by Anthony Fongaro - photos via GM- 05-30/2023
Remember the Cadillac Catera? “The Caddy that zigs!”. Apparently, that wasn’t exactly true. When Cadillac finally brought a sporty sedan in the form of the ATS, it showed that Cadillac was serious about bringing a sporty compact sedan to market. Now, we have the replacement for the ATS: the CT4. When you have it in sporty V and hyper-sporty Blackwing, the press goes absolutely crazy. What about the regular CT4 with the upgraded 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four? Well, let’s take a look at the CT4 Premium Luxury AWD and see if you should pay more for the V.
Exterior time, and Cadillac makes handsome sedans. This is true with the CT4. There are many creases and angles which give quite the sporty look. The best part of the CT4 is the front end. It's a true Cadillac with its angular lights and large Cadillac logo. Moving to the side, I found one design element Cadillac incorporated annoying. Small door mirrors look great from the exterior, but they give poor visibility. Optional Midnight Steel Metallic ($650) looks great with the chrome on both the door handles and 18-inch wheels. The rear is also handsome with a similar taillight design to the headlights. What’s funny is there is a 500T badge that means nothing to Americans. 500T is the torque figure in Newton meters, whatever those are. It’s a handsome and striking exterior, but what about the interior? Is it also striking?
Not really, but it is logically laid out. There are a few things that stand out. First, the steering wheel. You’ll see that there’s a big sensor behind it, along with a lightbar on the top of the steering wheel. We will get into those later, but they’re a big deal. Hey Germans? Can you please do what Cadillac does and use physical buttons on the steering wheel? Kay, thanks. Other than some build quality issues, I found the infotainment system to be a little small. Granted, I was the only person who thought this…Anyways, it has your regular functions for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the graphics are low definition.
Cadillac bucks the trend of having every function in the infotainment system, which is nice, because it’s small. Instead, you have buttons and knobs for your “usual” features. This included climate control and heated and cooling seats. You’ll also see a robust gear shifter and a rotary dial to control the infotainment system. If you don’t want to use that, it’s also a touchscreen. Now the CT4 is small, and the interior feels small. There are some cheap plastics, and for some reason, you can’t get a sunroof. I may not use sunroofs a lot, but that would have helped the somewhat boring black interior. The interior isn’t on par with, let's say, a Genesis, but it works.
Under the hood is the upgraded 2.7-liter inline-four (at $2,500) which produces a healthy 310 horsepower/240 Kw and 310 lb-ft/475 Nm (not 500!). Combine this with a ten-speed automatic and optional AWD (at $2,000), and the 0-60 MPH is around 4.5 seconds. Acceleration is smooth, but the automatic transmission isn’t the most sophisticated. What’s funny is that, since the CT4 has the tachometer at an odd angle, it shifts constantly and looks like it doesn’t move a lot. What also doesn’t move a lot is the body, since this is quite the sporty sedan with great control.
When you want to cruise, Cadillac and GM have an answer to that, and it’s expensive. For a whopping $7,700, you can get the Super Cruise 2 package. Along with technology and creature comforts, it gives you an odd steering wheel. That’s because, when you press the supercruise button, you can have hands-free driving. This only works on certain highways, but thankfully, the highways by me were mapped! Hands-free driving feels odd, but it worked brilliantly. There are other safety systems including adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring. It feels like a safe car. Since I said this price was high, what does the CT4 start at?
This top-of-the-line non-V-series CT4 Premium Luxury starts at $39,000. Adding all the features I’ve stated including the upgraded engine, AWD, and Super Cruise, the price balloons to $52,000. That’s almost $13,000 worth of options! For a few grand more, you can get the V which has a sportier look and more power from its engine. It could satisfy someone who wants more power, but the CT4 is just fine as the CT4 Premium Luxury. Is it the correct trim? Sure. Should you get Super Cruise? Absolutely!
Against the competition, I think the Genesis G70 is a better vehicle, while German brands have a more posh interior. If you don’t need Super Cruise, and you don’t exactly need to, you could get the CT4 to around $45,000. You get a solid engine, good driving dynamics, and handsome looks. If you want a sporty compact American sedan, look at the CT4.
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