Compare the2023 Audi Q7VS 2023 Cadillac XT5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q7 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Cadillac XT5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Q7 and XT5 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The XT5’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Q7 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The XT5 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the XT5.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q7’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The XT5 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

The Q7 has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Q7 has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Q7 and the XT5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available night vision systems and around view monitors.

The Audi Q7 weighs 446 to 1167 pounds more than the Cadillac XT5. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi Q7 is safer than the Cadillac XT5:

	Q7	XT5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.8 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	151 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	290	399
Hip Force	557 lbs.	799 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Q7’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the XT5’s (12 vs. 6 years).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 7 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

Engine

The Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 26 more horsepower (261 vs. 235) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 258) than the XT5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Q7 45 TFSI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 2 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 271) than the XT5’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6. The Q7 55 TFSI’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 25 more horsepower (335 vs. 310) and 98 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 271) than the XT5’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q7 45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder Hybrid gets better fuel mileage than the XT5 3.6 DOHC V6 AWD (19 city/25 hwy vs. 18 city/25 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the Q7 55 TFSI’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The XT5 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q7 has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the XT5 FWD’s standard fuel tank (22.5 vs. 19.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q7’s brake rotors are larger than those on the XT5:

	Q7	XT5
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.4 inches

The Q7 stops much shorter than the XT5:

	Q7	XT5
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q7 has larger standard tires than the XT5 (255/55R19 vs. 235/65R18). The Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the XT5 (285/45R20 vs. 235/65R18).

The Q7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the XT5’s standard 65 series tires. The Q7 Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the XT5’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q7 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the XT5. The Q7 Prestige’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the XT5.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Q7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The XT5 doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q7’s wheelbase is 5.4 inches longer than on the XT5 (117.9 inches vs. 112.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q7 is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than on the XT5.

The Q7 Prestige handles at .86 G’s, while the XT5 AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Q7 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the XT5 AWD (26.4 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.1 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Q7 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the XT5 (8.3 vs. 7.8 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q7 w/Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 1.9 inches higher than on the XT5 (9.7 vs. 7.8 inches).

Passenger Space

The Q7 has standard seating for 7 passengers; the XT5 can only carry 5.

The Q7 has .2 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom and 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the XT5.

The rear step up height for the Q7 is 1.3 inches lower than the XT5 (18.7” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The Q7’s cargo area provides more volume than the XT5.

	Q7	XT5
Third Seat Folded	37.5 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	30.2 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	69.6 cubic feet	63 cubic feet

The Q7’s cargo area is larger than the XT5’s in almost every dimension:

	Q7	XT5
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	19.5”/44.7”/80.7”	n.a./41.5”/75”
Max Width	52.5”	51”
Min Width	42.6”	41.6”
Height	30”	30”

Towing

The Q7’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the XT5’s (4400 vs. 1000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Cadillac XT5 is only 3500 pounds. The Q7 offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Q7 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the XT5. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport, the Q7 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Q7’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The XT5’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Q7 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the XT5 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Q7 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The XT5 doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Q7’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The XT5’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Laser headlights, optional on the Q7 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the XT5’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q7 Prestige offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The XT5 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Q7 has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The XT5 doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

A manual rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q7 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XT5 doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The Q7 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the XT5.

The Q7 55 TFSI Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Q7 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Q7 with a number “5” insurance rate while the XT5 is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

The Q7 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Q7 will retain 47.36% to 48.47% of its original price after five years, while the XT5 only retains 42.02% to 43.14%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q7 is less expensive to operate than the XT5 because it costs $173 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Q7 than the XT5, including $140 less for a water pump and $227 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q7 and the Cadillac XT5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Q7 was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” for 3 of the last 6 years. The XT5 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

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