Compare the2024 Subaru OutbackVS 2023 Cadillac XT5

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback 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.

The Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The XT5 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

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

The Outback’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The XT5 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Outback and the XT5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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 blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors 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 Subaru Outback is safer than the Cadillac XT5:

	Outback	XT5
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	213/542 lbs.

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 Subaru Outback is safer than the Cadillac XT5:

	Outback	XT5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	28	112
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	101 lbs.	151 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	116	183
Hip Force	635 lbs.	825 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	399
Hip Force	674 lbs.	799 lbs.

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 30 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The XT5 last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

There are over 12 percent more Subaru dealers than there are Cadillac dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Outback’s warranty.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 10 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

Engine

The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 271) than the XT5’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Cadillac XT5 V6:

	Outback	XT5
Zero to 60 MPH	5.8 sec	6.6 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	15.8 sec	17.8 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.5 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	15.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	96 MPH	93 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The XT5 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Outback gets better mileage than the XT5:

			MPG
Outback
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/32 hwy
		XT 2.4 turbo flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
		Wilderness 2.4 turbo flat-4	21 city/26 hwy
XT5
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Outback uses regular unleaded gasoline. The XT5 with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Outback has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks The fuel filler door is not lockable on the XT5. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The XT5 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Outback stops shorter than the XT5:

	Outback	XT5
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the XT5; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the XT5’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.7 feet). The Outback’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the XT5 w/20” wheels’ (36.1 feet vs. 39 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a greater minimum ground clearance than the XT5 (8.7 vs. 7.8 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 1.7 inches higher than on the XT5 (9.5 vs. 7.8 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 400 pounds less than the Cadillac XT5.

Passenger Space

The Outback has 4.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XT5 (109 vs. 104.5).

The Outback has .4 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more rear headroom, .5 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the XT5.

The rear step up height for the Outback is 1.5 inches lower than the XT5 (18.5” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the XT5 with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 30.2 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the XT5 with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 63 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Outback easier. The Outback’s trunk lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the XT5’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

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

	Outback	XT5
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42”/75”	41.5”/75”
Max Width	51”	51”
Min Width	43.3”	41.6”
Height	32.1”	30”

Towing

The Outback’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the XT5’s (2700 vs. 1000 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Outback 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

The Outback Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx Edition’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches. The XT5’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The XT5 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Outback’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the XT5’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

The XT5’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Outback’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XT5 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Economic Advantages

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

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Outback is less expensive to operate than the XT5 because it costs $64 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Outback than the XT5, including $154 less for a water pump, $687 less for a muffler, $36 less for front brake pads, $214 less for fuel injection, $444 less for a timing belt/chain and $486 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

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

The Subaru Outback outsold the Cadillac XT5 by over five to one during 2022.

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