By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(November 10, 2020) With Cadillac launching its all-new CT4 sedans to replace the ATS and CTS, it’s once again overhauling the brand’s commitment to competing in the luxury sport sedan segment along with a stated goal of attracting the “new generation” (Cadillac speak for youthful) of Cadillac customers. This is of course on the heels of the company’s recent move back to Detroit from its New York City headquarters, and the reveal of its new Celestiq and Lyriq all-electric vehicles expected to arrive by 2022. Further, there’s the announcement of the all-out high-performance Blackwing sports sedans, set to replace the CTS-V moniker.

Specifically, Cadillac said the CT4 was developed to appeal to youthful buyers in the luxury market who may be new to the Cadillac brand. Sound familiar? It should; it’s the same approach Cadillac has been using for years.

The new CT4 is the entry-level model of Cadillac sedans and is available in four trim levels — Luxury, Premium Luxury, Sport and V-Series — with an all-turbocharged four-cylinder lineup and standard rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is available across all trim levels.



This is a compact sedan with interior dimensions small enough to limit its appeal to many car shoppers. While there’s a good range of seat adjustment up front, it still feels tight and the back seat is nearly useless for adults. Further, it isn’t easy to enter the back seat because of the small door opening, minimal headroom and practically no floor space for stepping into. Those who need a back seat with a modicum of room aren’t going to opt for the CT4.

However, the seats up front are mostly comfortable with supportive cushions and appreciated four-way lumbar adjustment. Operating controls are pretty good, especially with the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) audio and infotainment system whose touch screen responds quickly to inputs. The interface is intuitive and we like the manual audio and channel selection knobs along the side of the screen. However climate control buttons are situated in a row low on the instrument panel with tiny markings, making them difficult to read and nearly impossibly when driving.

Standard features in the CT4 include dual-zone automatic climate control, an eight-inch touch screen, Bluetooth, two USB ports, a Wi-Fi hot spot, eight speakers, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Available features include a sunroof, wireless device charging, navigation, and a 14-speaker Bose audio system.

Our Premium Luxury CTR came equipped with the optional navigation and Bose premium audio package ($1,700); the climate package ($1,200) that adds power lumbar adjustments, heated and ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel; and the driver awareness plus package ($800) adding lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert.

Overall, we thought the interior left ample room for improvement. The design styling is certainly acceptable, but some of the head-scratching material quality was marginal and certainly not luxury, and below what you would find in rival German and Japanese luxury sports sedans — a definite drawback.

The standard engine is Cadillac’s 2.0-liter, twin-scroll turbo four-cylinder that makes a rated 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, and paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. There’s also a 2.7-liter turbo, which will be available on the higher Premium Luxury trim of the car and standard on the V-Series. Our test CT4 was the Premium Luxury trim, with 309 horsepower and 348 lb-ft, paired with a ten-speed automatic transmission.



The V-Series makes 325 horsepower and 380 lb-ft, and uses the same ten-speed automatic transmission. It seemed odd to us that the performance V-Series only makes 16 more horsepower than our Premium Luxury trim and just 24 more horsepower than a Toyota Camry V6. Compare that to the discontinued Cadillac ATS-V that delivered 464-horsepower with a V6 configuration. This is a big step back from its predecessor and an uphill battle to standout European competitors like Mercedes AMG and BMW M series sedans.

With the 309-horsepower in our test CT4, acceleration was appreciably strong and delivered instantly with not even a hint of turbo lag. There was ample power in reserve when called upon for merging onto the expressway or when passing another vehicle. And while the cabin was mostly quiet at all speeds, the engine was excessively noisy under acceleration with a wheezy, roaring sound that easily drowned out any conversation or audio programming in the vehicle.

Handling was one of the best features of our CT4. Steering was sharp and predictable, twists and turns on our mountain road test route returned excellent performance, confident handling, superb brakes and excellent suspension that absorbed road imperfections with aplomb.

Overall, the new CT4 is a good car that drives well and has attractive entry point pricing. However, attracting younger, first-time luxury sedan buyers from established competitor brands like Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Lexus will be a challenging order. And for those who aspire to outright performance, it’s a big step back from the now-dead ATS-V.

Vital Stats
Base Price: $32,995 - $46,590
Price as Tested: $45,915
Engine/Transmission:  2.7-Liter 309-hp turbocharged four-cylinder, linked to a ten-speed automatic transmission
Fuel Economy: 20, 30, 24 – City, Highway, Combined
Seating: 5
Where Built: Lansing, Michigan

Crash Test Results: Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has crash tested the Cadillac CT4 as of this writing.

Competes With:
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Audi A4
BMW 3-Series, 4-Series
Genesis G70
Kia Stinger
Lexus IS
Mercedes Benz C-Class, CLA-Class

Fab Features:
Rear or all-wheel-drive
Athletic driving experience
Relatively low starting price