Compare the2023 Cadillac XT5VS 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Tiguan doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the XT5 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Cadillac XT5 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tiguan doesn’t offer knee airbags.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The XT5’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Tiguan.

Both the XT5 and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Cadillac XT5 is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

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

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the XT5 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The XT5’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the XT5 has a standard 730-amp battery. The Tiguan’s 360-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the XT5’s reliability 72 points higher than the Tiguan.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XT5 third among midsize premium suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Tiguan isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 67 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in long-term dependability. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Cadillac 3 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The XT5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 51 more horsepower (235 vs. 184) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The XT5’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 126 more horsepower (310 vs. 184) and 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Cadillac XT5 V6 is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the XT5’s fuel efficiency. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The XT5 FWD’s standard fuel tank has 4.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 15.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The XT5 AWD’s standard fuel tank has 5.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 15.9 gallons).

The XT5 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Cadillac XT5, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Tiguan.

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

The XT5’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Tiguan are solid, not vented.

The XT5 stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

For better traction, the XT5 has larger tires than the Tiguan (235/65R18 vs. 215/65R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XT5 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Tiguan S.

The Cadillac XT5’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Volkswagen Tiguan only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The XT5 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XT5’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the Tiguan (112.5 inches vs. 109.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XT5 is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 2.9 inches wider in the rear than on the Tiguan.

The XT5 AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XT5 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the XT5 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (7.8 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the XT5 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the XT5 2.0 Turbo uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tiguan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The XT5 has .1 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

The XT5 has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (30.2 vs. 12 cubic feet).

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XT5. The Tiguan doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Tiguan is limited to 1500 pounds. The XT5 offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the XT5 uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Tiguan doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 47% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The XT5’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Tiguan does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

On a hot day the XT5’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Tiguan can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XT5 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Tiguan offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the XT5 and the Tiguan have standard heated front seats. The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Tiguan.

The XT5 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Tiguan SE/SEL.

The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional Automatic Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Insurance will cost less for the XT5 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the XT5 with a number “8” insurance rate while the Tiguan is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XT5 is less expensive to operate than the Tiguan because typical repairs cost much less on the XT5 than the Tiguan, including $170 less for a water pump, $286 less for a starter, $187 less for a fuel pump and $254 less for front struts.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Cadillac XT5, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volkswagen Tiguan isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XT5 second among midsize premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Tiguan isn’t in the top three in its category.