Compare the2023 Cadillac XT5VS 2023 Toyota Venza

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 Venza doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 Venza doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the XT5 and the Venza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Cadillac XT5 is safer than the Toyota Venza:

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

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 Toyota Venza:

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

The XT5 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Venza’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the XT5 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Venza. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Venza ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The XT5’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Venza’s (6 vs. 5 years).

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XT5 third among midsize premium suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Venza 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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

The XT5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 16 more horsepower (235 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The XT5’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 91 more horsepower (310 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Cadillac XT5 V6 is faster than the Toyota Venza:

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

Both the XT5 and Venza have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The XT5 has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The XT5 FWD’s standard fuel tank has 4.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (19.4 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The XT5 AWD’s standard fuel tank has 7.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (21.7 vs. 14.5 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 Venza doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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

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 Venza are solid, not vented.

The XT5 stops much shorter than the Venza:

For better traction, the XT5 has larger tires than the Venza (235/65R18 vs. 225/60R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XT5 offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Venza’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The Cadillac XT5’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Toyota Venza 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 Venza’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The XT5 has variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XT5’s wheelbase is 6.6 inches longer than on the Venza (112.5 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XT5 is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 1 inch wider in the rear than on the Venza.

The XT5 AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Venza Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XT5 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Venza Limited (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

The XT5 has 6.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venza (104.5 vs. 98.3).

The XT5 has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear legroom and 9.6 inches more rear hip room than the Venza.

The XT5 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venza with its rear seat up (30.2 vs. 28.8 cubic feet). The XT5 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venza with its rear seat folded (63 vs. 55.1 cubic feet).

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

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the XT5’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Venza doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The XT5 has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The Venza has no 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 Venza doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The XT5 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Venza uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 32% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

The XT5 has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Venza doesn’t offer a remote starting 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 Venza does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XT5 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Venza doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Venza’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

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 Venza offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The XT5 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Venza XLE/Nightshade/Limited. The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Venza.

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 Venza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The XT5 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Venza doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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

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 Venza was rated third in its category.