Caddy XT5 Towing Capability

[JimS123]

Looks like time for a new car. I'm currently running a Lincoln MKX with a 3500# reported capacity. No problems with my 2200# Whaler, but the I have to use the wife's car for the 3600# Searay.

Lincoln decided to switch to gerbil 2 liter engines with a limited towing capacity, so that's out. The new XT5 reports a 3500 # capacity with a 7 pin connector, which might fit the bill for an emergency. I don't intend to pull the Searay under normal conditions, But I'm interested in how well the XT5 performs in general. Any real world data?

 

[jimmbo]

I have an XT5(I actually bought for the Girlfriend as she has a couple of pre 5ers), and the 3.6 has a pretty good Torque Curve(watch out GM also puts a 2 liter in it too). I wouldn't tow my boat(3490#) with it, as I have the Roadmaster and the RWD Fleetwood for that, with towing Capacities of 5000# and 7000# respectively. The XT5 is quite Small and with a Unibody Design I wouldn't trust the Integrity of the Body to even withstand 3500#
I get about 40mpg on the Highway with it, and have Permanently Disabled that damn Auto Stop. I figure the extra Gas burned will be far less money than having to replace the starter every couple of Years. And without the Auto Stop, I probably can use a regular Flooded Battery instead of an AGM, when it fails. The only other real concern is the Failure of the Variable Displacement Feature, will wipe the engine out. It activates at speeds below 30mph. Seats are Hard like Park Benches and the ride is far fromhow a Cadillac should ride, which is Novocain Numb. Maybe tossing the 20" wheels and getting the 18s will help, would look better too

One Feature that caught me off Guard, is the Auto Braking. The Pedestrian Detection works but the Warning Symbol is so small and down low on the IP, you really don't see it. The Vibrating Seat Alert is fine, but I suspect it will eventually Break Welds on the Seat Frame and Attachment Points. Surprisingly the oversize Glass Roof doesn't turn it into a Very Hot Green House, but I still keep the shade fully closed and only open the roof in the evening, The Auto Heated Seats and Steering Wheel actually get too hot, but the Vented Seats are nice, and on this thing you can run the Fans and Heaters at the same time. I couldn't do that with the STS. The Touch Screen is a PIA, as it is almost next to impossible to make Changes to the Playlist when Vehicle is moving, your finger will hit the wrong spot, or you are looking away from the road far too long. For some reason you can only sync the 3 Environmental Zones on the Screen, all other HVAC controls are offered on real Buttons which is far easier to operate. Shift lever does leave a lot to be desired, as you can't select Manual Gear Changes with it, having to use some some Goofy Things behind the Steering Wheel. However it nice to not to have to shift into Park, when you stop, just kill the engine and the trans shifts to park by itself. It has a few other Idiosyncrasies as well.

 

[matt167]

Basically an Acadia. 3.6L isn’t a very good engine. The killer on the high end GMs is the infotainment screen runs the car, so if it borks and needs an update, your car needs towed in. I got a job at a GM dealership now. Love working there, but it is interesting what cars are coming in for

 

[JimS123]

The only other real concern is the Failure of the Variable Displacement Feature, will wipe the engine out. It activates at speeds below 30mph. Seats are Hard like Park Benches and the ride is far fromhow a Cadillac should ride, which is Novocain Numb. Maybe tossing the 20" wheels and getting the 18s will help, would look better too

One Feature that caught me off Guard, is the Auto Braking. The Pedestrian Detection works but the Warning Symbol is so small and down low on the IP, you really don't see it. The Vibrating Seat Alert is fine, but I suspect it will eventually Break Welds on the Seat Frame and Attachment Points. Surprisingly the oversize Glass Roof doesn't turn it into a Very Hot Green House, but I still keep the shade fully closed and only open the roof in the evening, The Auto Heated Seats and Steering Wheel actually get too hot, but the Vented Seats are nice, and on this thing you can run the Fans and Heaters at the same time. I couldn't do that with the STS. The Touch Screen is a PIA, as it is almost next to impossible to make Changes to the Playlist when Vehicle is moving, your finger will hit the wrong spot, or you are looking away from the road far too long. For some reason you can only sync the 3 Environmental Zones on the Screen, all other HVAC controls are offered on real Buttons which is far easier to operate. Shift lever does leave a lot to be desired, as you can't select Manual Gear Changes with it, having to use some some Goofy Things behind the Steering Wheel. However it nice to not to have to shift into Park, when you stop, just kill the engine and the trans shifts to park by itself. It has a few other Idiosyncrasies as well.

View attachment 392974View attachment 392975View attachment 392976View attachment 392977

The only other real concern is the Failure of the Variable Displacement Feature, will wipe the engine out. It activates at speeds below 30mph. Seats are Hard like Park Benches and the ride is far fromhow a Cadillac should ride, which is Novocain Numb. Maybe tossing the 20" wheels and getting the 18s will help, would look better too

One Feature that caught me off Guard, is the Auto Braking. The Pedestrian Detection works but the Warning Symbol is so small and down low on the IP, you really don't see it.

Whatever I get will be an order car. The auto braking and other crap is a technology package that I wouldn't buy anyway.

I DID take a test drive and I thought the seat was perfect. I have back issues and I need a firmer seat anyway.

