This is Cadillac’s entry in the red-hot midsize, two-row luxury SUV category, which pits it against such stars as the BMW X3, Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, Lexus RS, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Porsche Macan and—stand back, everyone!—the Genesis GV70.  In other words, the stakes are high and there’s zero room for miscalculation.

Here in the domestic market, the XT5 enjoys one advantage that those others lack: It’s a hometown hero. Unfortunately, that’s about it. While the XT5 Sport doesn’t fail, neither does it excel, especially against such stellar competition.

With an MSRP of $70,140, our vehicle has the optional 310-horsepower V-6 engine and a full complement of tech, safety and trim upgrades ranging from swathes of leather to illuminated doorsills, adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, emergency braking in reverse as well as ahead, puddle lights, 20-inch wheels and a good deal more.

In fact, about $13,000 more—the base price of the XT5 (with a 4-cylinder engine) is just $57,095. That might feel like good value to the sort of older buyer who simply must have a Cadillac, but even at 70 grand the XT5 cannot compete with its overseas rivals in performance, luxury, comfort, materials, build quality or satisfaction.

The current iteration of the XT5 was introduced for 2020 and it has barely changed since then. However, Cadillac promises an all-new XT5 for model year 2024, so let’s keep our fingers crossed in anticipation of a standout vehicle, possibly electrified. (Cadillac has said that it will be entirely out of the gasoline-burning game by 2030, which is no longer far in the future.)

Not since the 1960s, when its cars proudly led the armada of American land yachts, has Cadillac been able to re-establish its prominence, much less re-define itself for the 21st Century. Ironically, Cadillac has been able to build a few successful hard-nosed sporting sedans that drive like they were intended for the autobahn, and the Escalade has carved out a certain demographic niche, but otherwise America and the world still await the new Cadillac standard of luxury.