\u201cCadillac isn\u2019t a rookie!\u201d<\/em> with the same passion that 7-footer Arvydas Sabonis shouldn\u2019t have been a 1996 NBA all-rookie pick because he was already an established international star. Fair enough. After all, while the XT5 is a new badge, it follows Cadillac\u2019s first entry in the compact space, the SRX. But the XT5 a different animal. The gym-toned XT5 has shed 278 pounds from its predecessor.<\/p>\nUnder the skin, XT5 and F-Pace are more akin.<\/p>\n
The XT5 claims the title as class lightweight, but match AWD models and the F-Pace\u2019s aluminum chassis proves slimmer. Still, the Caddy\u2019s C1XX architecture is so good it makes the three-row GMC Acadia feel athletic. Both Jaguar and Cadillac took journalists to some of the most challenging roads in the country to show off their steeds \u2014 roads normally reserved for sports car tryouts.<\/p>\n
I flogged the XT5 over California\u2019s Lake Elsinore hills. I chased Porsche Cayennes, harassed hot hatches and generally acted like a sedan instead of a tall stagecoach. I got to stretch the F-Pace\u2019s legs over the Colorado Rockies alongside its sedan stablemate, the Jaguar XE. Both are built off the same architecture and both sport double-wishbone front suspensions usually reserved for sports cars.<\/p>\n
So unexpectedly delightful was the bigger F-Pace\u2019s handling that it tempted my fellow journalists into three speeding tickets. As the Jag ads say: \u201cIt\u2019s good to be bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of that naughtiness is Jaguar outfitting its tallest cat (in addition to a base, 2.0-liter diesel) with the same 340- to 380-horse supercharged V-6 engine as its XE R-Sport. Rotate the dial to SPORT mode, stomp the accelerator mid-corner and it will nearly jump off the road. At a Rocky Mountain high 12,000 feet with no guardrails I found this mildly alarming (Jaguar might want to dial back the throttle sensitivity a tad).<\/p>\n
The Caddy\u2019s sole V-6 option can\u2019t match the cat\u2019s horsepower, but its 310-horse, 3.6-liter V-6 is no slouch in motivating the lightweight frame. It would be wise for Caddy to follow Jaguar\u2019s three-tier engine strategy (a 2.0-liter turbo is rumored on the way) to broaden the car\u2019s appeal.<\/p>\n
But the Brit, too, could learn a thing or two from the Yank\u2019s interior. Assuming you can get into the Jag\u2019s cabin.<\/p>\n
With its raked windshield, I had difficulty bending my 6-foot-plus frame into the awkward opening without putting the seat all the way back. Once inside, the Jaguar is surprisingly spartan. I wasn\u2019t expecting an old-world, wood-paneled executive suite, but the Jaguar lacks character save for the dramatic rotary dial that emerges from the center console like Arthur\u2019s scimitar from the proverbial lake. The center stack is featureless and the instrument panel is fitted with a simple plastic hat.<\/p>\n
The Cadillac, meanwhile, boasts beautiful dash lines arcing from instruments to glove box, and the all-new CUE system floats above the console. The stitched leather, Alcantara and wood trims in my $62,000 Platinum edition should be in a display window in the Somerset Collection. Jaguar\u2019s stitched black leather looks coach class by comparison.<\/p>\n
The Cadillac also makes excellent use of its e-shifter to open up storage \u2014 perfect for a small purse or bag \u2014 below the console.<\/p>\n
Jaguar\u2019s optional heads-up display is a feature Cadillac innovated. But the F-Pace\u2019s regrettable stab at an Audi-like \u201cvirtual cockpit\u201d display is half-baked. Better to stick with the standard chrome dials.<\/p>\n
Not that the XT5 is perfect. Jeep\u2019s Grand Cherokee roll-away troubles have put a negative spotlight on so-called \u201cmonostable\u201d shifters. Cadillac\u2019s version has proper fail-safes in place so you can\u2019t mistakenly leave the car dangerously in neutral. But the monostable\u2019s operation reminds why vehicles like the Jeep and BMW X1 have shed the feature. It\u2019s clumsy. Better to take the Jag\u2019s simpler, rotary-dial route \u2013 every bit the space saver and more intuitive to boot<\/p>\n
Look out Deutschland, these two rookies have enormous potential. Who gets Rookie of the Year? The Caddy is the better total package. But who am I to deny the animal appeal of the cat? Oooooh.<\/p>\n
2017 Jaguar F-Pace<\/strong><\/p>\nSpecifications<\/strong><\/p>\nVehicle type:<\/strong> Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV<\/p>\nPrice:<\/strong> $41,985 base ($70,735 V-6 R-Sport as tested)<\/p>\nPower plant:<\/strong> 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder; 2.0-liter diesel 4-cylinder; 3.0-liter supercharged V-6<\/p>\nPower:<\/strong> 240 horsepower, 251 pound-feet torque (4-cyl.); 180 horsepower, 318 pound-feet torque (diesel); 340-380 horsepower, 332 pound-feet torque (V-6)<\/p>\nTransmission:<\/strong> Eight-speed automatic<\/p>\nPerformance:<\/strong> 0-60 mph, 5.1 seconds (V-6 as tested); top speed (governed): 155 mph<\/p>\nWeight:<\/strong> 4,102 pounds (3.0-liter V-6 as tested)<\/p>\nFuel economy:<\/strong> EPA 18 mpg city\/23 mpg highway\/20 mpg combined (V-6)<\/p>\nReport card<\/strong><\/p>\nHighs:<\/strong> Gorgeous styling; balanced handling<\/p>\nLows:<\/strong> Undistinguished interior; half-baked \u201cvirtual\u201d instrument panel<\/p>\nOverall:<\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n2017 Cadillac XT5<\/strong><\/p>\nSpecifications<\/strong><\/p>\nVehicle type:<\/strong> Front-engine, front- or all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV<\/p>\nPrice:<\/strong> $39,990 base ($63,845 Platinum AWD as tested)<\/p>\nPower plant:<\/strong> 3.6-liter V-6<\/p>\nPower:<\/strong> 310 horsepower, 271 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\nTransmission:<\/strong> Eight-speed automatic<\/p>\nPerformance:<\/strong> 0-60 mph, 6.7 seconds (Car & Driver est.); top speed (governed): 130 mph<\/p>\nWeight:<\/strong> 4,257 pounds (AWD as tested)<\/p>\nFuel economy:<\/strong> EPA 18 mpg city\/26 mpg highway\/21 mpg combined<\/p>\nReport card<\/strong><\/p>\nHighs:<\/strong> Elegant interior; nimble handling for an SUV<\/p>\nLows:<\/strong> Balky, monostable shifter; more engine options, please<\/p>\nOverall:<\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Is it too soon to name the 2017 Automobile All-Rookie Team? Of course not. You didn\u2019t have to wait until season\u2019s end to know that LeBron James would make the cut in 2004. Or that Kyrie Irving would get his votes in 2012 (jeez, no wonder the Cavs just won an NBA championship). And you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19009"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19009"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19010,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19009\/revisions\/19010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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