The Cadillac 
brand has been on the mend as of late, following many years of sliding sales due to a lack of exciting cars. The brand built its V-Series lineup to attract a younger following, but the styling was too dated to garner much interest. Now with the new ATS andCTS, and the upcoming 2016 CT6 
already in the fold, Cadillac has turned its attention to the SRX midsize crossover; more specifically, its replacement, the XT5.
brand has been on the mend as of late, following many years of sliding sales due to a lack of exciting cars. The brand built its V-Series lineup to attract a younger following, but the styling was too dated to garner much interest. Now with the new ATS andCTS, and the upcoming 2016 CT6 already in the fold, Cadillac has turned its attention to the SRX midsize crossover; more specifically, its replacement, the XT5.
With the SRX sliding nearly 6 percent in overall sales in 2014, the midsize crossover is in desperate need of an overhaul. Keeping true to his promise when he took over Cadillac, Johan de Nysschen will change the name of the SRX to the XT5 when the redesigned model arrives at dealers. With a new name, new look, and new engine lineup, can the XT5 help bring Cadillac back to the top of the luxury car heap?
heap?
Updated 09/09/2015: A new report from Autoblog suggests that the new XT5 will make its world debut in November at the Dubai Motor Show, while the North American debut will be made later that month at the Los Angeles Auto Show. However, we should have more details on the 2017 XT5 later this week, so stay tuned!
SOURCE:TOPSPEED
Exterior
The looks of the XT5 remain unknown, as all that’s been caught testing so far are heavily camouflaged mules. However, rumors do point toward the XT5 changing platforms from the Epsilon II that the SRX rides on to a new Chi platform that will be available in regular (C1UL) and long-wheelbase (C1UL) versions.
Look for the XT5 to be roughly the same size as the SRX, and expect it to adopt cues from the CTS and upcoming CT6. The vertical LED lights and hard angles will all be a part of the new SUV’s design.
We’ll learn more as we get closer to the release of this new model, but we will have to wait until about 2017 before we get to see what it really looks like.
Interior
The cabin is the same mystery as the exterior design. With this model not arriving until 2017, I expect to see a slew of next-generation gadgets and gizmos. We may even get to see an early example of Cadillac’s Super Cruise, semi-autonomous driving system.
As always with Caddy, look for the XT5 to feature premium animal hide, all the latest and greatest bells and whistles, and loads of options.
Drivetrain
The drivetrains powering the XT5 remain pure speculation at this point, but look for it to come with an updated version of the 2015 SRX’s 3.6-liter V-6. GM is also reportedly working on a turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6 that would fit nicely in the new SUV. With hybrids becoming the norm among luxury automakers, look for Cadillac to also offer a plug-in hybrid model.
This lineup should give the XT5 plenty of firepower to initially take on the big-boys, like the BMW X5 and the Audi Q5. However, to truly be competitive, the XT5 will need a diesel engine. Fortunately, Johan de Nyssche has already said that diesel engines will start arriving sometime later this decade.
In terms of drivetrain format, look for the XT5 to retain the SRX’s transverse engine with front- or all-wheel-drive.
Prices
Pricing is hard to determine this early in the game. For reference, the 2015 SRX starts at $37,605. Just as a wild guesstimate, I’ll say that the XT5 will start from $40,000 and the extended-wheelbase model will start from $42,000.
Conclusion
Cadillac is in a rebuilding phase of sorts, and the SRX is one model that it needs to focus on. I think that the slump is mostly due to the aging design, but an updated engine lineup can’t hurt either.
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