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The 2020 Cadillac XT5 is a small luxury crossover your smartphone will love

Cadillac is putting more emphasis on crossovers in response to incorrigible consumer demand. Besides launching new models, the General Motors luxury brand is giving the oldest crossover in its lineup a mild update. The 2020 Cadillac XT5 looks largely the same on the outside, but it does sport some mechanical changes and updated tech.

The 2020 Cadillac XT5 keeps its aggressively angular exterior styling, with some changes to the front and rear fascias. The XT5 also gets standard LED headlights and adopts the new Cadillac trim-level structure from the new XT6. Upgrading from the base Luxury trim level to the Premium Luxury or Sport brings specific exterior styling features keyed to each model.

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Under the skin, the 2020 XT5 gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as its new entry-level option. The four-cylinder engine makes 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. A 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V6 carries over from previous model years. It makes 310 hp and 271 lb.-ft. Both engines are coupled to nine-speed automatic transmissions. The XT5 continues to offer standard front-wheel drive, or optional all-wheel drive.

Unlike the previous Sport package, the XT5 Sport is now a distinct trim level with its own specific mechanical features. It gets adaptive suspension, a quicker steering ratio, and a more sophisticated all-wheel drive system with a torque-vectoring rear differential. The rear diff can shunt power between the rear wheels, helping to point the XT5 into corners. However, the Sport doesn’t extract more power from the V6 engine — the only option on this model.

Cadillac also updated the XT5’s infotainment system, bringing it more in line with the setup in the larger XT6. Drivers can either use the 8.0-inch touchscreen directly, or opt for a rotary controller and analog buttons. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a built-in Wi-Fi hot spot, remain standard. The XT5 also gets a near field communication point that allows one-touch pairing of Android phones, as well as wireless phone charging and USB-C ports.

The 2020 XT5 comes standard with lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and autonomous emergency braking, but adaptive cruise control is an optional extra. The standard Safety Alert Seat vibrates when one of the various driver aids is triggered, something that is unique to Cadillac. The XT5 also gets a standard rear-seat reminder feature designed to prevent people from leaving children or pets unattended in the back seats, and a teen-driver monitor.

The 2020 Cadillac XT5 goes on sale later this summer. Pricing starts at $45,090 for a base front-wheel drive Luxury model, which rises to $56,090 for a range-topping Sport (which comes standard with all-wheel drive). Cadillac, in the midst of what it calls “launch mode,” is bringing out new cars like the three-row XT6, the CT5 and CT4 sedans, and, eventually, its first all-electric production model.

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2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV preview: The EV lineup grows again
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
Mercedes recently launched two other electric SUVs at opposite ends of the price spectrum. The EQS SUV is positioned as the lineup’s flagship, while the EQB is the entry-level model. The EQE SUV slots between those two in size and, presumably, price. The latter hasn’t been confirmed yet, and likely won’t be until the EQE SUV’s planned March 2023 on-sale date.

Design
As the name says, the EQE SUV is a utility-vehicle version of the EQE sedan, which will likely beat it to showrooms by a few months. Mercedes did the same thing with the EQS, which is available in both SUV and sedan body styles.
With its tall, upright profile, the EQE SUV definitely looks like a proper SUV compared to the low-slung EQE sedan. Park it next to an EQS SUV, though, and you’ll have to get out a measuring tape to spot the differences.
The EQE SUV is 0.6 inch narrower and 1.2 inches lower than the EQS SUV, but the most significant difference is in length. The EQE SUV is 10.3 inches shorter than the EQS SUV, with a 2.1-inch shorter wheelbase. And while the EQS SUV has three-row seating, the EQE SUV has two rows. Based on our experience with the EQS SUV’s third row, that’s not a big loss.
The interior design theme carries over from other Mercedes EQ models, with an expansive sloping dashboard designed to accommodate many screens, and multicolor ambient lighting that should look pretty dramatic at night. However, leatherette upholstery is standard, rather than real leather, which Mercedes is now spinning as a vegan option.

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2023 Kia Niro EV first drive review: Practical doesn’t have to bore you to tears
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Kia Niro EV.

