Cadillac XT4 Premier LUXURY
It seemed that just before Christmas, every other car commercial on television featured the new 2019 Cadillac XT4.
There were the beautiful people, happy as clams, as they drove their luxury compact SUV to whatever amazing party they were going to with the caption informing you that driving is joyful.
I don’t in any way consider myself one of the beautiful people and most of my driving is going back and forth to work but I did agree that when I had a few days behind the wheel of the XT4, the driving was joyful.
The XT4 is Cadillac’s first foray into the luxury compact SUV market and instead of dipping its toe in the water to find out the temperature, Cadillac has cannon balled off the side, throwing everything it can think of at the driver.
The XT4 comes in three trims, Luxury, Premium Luxury and Sport. My tester for a few days was the Premium Luxury version which has a standard price of $42,795.
But as I have noted before, car companies like to provide automotive journalists with all the trimmings so my tester had options totalling more than $13,000, which brought the XT4 price to $56,510.
Yes that is pricey but you get a lot of vehicle for that amount. Each trim of the XT4 is powered by an all-new 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine producing 237 hp and 258 lb/ft of torque. That’s matched to a nine speed automatic transmission. The turbo engine is quick and responsive but didn’t really wow me. I had expected more oomph from the engine.
To save on gas the XT4 shuts down the engine when you are at a stoplight. In some vehicles you can’t turn that feature off.
Cadillac lets you and I did shut it down after a few times because I felt the vehicle didn’t respond quick enough when I put my foot on the gas.
The exterior styling of the XT4 is one of the best in the compact SUV market.
It has an aggressive stance and the LED lighting on the front and back adds to the look. Seventeen-inch tires are standard on all XT4s but my tester had 20-inch, nine-spoke alloy wheels that added to the aggressive look.
When Metroland automotive writer Jock McCleary attended the launch of the XT4 just before last year’s New York International Auto Show, he noted a group of young designers was responsible for the look of the vehicle. I’m guessing they spent a lot of time on the interior because it is a standout in the segment.
The dash is functional without being over dramatic. Everything is where it should be, within easy read.
The eight-inch driver information display screen is easy to use and I agree with other reviews I have read about the XT4 that the screen has one of the quickest response times.
Pinching the navigation map, it shrinks or enlarges almost instantaneously and it took just a few seconds to pair my phone. If you don’t want to touch the screen, the XT4 features a round rotary knob on the centre console that lets you control the screen. It mirrors how good the rotary knob is on Mazda vehicles.
The temperature controls are easy to use and the visuals inform you exactly where the air is being directed. Some new vehicles almost have you guessing where you have directed the air.
In its promotional material Cadillac notes it has made some changes to how the air is heated up to get the cabin warmer, faster. I can attest the changes they made work, as the XT4 warmed up quicker that most other vehicles I have driven.
While many of the design changes work, I’m not a fan of the gear selector.
You have to move it forward for reverse which goes against years of driving. Then you have to push a button for park. Changing the location of the gear selector to provide more storage in a van makes sense but I don’t see the need to change the standard gear selector in a smaller SUV.
As I mentioned earlier, my tester came with $13,000 in options. Those included: a heads up display; wireless charging; dual panel sunroof; a driver assist package that includes adaptive cruise control and forward and reverse automatic braking; front seat massage control; hands-free power lift gate and automatic high beams.
I could add another few paragraphs to the optional features.
Standard features include numerous safety features such as: lane change alert; HD rear vision camera and numerous airbags; illuminated door handles; power folding mirrors; keyless start and heated front seats.
The XT4 is a worthy entry into the luxury compact SUV market. You owe it to yourself to take it for a test spin if you are considering buying into the segment.