The Cadillac XT4 competes in a troublesome area: subcompact luxurious crossovers. Which means it takes on the excellent options just like the Audi Q3, the Mercedes-Benz GLA, and the Volvo XC40, amongst others. With that in thoughts, there’s little – presumably exterior of appears – that may get us to decide on the XT4 over any of these options.
We put almost 1,000 miles on the Cadillac XT4 and found a poorly executed possibility in a category ripe with a lot better choices. The engine is loud and harsh, the throttle is just too jerky, and the comparatively stiff suspension and unsupportive seats merely make it uncomfortable over lengthy distances.
Execs
One factor we are able to say definitively concerning the Cadillac XT4 is that it appears like nothing else within the class. Cadillac’s aggressive angular styling, discovered on every part from the CT4 sedan to the Escalade, fits the small crossover exceptionally properly. Offset by a trapezoidal grille, waterfall headlights, and vertical taillights, the XT4 is likely one of the best-looking automobiles in your entire section.
Our Premium Luxurious tester (slotted between the bottom Luxurious and range-topping Sport) will get trim-specific satin chrome finishes across the home windows, on the decrease fascia, and even dons satin roof rails. This particular XT4 additionally wears the model’s gorgeous Autumn Metallic orange paint, a $625 possibility that feels value each penny.
Like most fashionable Cadillacs, the XT4 could be very good to drive. The small crossover is likely one of the extra dynamic choices within the class because of its expertly tuned suspension, which affords it a sporty really feel. The steering is well-weighted and reactive as properly, and within the corners, the physique stays comparatively flat. Granted, the XT4 isn’t any sports-UV (but) – it’d in all probability profit from the obtainable all-wheel-drive system, too – however Cadillac’s persistently well-tuned suspension carry over to this small crossover. There are points, however the driving expertise is not certainly one of them.
We cannot go so far as saying the XT4 is quick, however the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine definitely has some giddy-up. Good for 238 horsepower and 258 pound-feet, the four-cylinder engine makes the XT4 really feel peppy round city and offers it sufficient energy to simply overtake different automobiles on the freeway. Particularly in Sport mode – which yields a sharper throttle response – the XT4 feels sprightly and keen. It is all paired to a nine-speed automated that’s comparatively seamless and shifts shortly.
Cons
The Cadillac XT4 has three drive modes: Snow, Regular, and Sport. However when driving round city in Regular mode, the small crossover virtually feels prefer it’s in Sport – it is means too harsh. The throttle is extraordinarily twitchy and the engine revs abruptly and loudly. And when you do tick the drive mode selector to Sport, the XT4 is even harsher nonetheless. Simply the faintest poke on the throttle propels the Caddy with unlikable haste. What’s extra, the brakes aren’t excellent, which means you actually must bury your foot into the brake pedal to convey the XT4 again down to hurry.
For probably the most half, we truly drove the XT4 round at average speeds in Snow mode (sure, even in Florida). Snow mode dulls the throttle and engine response to manageable ranges. Cadillac ought to think about retuning all three of those drive modes.
In case you thought the XT4 was loud round city, it is even worse at excessive speeds. Not solely is the engine noisy on the freeway, there’s additionally an annoying quantity of wind buffeting and street noise that enter the cabin. Of the almost 1,000 miles we placed on the XT4, a big chunk of it was freeway time and the surface noise that entered the cabin was virtually an excessive amount of to bear by the tip of it.
A part of these 1,000 pushed miles included getting acquainted with the seats and suspension – very acquainted. Plainly put, the seats within the XT4 are unhealthy. The Caddy does at the very least have actual leather-based buckets with heating, air flow, eight-way energy adjustability, and even a therapeutic massage operate as a part of the $2,600 Consolation bundle. However it was not possible to discover a actually pleasurable seating place, there was little help, and the leather-based simply felt flimsy and low cost. Mix that with a suspension that rides tough – even small undulations felt like an excessive amount of for the XT4 – and it made for a reasonably harsh trip.
