the speed of the touch response and, in general, the speed. During the entire test drive, the problem with the use of multimedia arose only once. At one point, the name of one song was displayed on the on-board computer screen on the dashboard while listening to the radio, while at the same moment the name of another was shown on the multimedia screen. Moreover, the names of the songs on the touch-screen on the center console later changed, while the name of the song on the tidy remained unchanged. Probably, there was some kind of failure in the electronics, so I saw such a discrepancy.

In general, I was glad that the “American” does not overdo it with displays, so far reasonable sufficiency wins. Compared to competitors, who, in my opinion, have already abandoned the battle of motors and started the battle of screens, the XT5 is not overloaded with touch and other displays.

As I have already written many times, now when buying a new car, especially a premium class, the first thing to do is to configure it, like any smartphone or other gadget, “for yourself”. Everything is set up – from the moment the doors are locked to the setting of all the helping, warning, assisting systems, which, by the way, are recruited here, by the way, about a dozen.

What other functional advantages could be noted? First of all, the salon rear-view mirror, to which streaming video is transmitted from the rear-view camera. From my point of view, the presence of this technology is an absolute advantage and a very useful thing in movement. True, it leaves a double feeling – and not only in Cadillac, but also in models of other brands, where it has now become actively used.

On the one hand, it is certainly convenient. You see in the rear-view mirror a video picture of excellent quality, without the usual obstacles restricting the view in such situations – rear pillars, headrests, etc. But on the other hand, when you move in the dark, the mirror “glows” quite brightly (of course, its brightness can be adjusted, but even setting the lowest brightness value, I could not make the radiation of an additional “flashlight” hanging almost in front of me comfortable in the cabin). Plus, in the dark, all those flaws that appear in any camera when they shoot against a bright light come out in the picture. Cars driving behind shine with headlights, respectively, glare from these headlights in the mirror, and also flicker such as on a TV when its screen is filmed by a video camera. Of course, this is a matter of habit, and these problems appear only in the dark …. there are small adjustments: you can zoom in or out of the picture, adjust the brightness within certain limits. You can, in the end, switch the mirror to normal mode, which I would recommend doing, since this is corny more comfortable for the eyes. But, again, in terms of security, this system gives a big plus.

Continuing the theme of safety … The XT5 has a night vision system. By the way, it is not offered in either of the two trim levels, only in the additional Platinum package. I used it in the dark, when the visibility on the street deteriorates sharply. It is interesting to see how the system works. Literally in front of you on the dashboard, the screen switches to night vision mode. You can monitor the movements of all pedestrians in the range of the front cameras and sensors. Every pedestrian crossing the road or standing on the sidewalk appears on the on-board computer screen as a silhouette, framed by a rectangle of orange lines.

But like any modern complex electronic system, this one also requires constant improvements and improvements. During the test drive, I had one moment when, in the absence, at least in the immediate surrounding area, of people – suddenly a huge warning appeared on the head-up display that a collision with a pedestrian was possible. I was never able to determine what got into the field of vision of the radar and caused its reaction. But the system worked. The triggering, of course, was unexpected, and this is a definite disadvantage of such systems. However, it is better to play it safe, which once again reminded me of the XT5.

There are several driving modes here: “Off-road”, “Tour”, “Sport”. When each of them is activated, the car is slightly reconfigured. In the Cadillac, they manifest themselves most clearly and strongly in the “Sport” mode. When it is turned on, the steering becomes sharper, with an increase in speed, the steering wheel becomes “heavier”. In the “Off-road” mode, four-wheel drive is connected. If in normal mode the XT5 rides on the front drive, then as soon as you turn on this mode, the corresponding message is displayed on the instrument panel. But when moving into the “Tour” mode, or, in other words, normal, do not wait for the rear-wheel drive to be connected, even in a situation of slight slip, only the front one will be involved.

As for the dynamics and operation of the XT5 suspension, after several days of testing, I can say that it was precisely such an imposing and soft movement that I expected from him. After all, this is the same “American”. On the rear nameplate the inscription “350T” flaunts, which indicates the value of the maximum torque and the presence of a turbocharger, or rather two, in the 2-liter 200-horsepower engine used here. Thanks to him, the relatively light “X Te Fifth” accelerates to 100 km / h in a pretty decent 9.9 seconds. Subjectively, the car seems playful and, if necessary, to accelerate in motion, willingly and generously provides additional traction, which is necessary, for example, when overtaking. What else is the XT5 engine good for? By the fact that, under certain modes of movement, it can turn off two of its four cylinders. And this is good for the economy. During trips outside the city, the consumption figure of 7-8 liters per 100 kilometers speaks for itself.

In terms of comfort, the suspension is quite friendly to the driver and passengers due to the use of shock absorbers with variable stiffness with special servo drives, as well as the presence of as many as two couplings on the rear axle, which can separately connect each wheel, transferring the moment between them. Together, this gives the car more refined handling and a smoother ride.

In all trim levels, the XT5 offers only a 9-speed automatic gearbox, by the way, of its own design. The gear selector, here it is made in the form of a joystick, requires some getting used to, since when working with it you have to simultaneously press the button on its left side. Separately, on the upper surface of the joystick, there is a button Р – “Parking”. This is convenient, as is the fact that all the display buttons on the gear selector are designed as illuminated buttons. They are semi-sensory here – they seem to be flat in appearance and are indicated only by icons, but when pressed, they squeeze a little.

I like it when, with active use of touch screens and other touch-pads, the functions for which they are responsible can be turned on by their “backup” – the usual buttons. Therefore, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw a small display control unit with a joystick-regulator on the central tunnel. By tilting it to the right, you can go to the next page of the multimedia system, and by turning it, you go on each of its pages to the next section. With the help of individual buttons, here you can also go to the navigation, maps, music sections, go back or call the phone control. And two more buttons are conveniently located on the central tunnel – disabling the traction control and switching driving modes.

The trunk pleased with its volume. With the rear seats folded down, which are folded directly from the trunk using special levers, its capacity is 1784 liters! However, even without the folded seats, 855 liters of volume are quite enough to cover the need for transportation of a standard set of things and purchases. The trunk can be opened from the car, for which there is a special button on the left on the driver’s door.

The HT5 left a good impression. The restyling has undoubtedly drawn additional attention to this model, which is unique in that it occupies, one might say, an intermediate place between the two segments. It is no longer so compact as to deprive of space in the cabin or “presence” on the road, but not yet so large as to lose in efficiency or dynamics. If we add to this the packed security systems and, in general, rich configurations, then we have a car with a good price-quality ratio. Potential buyers have something to think about and, especially, customers.

Author

Sergey Myshlyavtsev, editor-in-chief of MotorPage.ru

Edition

MotorPage.Ru

Photo

author’s photo