Compare the2024 Cadillac XT5VS 2023 Land Rover Discovery

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 Discovery doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Cadillac XT5 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Discovery 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 Discovery doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

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 Discovery doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the XT5 and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XT5 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 231 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Discovery has not been tested, yet.

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

There are almost 3 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the XT5’s warranty.

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 18 points higher than the Discovery.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XT5 third among midsize premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Discovery isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover 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 Land Rover 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, Land Rover is rated below average.

The XT5’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 14 more horsepower (310 vs. 296) than the Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Cadillac XT5 V6 is faster than the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid:

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

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

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

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 Discovery 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 Discovery.

The XT5 stops much shorter than the Discovery:

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

The XT5 AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Discovery R-Dynamic S pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XT5 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Discovery R-Dynamic S (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XT5’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (38.7 feet vs. 40.7 feet). The XT5 w/20” wheels’ turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (39 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Cadillac XT5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 950 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery.

The XT5 is 5.5 inches shorter than the Discovery, making the XT5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The XT5 is 6.7 inches narrower than the Discovery, making the XT5 easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The XT5 is 8.2 inches shorter in height than the Discovery, making the XT5 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The XT5 has .3 inches more front headroom, 2.1 inches more front legroom and 1.6 inches more rear legroom than the Discovery.

The XT5 has a much larger cargo volume than the Discovery with its rear seat up (30.2 vs. 9.1 cubic feet).

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

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Land Rover. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 65% lower rating, Land Rover is ranked 30th.

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 Discovery does not have an oil pressure gauge.

On a hot day the XT5’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Discovery can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the XT5 has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 Discovery’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

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

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

The Cadillac XT5 outsold the Land Rover Discovery by over 20 to one during 2022.