Compare the2026 BMW X3VS 2025 Cadillac XT5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
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 BMW X3 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 BMW X3 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The XT5 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The X3 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The XT5 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The X3 has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The XT5 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The X3 has a standard PostCrash iBrake, 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the X3. But it costs extra on the XT5.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the X3’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The XT5 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The BMW X3’s optionalSurround View is available with washers for its front and rear cameras, ensuring crystal-clear visibility in any weather condition. Conversely, the Cadillac XT5 only offers a rear camera washer, which may not provide the same level of all-weather performance.

The X3 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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the X3 has standard Cross Traffic Warning with braking function and automatically engage the brakes. 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 X3’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 X3 and the XT5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

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 BMW X3 is safer than the Cadillac XT5:

	X3	XT5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	60	112
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	148 lbs.	151 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	108	183
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	162	399
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	472 lbs.	799 lbs.

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

Warranty

The X3’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the XT5’s (12 vs. 6 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the X3 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Cadillac only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the XT5.

Reliability

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 X3’s reliability 28 points higher than the XT5.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Cadillac vehicles. With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Cadillac.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 13 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

Engine

The X3 30 xDrive’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 20 more horsepower (255 vs. 235) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 258) than the XT5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The X3 30 xDrive’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 24 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 271) than the XT5’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6. The X3 M50 xDrive’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 83 more horsepower (393 vs. 310) and 157 lbs.-ft. more torque (428 vs. 271) than the XT5’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the BMW X3 is faster than the Cadillac XT5 V6:

	X3 30 xDrive	X3 M50 xDrive	XT5
Zero to 60 MPH	6 sec	4 sec	6.5 sec
Quarter Mile	14.5 sec	12.6 sec	15.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94.5 MPH	109.7 MPH	92.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the X3 gets better mileage than the XT5:

			MPG
X3
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	27 city/33 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/30 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/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the X3’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The XT5 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The X3 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.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the BMW X3 higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Cadillac XT5 (5 to 6). This means the X3 produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the XT5 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The X3 M50’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The XT5 doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

The X3 stops much shorter than the XT5:

	X3	XT5
70 to 0 MPH	155 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	108 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the X3 has larger standard tires than the XT5 (245/50R19 vs. 235/65R18). The X3’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the XT5 (F:255/40R21 & R:285/35R21 vs. 235/65R18).

The X3’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the XT5’s standard 65 series tires. The X3’s optional 255/40R21 front and 285/35R21 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the XT5’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the X3 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the XT5. The X3’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the XT5.

Suspension and Handling

The X3’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50.5% to 49.5%) than the XT5’s (58.2% to 41.8%). This gives the X3 more stable handling and braking.

The X3 30 xDrive handles at .91 G’s, while the XT5 AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The X3 M50 xDrive executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the XT5 AWD (25.3 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 27.1 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the X3 M50 xDrive has a greater minimum ground clearance than the XT5 (8.3 vs. 7.8 inches), allowing the X3 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The X3 30 xDrive’s minimum ground clearance is .7 inch higher than on the XT5 (8.5 vs. 7.8 inches).

Passenger Space

The X3 has .8 inches more front headroom, 3.8 inches more front hip room and 3.3 inches more rear hip room than the XT5.

The rear step up height for the X3 is 1.5 inches lower than the XT5 (18.5” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The X3 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the XT5 with its rear seat up (31.5 vs. 30 cubic feet). The X3 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the XT5 with its rear seat folded (67.1 vs. 63 cubic feet).

Towing

The X3’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the XT5’s (4001 vs. 1000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Cadillac XT5 is only 3500 pounds. The X3 offers up to a 4850 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the X3 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 X3’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 X3 the driver can close all of them 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 or with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the XT5 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The X3’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 nozzles are standard on the X3 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The XT5 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The XT5’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The X3’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.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the X3 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XT5 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The BMW X3 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 BMW X3 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport offers wireless charging.

The X3’s Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling the transmission and speed with the brake pedal. With its available fully controlled system, the driver just activates it and it parks autonomously, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Optional Remote Control Parking will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The XT5 Premium Luxury/Sport’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 BMW X3 retains 46.09% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 41.23% resale value of the 2025 Cadillac XT5 after five years, which can save the BMW’s owner.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the BMW X3 and the Cadillac XT5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The BMW X3 outsold the Cadillac XT5 by almost three to one during 2024.

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