If you want to see just how quickly the electric car landscape has changed over the past few years, take a look at the redesigned 2023 Kia Niro EV.
When the first-generation Niro EV launched for the 2019 model year (following hybrid and plug-in hybrid Niro variants), it was a pretty big deal. The Niro was Kia’s first EV not based on a conventional gasoline model, and the first intended for high sales volumes.
The second-generation 2023 Niro EV boasts more tech, more space, and more extroverted styling than its predecessor, but it’s still very much in the shadow of the Kia EV6. Once Kia’s main EV attraction, the Niro is being refocused as a more affordable option to take on the likes of the Chevrolet Bolt EV/Bolt EUV, Volkswagen ID.4, and Nissan Leaf.
Kia plans to offer the Niro EV in trim levels named Wind and Wave, but hasn’t released pricing for either. Note that the previous-generation 2022 Niro EV started at $41,245; the new model could see a price increase because of its updates. And because it’s assembled in South Korea, the 2023 Niro EV won’t qualify for the revamped federal EV tax credit, Kia has confirmed.

Design and interior
Like the previous generation, the Niro is part of a three-pronged lineup that also includes the Niro Hybrid and Niro PHEV (plug-in hybrid models). All three maintain the tall-wagon shape of the first-generation Niro, but with much bolder styling.
Where the previous Niro was a wishy-washy mix of car and SUV styling elements, the 2023 Niro is the result of the same fearless design department that produced the EV6 and the 2023 Kia Sportage. The traditional automotive “face” was rearranged with a visor-like element, protruding grille, and hexagonal lighting elements. Contrasting trim panels break up the profile view, and conceal “Air Blade” elements around the taillights that, Kia claims, reduce aerodynamic drag.
Kia used sustainable materials to further decrease the Niro EV’s environmental impact.

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Nissan wants the 2023 Ariya to be its comeback EV, but the bar has been raised
Front view of the 2023 Nissan Ariya.

Nissan played an understated role in the modern era of electric cars. While Tesla gets most of the attention, the Nissan Leaf became the first modern mass-market EV when it launched in December 2010. But Nissan has squandered that early lead. The Leaf remains a decent car, but Nissan needed to follow it up with another model, specifically an SUV, that would appeal to more car shoppers. That’s where the 2023 Nissan Ariya comes in.
The Ariya is the long-awaited sequel to the Leaf, boosting updated tech, better performance, and an SUV body style to match current trends. But during the Ariya’s long gestation (it was originally supposed to launch in 2021), other automakers have come up with electric SUVs of their own. So while it was once a leader, Nissan must now follow the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6, among others.
Pricing starts at $44,485 (with destination) for the base Ariya Engage trim level with front-wheel drive and the smaller 65-kilowatt-hour (63-kWh usable capacity) battery pack. Pricing rises to $61,485 for the top Platinum+ model with all-wheel drive and a 91-kWh (87-kWh usable capacity) pack, but all-wheel drive models won’t arrive until after the front-wheel drive models. Nissan hasn’t discussed plans to assemble the Ariya in the U.S., so it likely won’t qualify for the revised federal EV tax credit.

Design and interior
If it had launched even two years ago, the Ariya would have looked cutting-edge. Its rounded exterior surfaces make a nod to aerodynamics while still preserving the SUV look buyers love. It’s a nice-looking vehicle too, but so are the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6, all of which have gone on sale since the Ariya was announced in 2020. Nissan is no longer a trendsetter, but the Ariya can at least claim a more SUV-like feel than those other EVs, in both its tall profile and high-and-mighty driving position.
More significant than the styling, though, is that the Ariya rides on a new EV-specific platform. In contrast to the Leaf, which shares some of its structure with gasoline cars, engineers could take full advantage of the efficiencies of an electric powertrain and maximize interior space. Like certain other automakers, Nissan also opted out of a frunk in order to maximize passenger space, moving components like the air conditioner under the hood to make more room in the cabin.
Rounded surfaces nod to aerodynamics while still preserving the SUV look buyers love.

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