Compare the2025 Mercedes GLAVS 2025 Cadillac XT5

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLA 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 GLA’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The XT5 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The GLA offers an optional Post Collision Brake, 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the GLA 4MATIC’s standard Downhill Speed Regulation allows you to creep down safely. The XT5 doesn’t offer Downhill Speed Regulation.

The GLA has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 GLA has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Active Brake Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport offers Rear Cross Traffic Alert and the XT5’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

The GLA’s 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 GLA and the XT5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Cadillac vehicles. With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Cadillac.

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

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

The GLA 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.

The GLA offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The XT5 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The GLA stops shorter than the XT5:

The GLA’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 GLA’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the XT5’s optional 55 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the GLA 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.

The GLA’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The XT5 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the GLA’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the XT5’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet). The GLA’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the XT5 w/20” wheels’ (37.4 feet vs. 39 feet).

The Mercedes GLA may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 850 pounds less than the Cadillac XT5.

The GLA is 1 foot, 4 inches shorter than the XT5, making the GLA easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The GLA has 1.2 inches more front hip room and 2.5 inches more rear hip room than the XT5.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport, the GLA has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLA’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 GLA 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 GLA’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.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the GLA to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The XT5 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

The XT5’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The GLA’s optional 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.

The Mercedes GLA has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors are only offered on the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLA has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport offers wireless charging.

The GLA offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The XT5 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The GLA will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the GLA will retain 53.93% to 54% of its original price after five years, while the XT5 only retains 46.63% to 47.63%.