Earlier this year, Cadillac Society undertook the challenge of rendering a completely hypothetical Cadillac XT6-V, turning the three-row luxury crossover into a high-performance vehicle worthy of the V-Series badge. Curiosity got the better of us once again, and this time, we’re focusing on the XT5 – which hasn’t changed much since its introduction for the 2017 model year – by rendereding what a make-believe Cadillac XT5-V would look like.
To set it apart from its “regular” real-life counterpart, we’ve treated our Cadillac XT5-V to a lower ride height and wider track over a set of wheels borrowed from the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.
Our made-up Cadillac XT5-V breathes through a set of dual black mesh grilles with dark grille surrounds. We’ve also added a dark splitter (lip spoiler) at the bottom of the front fascia for added downforce and an aggressive demeanor. We’ve also attached side splitters between the wheels, darkened the window trim to match the grille, and blacked out the roof rails to carry the dark, sporty theme through the profile.
Of course, no V-Series vehicle would be complete without the appropriate badging, and our XT5-V boasts the multicolor insignias on the front doors and liftgate.
At the rear, we’ve given our hypothetical XT5-V a dark diffuser framing a set of quad exhaust tips.
As for the powerhouse in our XT5-V, we imagine that the twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 engine (production code LF3) rests under the hood. This engine was last found in the 2019 Cadillac XTS V-Sport and 2019 Cadillac CTS V-Sport, where it was tuned to deliver 410 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, or 420 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque, respectively. Either way, that’s plenty of get-up-and-go, and a healthy improvement over the 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque made by the naturally-aspirated 3.6L V6 (production code LGX) – the most potent engine currently available in the XT5.
The XT5 lends itself well to the V-Series line, so it’s a shame that there aren’t any plans in the works to make the Cadillac XT5-V a reality.
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Tony Perrone
Wow, that would be super cool! I always wondered how I could make my XT5 into a Blackwing, this rendering makes it look possible. Nice job!
Robert Sauter
Bravo…. a enthusiast XT5!
Frankrizzo
Ya right, They won’t even let the revised XT5 for 2025 to be sold in this country. Got to take care of China.
Marie C
my favorite vehicle goes rogue for 2025, guess we all know who owns & runs GM now!
Alex Luft
And who would that be, exactly?
The reality is that you have two options within the Cadillac lineup right now. First, the Cadillac XT6 – which is only slightly larger than the XT5 yet offers more space. The second is the Lyriq, which does everything that the XT5 does, but with a smooth-as-heck electric powertrain.
David
This looks good, addresses all the visual issues of the stock XT5!
Chris Cummings
True – but if you aren’t ready (or equipped) to keep and care for a battery electric, and you want something with more visual appeal than the XT-6, a wonderful solution for you is being eliminated.
GM these days acts like a company that mainly designs, builds, and markets vehicles for the Chinese market, while also selling trucks and (grudgingly) some cars in the U.S. market.
Alex Luft
Chris,
I fully understand about not being ready for an EV. However, I would argue that the XT6 has more visual appeal than the first-generation XT5 ever had.
Both models have a similar exterior footprint, but the XT6 has a lot more interior room. So it should come as no surprise, then, that GM is putting its weight behind the XT6 as opposed to the XT5. At the same time, the Lyriq does everything that the XT5 does, but better… with the exception of long range highway driving range. Unless you’re doing a whole lot of that, the Lyriq is a much better choice.
Regarding the part of your comment about GM being a China-first company: it’s a common perception, but a false one. The fact of the matter is that GM derives over 90 percent of its revenue and income from North America. Another fact is that all GM models currently sold in North America were developed in North America with input from development centers in other parts of the world.
Chris Cummings
You make some good points, Alex. Reasonable men can differ as to respective vehicle esthetics. But in the last three years the XT5 has sold better in the U.S. than the XT6 (69,820 vs. 50,783 for 2021, 2022 and 2023 thru October, if you believe Carfigures.com). Your site indicates that, in 2022, Cadillac sold 44% more vehicles in China than in the U.S., and the same article surmises that the lower profitability in China is due to the unavailability, so far, of the Escalade to Chinese buyers. Moreover, Art and Science, which gave Cadillac a brand-wide distinctiveness in an industry that was trending to a rounded sameness, was dramatically toned down because Chinese customers preferred more curves. If Cadillac is not China-centric in its focus, it is certainly heavily influenced by that country.
Chris Cummings
[My comment was in response to Mr. Luft.]
JugX1987
This mismanaged company just keeps on elevating the what could have beens. The previously killed “V-Sport” pkg could have been used for this “hypothetical”.
Alex Luft
One observation: with V-Sport a thing of the past, a hypothetical performance-oriented XT5 would be called the XT5-V, while an even higher-performance XT5 would have been called the XT5-V Blackwing. Neither is happening, of course…
Frank Ricciardi
I’m not a horsepower junkie, but would considering buying and XT5 V just for the looks.