Cadillac Won’t Rush Into the Performance SUV Game

While European automakers are seemingly obsessed with performance SUVs these days, GM’s top brand doesn’t appear to be in a rush to follow suit.

If you were hoping for a sportier variant of the Cadillac XT5 or XT6 sporting that famous V-badge, you will have to continue to wait at least until the next generation, a company insider told Cadillac Society.

Right now, customers can select either one of these SUVs in Sport trim, but the upgrades are more cosmetic than technical, although both feature Cadillac’s twin-clutch all-wheel drive system as standard.

Despite a refresh for 2020, the Cadillac XT5 currently makes do with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 237 horsepower and a naturally aspirated 3.6-litre V6 delivering 310 horsepower.

Meanwhile, the only available engine with the freshly introduced Cadillac XT6 is the aforementioned V6, also rated at 310 horsepower.

Photo: General Motors of Canada Ltd

What about the smaller Cadillac XT4? It looks like rumours of a performance model beyond the 237-horsepower turbo have been greatly exaggerated, as well.

For the time being, Cadillac is more focused on the launch of its brand new CT5 and CT4 sedans—both of which have been announced with more powerful CT5-V and CT4-V variants, not to mention the promise of an even mightier car.

Performance SUVs like the BMW X3 M, Jaguar F-PACE SVR and Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 won’t have to worry about a threat from North America for a few more years.

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