2022 Cadillac XT5 vs 2021 Ford Bronco Sport

Ford had been teasing the new Bronco for years, and it revealed that the resurrected off-roader would be preceded by a smaller sibling: the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The Bronco Sport captured some of the same styling cues as its bigger brother but was a frameless crossover with a more suburban focus, making it an everyday driver ready for weekend adventures. It had a modern retro look that wouldn’t be out of place in the Land Rover lineup, with short front and rear overhangs designed for trail driving. The front end echoed the Bronco, tying the Sport to its big brother, and bold white lettering on the grille and tailgate announced the vehicle’s name as “BRONCO,” with a smaller “SPORT” postscript.

The Bronco Sport’s wheels played a big part in its off-road and on-road ability. The Base model came with 17-inch Sparkle Silver wheels, while the Big Bend model had 17-inch Carbonized Gray-painted high-gloss aluminum wheels. Outer Banks stepped up to 18-inch machined-face aluminum Ebony Black-painted wheels with all-season tires, and the Badlands model used the same wheels but with 28.5-inch all-terrain tires. The First Edition model came with 17-inch Ebony Black-painted wheels and 29-inch all-terrain tires. The interior was tastefully rugged, with an uncluttered design and several convenient storage cubbies. There was a predictable step-up in interior trim from model to model, from cloth seats to leather-trimmed, heated sport-contour bucket seats, and Navy Pier Leather power front seats on the First Edition.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5’s styling was somewhere between the angularity of the Lexus NX and the more traditional Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. It mixed Cadillac’s trademark design cues, including a bold grille, daytime running lights, and vertical taillights, but this made for an odd mix with the XT5’s compact footprint and tall profile. The Premium Luxury and Sport models had slightly different exterior styling cues, with the Premium Luxury featuring bright chrome and the Sport getting darker trim and a mesh grille. The XT5 Luxury and Premium Luxury models had standard 18-inch alloy wheels, while Sport models had 20-inch wheels as standard equipment.

The XT5’s interior felt suitably luxurious, especially with the optional Platinum Package, which dressed up the interior with semi-aniline leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped instrument panel and door trim, a microfiber sueded headliner, and a heated steering wheel. However, without this package, it was unclear if the XT5 met luxury-car standards. The interior didn’t have a strong design theme and lacked brand-specific markers, so there was little to remind you that you were in a Cadillac. The materials were high-quality, but the design didn’t make a statement like some of its competitors.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport offered two engine choices tied to trim levels. The Base, Big Bend, and Outer Banks trims had a 1.5-liter EcoBoost turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. The Badlands and First Edition models came with a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine putting out 245 hp and 275 lb-ft. All models featured an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive (AWD), along with a terrain management system with up to seven available G.O.A.T. modes. The Bronco Sport performed well off-road, thanks to its short wheelbase, four-wheel independent suspension, generous suspension travel, and decent ground clearance. On pavement, it had good manners, with the 2.0-liter engine being better suited to the vehicle’s character.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5 had a base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, standard on the Luxury and Premium Luxury trims. The XT5 Sport and optional on the XT5 Premium Luxury had a 3.6-liter V6 engine making 310 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. Both engines were coupled to a nine-speed automatic transmission. The V6 provided more than enough power for everyday driving, with linear power delivery and smooth, quick shifts. The optional Platinum Package included a performance suspension with adaptive dampers, which cushioned bumps while providing excellent body control. The steering was quick enough to make the XT5 feel nimble, and the cabin was impressively quiet.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport delivered clever features for active buyers, with cargo space designed to hold two 27.5-inch-wheel mountain bikes. Ford offered over 100 factory and aftermarket accessories for transporting kayaks, surfboards, skis, and camping equipment. The roof could hold up to 150 pounds (100 with moonroof), and the 2.0-liter engine could tow up to 2,200 pounds, while the 1.5-liter could tow 2,000 pounds. The cargo hold had smart features like a flip-up rear glass, an optional cargo management package with a slide-out work table, a 400-watt inverter, and liftgate floodlamps. The front cabin had ample storage compartments, but taller drivers might have found outward visibility challenging.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5 compared favorably to German luxury crossovers in terms of interior space. It had more front headroom than the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class but less than the BMW X3. The XT5 had more legroom in both rows, although less front legroom than the Lincoln Corsair. The seats were fairly comfortable but could have used more padding. Cadillac quoted 30 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place and 63 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, beating the Q5, X3, and GLC but trailing the Infiniti QX50. A hands-free power liftgate was available, and the front cabin had a small cubbyhole below the touchscreen for loose change or a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport featured the latest versions of Ford’s infotainment systems, with an 8-inch touchscreen connecting to SYNC 3. It was compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and had available Ford+Alexa and SiriusXM capability. FordConnect with 4G LTE WiFi hotspot was standard. The base audio system was an AM/FM stereo with six speakers, while a Bang & Olufsen sound system was available on higher trims. The terrain management system had up to seven G.O.A.T. modes, and trail control technology enabled a cruise-control-like feature for off-roading. Intelligent access with push-button start was included on all trims except the Base model.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5’s standard infotainment system included an 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Bluetooth, and a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. An 8-inch digital instrument cluster display and a head-up display were available as part of the optional Technology Package. While the touchscreen was easy to navigate, the array of secondary controls took up space and were difficult to use while driving. The optional Bose Performance Series 14-speaker system produced excellent sound, enhanced by the XT5’s quiet interior.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport came standard with the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of safety features, including pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, auto high-beam headlamps, and a reversing camera. The Co-Pilot360 Assist+ package added adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, a voice-activated touchscreen navigation system, and road-sign recognition. Trailer sway control was included in the tow package. All Bronco models had AWD and a terrain management system with traction control, anti-lock braking, and electronic stability control. Crash-worthiness ratings from IIHS and NHTSA were not yet available.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5 came standard with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear park assist, automatic high-beam headlamps, lane-keep assist, and lane-departure warning. The optional Driver Assist Package added adaptive cruise control and enhanced automatic emergency braking. The Technology Package added rear pedestrian alert, a surround-vision camera system, night vision, and automatic parking assist. The XT5 received top “Good” scores in all IIHS crash tests and a “Superior” rating for front-crash prevention tech. However, it received a “Marginal” headlight rating and an “Acceptable” rating for LATCH child seat anchor ease of use. NHTSA gave the XT5 a five-star overall safety rating.