2021 Cadillac XT5 Blind spot warning option

I would do some research with other owners and do a highway test drive on an XT5 equipped with the blind spot detection system before spending a penny on adding it. My 2022 is equipped with it and I find it nearly useless. When an overtaking car comes up at a speed that is only slightly faster than mine, the sensor does not detect it and activate the warning light in the side view mirror until that other car is at collision distance—I mean like less than 10 feet away.

My last vehicle was a German import and their system worked beautifully. It gave lots of warning when the overtaking car approached at a substantially greater speed and consistently gave a good 50 or 60 feet of warning when the approach was slow. I THINK my XT5 sensor has some capability to discern the difference between a speedy and a slow overtake, but I have had the car for months, taken plenty of highway trips and that has never been very clear. I cannot rely on it at all.

If you are paying NO attention to your mirrors and a car is pacing you—right in your blind spot—then the detection system might save you. Otherwise, I do not think it is worth having.

Speaking of rear-view mirrors, there is an XT5 feature that can be a genuine asset, particularly on the freewy. My primary rear view mirror has a switch at the bottom (placed like the traditional switch for high beam diminution) which turns the mirror into a video screen, displaying a rear picture which is substantially more broad than if you had the capability to see the reflected images from all three of your mirrors at once. The camera image is a bit shrunken and I do not use it much for city driving, simply because I have a little trouble shifting my road focus to the necessary screen focus. I look in my rear view mirror so often that issue bothers me a bit in town, but on the highway it gives you an extradinarily broad picture of what is behind. It also occurs to me that adding that system could—possibly—be less expensive than adding the approach warning system. Pretty sure it utilizes the same camera that displays the view for backing up and might need only the addition of the windshield mounted mirror. Adding the blind spot system is going to require addition of at least two sensors and probably of new side view mirrors.

I would recommend a test drive to check out both these features—on a highway drive—before making an investment.