Cadillac unveils the XT5 crossover at the 2015 Dubai International Motor Show, the first-ever global unveil for the brand outside the United States.
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Cadillac celebrated its first ever global launch outside the United States ahead of the 2015 Dubai International Motor Show courtesy of the new XT5. The brand new model is being heralded as ‘the cornerstone of a new series of crossovers in the brand’s on-going expansion’. The replacement to the outgoing SRX also marks the first time that the ‘XT’ name has been used by Cadillac.
Lining up alongside another newboy for Cadillac – the CT6 saloon, which we’ll come back to later – the XT5 utilises its own bespoke chassis and uses lightweight engineering and design techniques applied to both the CTS and ATS to drop its overall kerb weight, now 126kg less than the outgoing SRX. In-keeping with this downsizing principle, the XT5 wheelbase is two inches longer the predecessor (with a track that is one inch wider), the overall look length, wider and height are fractionally smaller than the SRX.
Power comes from the same 3.6-litre V6 that powers both the ATS and its V-Series alternative, which is mated to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox and also incorporates Electronic Precision Shift, the first such technology to debut with Cadillac. Power and torque – all 340bhp of it – can be transferred to either the front or rear axle courtesy of the all-wheel drive system, while 100 per cent of the as-of-yet to be confirmed torque can be sent to the rear for maximum traction. In an effort to save fuel, Active Fuel Management knocks out two cylinders at pace to reduce consumption.
Production is set to begin in Spring next year.
