LEESBURG, Va. — Cadillac is freshening the XT5 with enhancements that include a new engine and Sport model as it tries to revive falling U.S. sales for its global volume leader.
While there are no changes to the sheet metal as part of the midcycle update, the crossover gets a host of exterior and interior upgrades, including standard LED headlamps and 18-inch wheels, metal accents and new standard driver-assistance technology.
The freshened XT5, on sale this summer for the 2020 model year, hits dealer lots amid a product overhaul at Cadillac, with a new or redesigned vehicle to be introduced every six months, on average, through 2021. The new models include the three-row XT6, which fills a hole in its crossover lineup.
"We're refining the packaging to better meet the needs of our customers," Jason Sledziewski, Cadillac's director of product marketing, said this week at a media event here. "When you look at what we've done with XT4 and XT6, this positions the vehicle really well."
The biggest change to the XT5 is the addition of the Sport model, which brings it in line with Cadillac's latest vehicles, which offer customers a choice between Premium Luxury and Sport models beyond the base Luxury version. A Platinum package is available on both Premium Luxury and Sport models.
The Sport model is tuned with quicker steering and sport driving dynamics.
The brand is adding a 2.0-liter turbo as the standard engine on Luxury and Premium Luxury models that is rated at 237 hp and 258 pound-feet of torque. The Sport model gets Cadillac's 3.6-liter V-6 as standard, and the engine is also available on Premium Luxury. It gets 310 hp and 271 pound-feet of torque.
Both engines are mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission, while models with the 2.0-liter engine receive a new electronic braking system.
Cadillac added a number of standard safety features such as front park assist; a high-definition rear backup camera; lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning; low-speed forward auto braking; forward pedestrian detection and rear-seat alert.
The interior includes new color and trim options, including an available Jet Black/Kona Brown theme with leather accents.
U.S. sales of the XT5 have fallen 17 percent this year, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Through the first half of the year, it trailed only the Lexus RX and Audi Q5 in the luxury midsize crossover segment, which has grown 2 percent.
