People have waited for the first weekend of 2023, less than two weeks before the Lunar New Year, but for many consumers who want to start a new energy model, there is now a more exciting thing than the New Year holiday, that is, the domestic Tesla price reduction again, and this reduction directly to the threshold of Model Y down to 259,900 yuan, creating a new historical low since the entry into China. The price of the Model Y has been reduced to RMB 259,900, a record low since its arrival in China.
But despite this, people's obsession with traditional fuel luxury has not been completely smoothed out, and on the occasion of Tesla's price cut, we'll see if it's more cost-effective to get a Model Y at this point, or to continue to choose to trust a traditional luxury SUV like the Cadillac XT5. To provide a more direct comparison reference, we will be looking at the Model Y 2022 Modified Performance All-Wheel Drive Edition with a guide price of 359,900 yuan and the Cadillac XT5 2022 2.0T 4WD Style with a guide price of 352,700 yuan.
Model Y exterior styling is not as big as Cadillac XT5
On the exterior side, the Tesla Model Y is as minimalistic as ever. The vehicle creates low wind resistance through its low-slung front-end stance, the willow-shaped headlights that fit the wheel arches will be its hallmark, and the forged multi-spoke sports wheels, hidden electric door handles and sliding back body we see, even the small ducktail spoiler tail that appears at the rear end, etc., are all in preparation towards reducing wind resistance and optimizing downforce.
The Cadillac XT5 side maintains the usual American luxury style, with a very upright stance, but because of the sloping angle of the A-pillar and thick engine compartment, the vehicle will look a little shorter than its actual size. But it's worth praising that although the vehicle shows a business style, the shield grille and teardrop headlights can still bring out a relatively strong personality recognition.
Body size, Tesla Model Y has 4750/1921/1624mm body length, width and height and 2890mm wheelbase, the whole body does not reach the standard length of 4.8 meters of medium-sized SUV, but the significant wide body disposition can show its low wind resistance tendency; while Cadillac XT5 has 4813/1903/1682mm length, width and height and 2857mm It will be slimmer and more upright, but the wheelbase, which directly affects space, will be at a disadvantage.
Cadillac XT5 interior does better than Model Y
In terms of ride space, in the front and rear rows of the Tesla Model Y, passengers with a height of 175cm can get 1 punch 4 fingers, 1 finger of head space, the rear row of the sliding back and large sunroof does affect the head experience, and here the leg space is 2 punches; Cadillac XT5's two rows of head space are 1 punch 2 fingers, 1 punch, while the rear leg space is 2 punches +, the whole rear experience will indeed be more Spacious and comfortable.
In addition to the three-spoke steering wheel and a 15.0-inch floating touch screen, there are few other control accessories to be found on the center console. However, in the decoration, in addition to some soft package, the combination of wood grain veneer and metal on the center fender will slightly enhance the overall sense of class in the cabin, which is well done, while many designs, including door locks, have simplified the traditional handle and replaced it with a more technological mode of operation, such as electric buttons.
The Cadillac XT5 continues the traditional family layout, from the four-spoke steering wheel to the 10.1-inch touchscreen, to the entire center console style that echoes the brand's shield logo. The center console derived from the T-shaped structure provides a two-layer physical console design, corresponding to the car and air conditioning controls, and the short electronic gear knob at the layout of the multimedia controller, will be more traditional and easier to use some.
In terms of decoration, both models use leather directions and faux leather seats, but the Tesla Model Y applies more environmentally friendly materials to create the interior decorative panels, while the Cadillac XT5 side has a larger area covered with soft ground materials, they will appear with the stitching in the central control, armrest and other areas, the touch does do better.
Tesla Model Y intelligent system: more modern and intelligent
Car system, both models are equipped with intelligent connected car system, and through the 4G network and car network support, covering voice control, remote control and OTA online upgrade services or functions, and Tesla Model Y equipped with Tesla OS is naturally the more intelligent one, its voice covers the navigation, air conditioning system, remote control in addition to the door, also supports Vehicle start / air conditioning control / charging management and other services, and the car also built-in theater, game room and other entertainment functions, coupled with the realization of the split-screen display, both UI design, or specific functions to be more modern and intelligent.
The CUE system of Cadillac XT5 also covers a lot of mainstream interconnection functions, but both voice and remote control are relatively limited, and does not even provide car satellite navigation system, but the extra CarPlay/CarLife cell phone interconnection method is able to achieve more third-party applications to expand, and WiFi car hotspot service can also support more mobile device communication.
In terms of assisted driving, the Tesla Model Y's Autopilot is unmatched by the Cadillac XT5. In addition to supporting standardized L2 assisted driving and corresponding full-speed adaptive cruise, it is also available as an option to obtain a full FSD, which enables fully autonomous driving capabilities including remote parking, intelligent summoning, access ramps, etc. The Cadillac XT5 side, however, only provides the basic cruise control, but the good thing is that it also has lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance and active braking systems to enhance active safety.
Is the Tesla Model Y power better than the Cadillac as a traditional luxury fuel car?
The powertrain, Tesla Model Y is supported by two high-powered electric motors on the front and rear axles, which provide up to 357kW of maximum power and 659N-m of maximum torque while forming an electric four-wheel drive, and with a fixed gear ratio transmission, it can complete zero-hundred acceleration in 3.7 seconds, while the battery pack provided by LG New Energy supports the vehicle's 615km CLTC electric range. The battery pack provided by LG New Energy supports a CLTC range of 615km and allows for 1-hour fast charging.
The Cadillac XT5 is equipped with a 2.0T turbocharged engine, and matched with a time-sensitive four-wheel drive system, can get 174kW of maximum power and 350N-m of maximum torque, with 9AT transmission, it takes 8.3 seconds to complete zero hundred acceleration, from the class comparison, 8 seconds to break 100 has actually performed well, but compared to the Tesla Model Y is indeed a gap is still a bit large. And in terms of energy costs, the 8 yuan/L fuel price is naturally much higher than the 1.8 yuan/kWh commercial electricity price.
The chassis, Tesla Model Y got the front double-wishbone + rear multi-link independent suspension combination, the overall support performance is much higher than the Cadillac XT5 front MacPherson + rear five-link independent suspension combination, and from the tuning, the more grounded Tesla Model Y also shows a better vehicle center of gravity and grip, which will make it have a higher driving pleasure.
In conclusion: the comparison between Tesla Model Y and Cadillac XT5 is actually somewhat unfair, although both models today are four-wheel drive, but the electric motor's natural instantaneous burst performance is still incomparable to the internal combustion engine, and the energy cost is naturally more needless to say. But in addition to power, the Tesla Model Y is also supported by smarter in-car technology, while the few advantages of the Cadillac XT5 side are more spacious and comfortable cockpit, to say how to choose between the two, probably most people will now prefer the Model Y, which is again reduced in price. Including our test team.
