2020-2024 Cadillac XT5 2.0L Turbo Engine (LSY): Problems, Longevity, and Specs

If you have about $50K for the new car or are planning one of the leasing plans, you may be considering the legendary Cadillac XT5 as your next vehicle. It's a luxurious SUV with great comfort, wonderful design, and unbelievable trims. The cheapest version is more than $45,000 while the most expensive Sport trim comes for almost $60K.

Today, we'll tell you more about the base turbocharged 2.0L engine (LSY) that you will find on the first two trims of the Cadillac XT5 and which is the most popular choice. The engine doesn't seem to be really bad and it has got a lot of positive reviews and just a few reports with problems. We should say that Cadillac, as always, made a good choice of engines for its popular SUV.

Key facts and my opinion about the engine

• Production years: 2018-now
• Average lifespan of LSY: 160,000-220,000 miles
• Fuel supply type: direct injection
• Power range: 170-241 hp
• Fuel efficiency: good
• Engine block material: aluminum
• Engine reliability score: medium
• The most common problems: problematic sensors, carbon buildup on intake valves, chain is still weak, oil leaks, noises.

Some facts about the 2-liter turbocharged engine in the 2023 Cadillac XT5

There were times when each car model had several unique engines that had a lot of chances to become legendary. Now, General Motors uses one engine in many cars, and sometimes the choice of models is pretty weird. For example, the Cadillac XT5 uses the 2-liter turbocharged engine codenamed LSY and the same engine is installed in the Chevy Malibu.

When you are buying a Cadillac car, you want to pay more for something unique and premium. But in today's world, it's not about GM cars. The LSY engine is shared by many cars including GMC Acadia, Buick Envision, Chevy Blazer, a couple of Buicks from the Chinese market, Malibu, and also several Cadillacs. And still, we can't say the engine is bad.

Here are some key facts you may want to know:

• the turbocharged engine has a decent displacement of 2 liters and offers 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque which is not bad at all;
• the engine is turbo, but we should say that the turbocharger is not huge or complicated, so no problems with servicing and maintaining it;
• the engine is coupled with the new GM 9-speed automatic transmission, still nothing to say about it, but it should be completely OK;
• the power and torque are achieved at lower RPM than in its predecessor, so the engine feels much better when you drive the XT5;
• also, the fuel economy is the key point for the LSY engine, so it has an Active Fuel Management system and also a start-stop system;
• the XT5 will show about 29 mpg on highways and 22 mpg in the city which is not bad but not brilliant in comparison with other SUVs;
• the XT5 is sold with FWD as standard but you can pay more to get the additional AWD for any trim of the vehicle (the consumption will be much worse, though).

This is the direct injection engine that was engineered to meet quite the hard expectations of buyers. But we should say that this is quite a cheap engine for a Cadillac. Although the range of cars made by General Motors is huge and it's hard to engineer engines for each model separately, they should have thought about people who get those 50 grand out of their pockets and still get the same engine as those buying the Malibu or the Envision.

Up until we start talking about the problems of this engine, we want you to know that we like the 2.0L turbocharged base engine that is installed in the Cadillac XT5. But we feel it's a little unfair for those buyers of premium-class vehicles and we want you to know this before you say goodbye to a lot of money.

How long will the 2-liter engine survive in your Cadillac XT5?

Well, the question of longevity is not that obvious when it comes to this engine. The unit is quite fresh - it was only introduced in 2019 and has been massively used by GM since 2020. So, we can't say for sure how many miles it's going to drive. Though we know some stats about its predecessor which should have similar problems and lifespan.

According to all information that we have, this 2.0L LSY engine is going to live more than you may expect - up to 220,000 miles with only one major repair of the turbocharger. All other parts and units in this engine are durable and won't let you down.

Of course, the longevity of this engine will also depend on how exactly you use your Cadillac XT5. If it's all about aggressive driving, revving up to 5500 RPM, and forgetting about regular maintenance, then the engine will be lucky to hit the 100K-mile mark. In other cases, it can live even longer than stated above thanks to simple and reliable technologies.

You shouldn't exclude possible surprises because we still don't know any XT5 with the LSY engine that would pass a decent mileage mark. Though, we'll try to figure out the possible problems so that they don't make a big suddenness for you.

What problems can the Cadillac XT5 2-liter engine have?

Again, we can't rely on any forums and customer reports because they are very rare and, in most cases, are too individual for XT5 owners. But we'll look at the construction of the engine and will figure out which units or technological solutions may cause problems in the future.

It's quite clear that when new these engines aren't going to cause any problems. But what will happen when they age and put on some miles?

1) Overheating because of the faulty sensor

Quite a few LSY engine owners have already reported the overheating issue. The Engine Coolant Temperature sensor may send wrong signals to the ECU and this may result in improper functioning of the thermostat and other units. It means that the 2-liter Turbo engine will overheat with all the bad consequences you may get as the result.

First of all, the turbocharger may suffer because of the too hot coolant. Secondly, the head may crack or just lose its shape and need replacement. Also, the block may be damaged after being heated badly.

2) Vibration, rattling, bad starting power

Well, this is not the problem but the specific feature of the engine. Yes, it's a little harsh but there is no need to go to the dealer and ask them to fix this. The engine is actually a little harsh and it's not some breakdown. It should work like this, especially when cold.

Make sure you warm up the engine a little before you start driving. It needs at least 1 minute of warming up in the warm time of the year and 2-3 minutes when the temperature is below zero. It may not seem like a really convenient feature, but better do this to prolong the life of your engine and avoid rattling when driving.

3) Carbon buildup on intake valves

Intake valves in this engine are prone to carbon buildup. This is the direct-injection engine and the problem is pretty common for all of them. The way to deal with the problem is to take your XT5 in for intake valves cleaning to avoid issues.

This is not a bad problem and it's not going to take a lot of money out of your pocket. But you should know about it to avoid issues of underpowering and stalling when the intake valves are completely clogged.

4) Timing chain issues

Well, the timing chain is certainly not eternal and it's going to die at 100,000 miles. If you forget to replace it along with the water pump and tensioner, the chain may stretch and jump a tooth or two. In this case, the engine is at risk of complete damage. If valves meet the pistons in this engine, the best solution will be to take it off the vehicle and throw it away.

Unfortunately, the timing chain is still a problem for the GM engine. And it's still going to cost you a fortune to buy all the needed parts and to replace the chain.

What should you do to drive the LSY engine in the XT5 longer?

Well, we only have standard advice for you:

• keep up with all the recommended maintenance procedures for your vehicle;
• forget about the aggressive style of driving;
• never experiment with cheap oil and filters;
• warm up the engine before you start driving;
• use premium gasoline;
• never ignore problems and changes in the way the engine behaves.

Final words

The Cadillac XT5 has quite a lot of great features. The engine is not the strongest advantage of the vehicle though. The 2-liter turbocharged engine is not bad but if we had to buy a car like this, we would choose the 3.6-liter V6 engine which is the optional powerplant for the XT5.

Well, the 2-liter Turbo engine in the XT5 is not the worst engine we've met. But it's new and many problems can show up unexpectedly. So, if you invest in this vehicle, be careful and always have the vehicle diagnosed once you feel it has some problems.