The variable displacement feature surpised me. I saw nothing about that in the specs or literature. I remember Caddy had variable 8-6-4 eons ago, but I didn't know that was a potential today. I believe the picture you posted was a pre-2024 model. The new shifter is different.

Thanks for the assessment.

 

[JimS123]

The only other real concern is the Failure of the Variable Displacement Feature, will wipe the engine out. It activates at speeds below 30mph.

After reading your reply I did a little research. It looks like most of the GM V6's have that feature. I was surprised to know that my wife's 2023 Traverse's 3.6 engine has it as well. I certainly didn't notice any change when driving in city conditions.

Googling reviews I can't find any serious negative comments.

My question is whether there is any real life experience regarding widespread problems.

 

[bruceb58]

Was an issue on some 5.3L GM engines early on when they introduced it. Personally, it would be disabled on any car I owned.

 

[JimS123]

Was an issue on some 5.3L GM engines early on when they introduced it. Personally, it would be disabled on any car I owned.

Sounds like a plan. But how do you do it? Is there a user controlled setting in the setup program?

 

[bruceb58]

Sounds like a plan. But how do you do it? Is there a user controlled setting in the setup program?

In the 5.3L you could buy something that plugged into the OBD/CAN port and you just left it plugged in. Haven't looked at the 6 cylinder engines.

 

[04fxdwgi25]

My CT6 has the 6 cyl 3.0 twin turbo (404 hp) and when it shifts from 6 to 4 or back it isn't even noticeable, except for the indicator on the dash.

Have heard there is a setting or driving mode to disable (forgot what it was), but haven't bothered since it displays no bad manners and gets mileage in the mid 30's highway.

 

[Pmt133]

I can't comment on the caddy 3.6 in particular as I have the 3.6 in a Colorado but the only real cylinder deactivation problems GM has are with the push rod engines.... Something about intentionally collapsing a pushrod into a lifter just seems to cause problems. And it is ongoing regardless of what anyone tells you otherwise. Just had the tahoe throw two lifters around 70k.

Pretty much everyone I know that has had a new GM vehicle with a V8 with the feature has had them fail pretty quickly. Mind you this is on the redesigned system on the 19+ model trucks. (most of my friends cycle vehicles every 2-5 years)

I've on the other hand read of 1 failure on the 3.6 on the Colorado forum and it was defective off the line... I'm sitting at 90k miles which is very low but I beat the ever-loving **** out of that 3.6 and it basically responds with "thank you sir, may I have another." Use good oil and routine changes and it'll probably last forever. The updated 3.6 is a solid engine. Just be warned they spin up high when towing due to the power band. Just let her eat and it'll be fine.

 

[matt167]

Traverse, Acadia and the XT5 are all the same basic vehicle. All have the 3.6L with AFM. The Colorado 3.6 is a slightly different animal.

The 2.0L Ecoboost is quite an engine. The little maverick is ‘rated’ to something like 5000 lbs. it does the work of a V6. The Explorer with its 2.7 Ecoboost will blow the 3.6L out of the water.

 

[jimmbo]

Sounds like a plan. But how do you do it? Is there a user controlled setting in the setup program?

No choices on the Displacement, I haven't seen any aftermarket fixes.

You will have a Button on the Dash to disable the Auto Stop, but it has to be done every time you start the Car. An Inexpensive Cable installed near the Hood Latch, convinces the ECM that the Hood is open and Disables the it. Doesn't trigger an Open Hood Light, or throw a Check Engine light. The Driving Experience goes up more than 100% once that Annoyance is disabled.

 

[Pmt133]

True, the LGZ is the more truck oriented one which I have... Where the LGX is the sedan/suv one but the architecture is more or less identical as are most of the important parts.

And yes, the turbo stuff blows everything away (have a 3.5 eco boost pickup) though towing the same or similar load, the 3.6 does better on fuel at any given speed. The only trade off to boost.

 

[alldodge]

Wife has the 2023 XT5 with V6, AWD and I like it. Don't tow anything with it and the 6 to 4 cylinder doesn't happen very often even without towing. My guess is it will never do it towing. It has to be on flat pavement and coasting for the most part. It won't go to 4 even going down hill

I like the auto brake but you have to get really close for it to even start to work. I've had someone jump out in front of me and the seat vibrated and flashed red but I still applied the break before it did

 

[jimmbo]

I live where it is very Flat, only a River Valley for Slopes, and Overpasses seem like Mountains, so the V4 thing is active about 45% of the time in City Driving, on the Highway it has come on but not much.
I find that the Auto Brake responds real Quick when a car in front hits the Brakes hard, even when they are 4 seconds in front of Me. I doubt it will actually Stop the Car.
I do like the Blind Spot Sensor, warns when some idiot is coming up fast on the side

 

[jimmbo]

And yes, the turbo stuff blows everything away (have a 3.5 eco boost pickup) though towing the same or similar load, the 3.6 does better on fuel at any given speed. The only trade off to boost.

Of course a turbo of the same relative Displacement will have more power. However it will likely have a Lower compression Ratio to handle the Boost, which when no Boost, the NA 3.6, with I think 11.5:1, has the advantage for fuel Economy. The XT5 gets better Gas Mileage than my STS did even though it is about 500 lbs heavier. Granted with the higher Center of Gravity, it can't be driven the same way.

 

[JimS123]

Thanks to all for your insights...