Cadillac XT5 vs Lincoln Corsair

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair was introduced as a replacement for the Lincoln MKC, which had been based on the Ford Escape platform since its 2014 debut. Despite a facelift in 2019, the MKC's cabin felt dated and lacked the athleticism of the Escape. The Corsair, built on the new C2 platform shared with the latest Escape, marked a significant improvement. Lincoln managed to differentiate the Corsair from its Ford counterpart, a feat General Motors struggled with in its Cadillac XT4 and XT5 models. The Corsair's design, with its slab sides, blacked-out rear pillars, and straight belt- and rooflines, gave it a refined and larger appearance, aligning it with the Aviator and Navigator.

Inside, the Corsair featured a flowing dash, floating center touchscreen, and "Piano Key" shifter buttons, echoing the design language of Lincoln's more expensive SUVs. However, the fit and finish didn't quite match up, with more hard-touch materials present. The black leather and dark wood trim seemed to target older buyers, while younger buyers might prefer the lighter palettes with tan leather. The Corsair offered trims like Standard, Reserve, and the new Grand Touring plug-in hybrid, each with a range of features from 18-inch alloy wheels and a 10-speaker stereo to a 14-speaker Revel premium audio system and 24-way multi-contour seats with a massaging function.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5's styling fell somewhere between the angular Lexus NX and the more traditional Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. It featured Cadillac's trademark design cues, such as a bold grille and vertical taillights, but its compact footprint and tall profile made for an ungainly mix. The Premium Luxury and Sport models had distinct exterior styling cues, with the former featuring bright chrome and the latter darker trim and a mesh grille. Standard wheels were 18-inch alloys for the Luxury and Premium Luxury models, while the Sport model came with 20-inch wheels.

Inside, the XT5's interior felt luxurious, especially with the optional Platinum Package, which added semi-aniline leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped instrument panel, and a microfiber sueded headliner. However, without this package, the XT5's interior didn't quite meet luxury standards. The design lacked a strong theme, unlike the Volvo XC60's minimalism or the Lincoln Corsair's Midcentury Modern look. The XT5's interior didn't have brand-specific markers, making it less distinctive as a Cadillac.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered a base 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This engine provided adequate power, but the optional 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with 295 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, delivered stronger acceleration. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the 2.0-liter available in FWD or AWD and the 2.3-liter exclusively in AWD. The Corsair featured unique drive modes like "Conserve" and "Excite," with the latter akin to a Sport mode. The 2.3-liter engine offered brisk acceleration and confident cornering, though there was some body roll and light steering. The suspension absorbed potholes well, though road noise was noticeable.

For 2021, Lincoln introduced the Grand Touring trim with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, combining a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a CVT, battery power, and two electric motors for a combined 266 hp. It offered 28 miles of pure EV driving, with an efficiency rating of 78 MPGe in electric mode and 33 mpg combined in hybrid mode.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5 came standard with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The 3.6-liter V6, standard on the XT5 Sport and optional on the XT5 Premium Luxury, delivered 310 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. Both engines were paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The V6 provided reasonable quickness and smooth, linear power delivery, with the nine-speed automatic offering quick shifts without delay.

Our test car, equipped with the optional Platinum Package, featured a "performance suspension" with adaptive dampers, which excelled in providing a comfortable ride while maintaining excellent body control. The steering was quick enough to make the XT5 feel nimble without being overly sensitive. The cabin was impressively quiet, enhancing the luxury experience.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered a spacious cabin with comfortable seats and ample storage space. However, the large lip when stepping in or out of the vehicle was a notable downside, potentially causing tripping hazards. The test model's reclining and sliding rear seats made the second row very comfortable, with impressive legroom for a compact SUV. The Corsair provided 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 57.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, both average for the segment. A power liftgate was standard, with a hands-free option available.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5 compared favorably to German luxury crossovers in terms of interior space. It offered more front headroom than the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, though less than the BMW X3. The XT5 had more legroom in both rows but less front legroom than the Lincoln Corsair. The seats were fairly comfortable but could have used more padding, especially in the rear. Cadillac quoted 30 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place and 63 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, surpassing the Q5, X3, and GLC but trailing the Infiniti QX50. A hands-free power liftgate was available. Up front, a small cubbyhole below the touchscreen provided handy storage, compensating for limited center console space.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system running the SYNC 3 system, featuring a logical menu layout and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Reserve test model included optional wireless device charging, a 14-speaker Revel premium audio system, and a head-up display (HUD) with crisp graphics.

The 2022 Cadillac XT5's standard infotainment system included an 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, and a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. An 8-inch digital instrument cluster display and a head-up display were available with the optional Technology Package. While usability was improved over previous Cadillac systems, it still lagged behind other luxury brands in terms of screen size, graphics, and voice-recognition tech. The array of secondary controls, including a rotary controller and capacitive touchpads, were not ideally placed and lacked physical feedback. The standard eight-speaker Bose audio system could be upgraded to a 14-speaker Bose Performance Series system, which delivered excellent sound quality.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors. Additional features included traction control, a tire-pressure monitoring system, and a full array of front-and-side-impact airbags. The Lincoln CoPilot360 Plus suite added a HUD, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive LED headlights, surround-view parking cameras, front parking sensors, speed-limit sign recognition, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, reverse automatic braking, and automatic parking assist. The Corsair earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus rating when equipped with high-feature headlights.

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 Safety Alert Seat vibrated when a warning system was triggered. The optional Driver Assist Package added adaptive cruise control, enhanced automatic emergency braking, and rear automatic braking. The Technology Package included rear pedestrian alert, a surround-vision camera system, night vision, and automatic parking assist. Blind-spot monitoring was available, but the XT5 did not offer the advanced Super Cruise driver-assist system. The XT5 received top "Good" scores in all IIHS crash tests and a "Superior" rating for front-crash prevention tech with optional enhanced automatic emergency braking. However, it received a "Marginal" headlight rating and an "Acceptable" rating for LATCH child seat anchor ease of use. The NHTSA awarded the XT5 a five-star overall safety rating.