This is my first Cadillac and my first post on this forum. I purchased a new 2018 Cadillac XT5 in August 2018, instead of a 2018 Lexus RX350. This was a big move for me as I have been purchasing mostly Toyota products for the last twenty-nine years. My last GM vehicle was a 97 Buick LeSabre Touring model with rear air suspension, which I would purchase again if it was still made. For us, the XT5 and the RX350 were comparable but the XT5's seats and interior were more comfortable and the XT5 drove better than the Lexus.
There have been a few issues with this XT5. The steering wheel was off-center about a half inch and the Michelin Premier tires that came with it were out of balance, noisy and terrible in snow. Unfortunately, when I took the car in to the Cadillac dealer to get these problems corrected, the service writer and technician said they did not see or hear anything. I had to escalate the problem to the service manager to get the wheels aligned and the steering wheel centered. I cured the tire problem by exchanging them after 4,400 miles for Michelin Defender LTX tires at a Michelin tire dealer. I had used the Defender LTX before on another vehicle and it is also a great tire for this XTS. Michelin is giving me a 90% refund under the Premier tire warranty. Both the above problems have now been solved, but no thanks to the Cadillac dealer.
The other issue I have resolved is cargo management. The Cadillac cargo management system with the floor rails and fence is cumbersome and just doesn't work for the day to day shopping items we haul, i.e. groceries, packages, bags. The fence is always in the way and doesn't do a good job of keeping things from shifting and rolling around. I anticipated this when we test drove the car, so I had the dealer include the luxury cargo mat, floor mats and four cargo hold downs in the purchase price. Then I went to Home Depot and bought two coat hooks and installed them on either side of the cargo area. We can now secure our 50 quart Igloo ice chest with the hold downs and use the hooks to hang shopping bags. Attached are a few pictures.
Overall, we like the XT5 and hope that it will be reliable.
There have been a few issues with this XT5. The steering wheel was off-center about a half inch and the Michelin Premier tires that came with it were out of balance, noisy and terrible in snow. Unfortunately, when I took the car in to the Cadillac dealer to get these problems corrected, the service writer and technician said they did not see or hear anything. I had to escalate the problem to the service manager to get the wheels aligned and the steering wheel centered. I cured the tire problem by exchanging them after 4,400 miles for Michelin Defender LTX tires at a Michelin tire dealer. I had used the Defender LTX before on another vehicle and it is also a great tire for this XTS. Michelin is giving me a 90% refund under the Premier tire warranty. Both the above problems have now been solved, but no thanks to the Cadillac dealer.
The other issue I have resolved is cargo management. The Cadillac cargo management system with the floor rails and fence is cumbersome and just doesn't work for the day to day shopping items we haul, i.e. groceries, packages, bags. The fence is always in the way and doesn't do a good job of keeping things from shifting and rolling around. I anticipated this when we test drove the car, so I had the dealer include the luxury cargo mat, floor mats and four cargo hold downs in the purchase price. Then I went to Home Depot and bought two coat hooks and installed them on either side of the cargo area. We can now secure our 50 quart Igloo ice chest with the hold downs and use the hooks to hang shopping bags. Attached are a few pictures.
Overall, we like the XT5 and hope that it will be reliable.
