cars news 10: 2017 Cadillac XT5 Makes U.S. Debut in L.A.

The 2017 Cadillac XT5 had a fancy debut in Dubai last week, but it makes its first U.S. appearance at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. Presenting Caddy’s new crossover was Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen and General Motors Executive Vice President of Product Development Mark Reuss.

With the 2017 XT5, Cadillac’s midsize crossover finally looks like it fits in with the rest of the lineup. The front fascia looks especially good, with dramatic headlights that mimic the upcoming Cadillac Touring 6 (CT6) sedan. The taillights aren’t as ginormous as the ones found on the Escalade, but that would probably look out of place on the XT5 anyway.

Cadillac interiors continue to evolve nicely and the XT5 is proof of that. Touch-capacitive controls still dominate, but now there are physical toggle switches for temperature and fan speed. The same would be nice for the volume and tuner controls, which are still touch-operated. On the upside, those things can be operated on the steering wheel. The instrument cluster is also an improvement, especially compared to the ATS.

As previously reported, power will come from GM’s new 3.6-liter direct-injected V-6 making 310 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. Other powertrains are on the way including a plug-in hybrid, which should make the XT5 a stronger competitor to the current segment leaders like the Audi Q5 and Lexus RX.