2019 Cadillac XT4 Review By Larry Nutson

Official Build and Price 2019 Cadillac XT4

2019 Cadillac XT4
Affordable Luxury

By Larry Nutson
Executive Editor and Bureau Chief
Chicago Bureau
The Auto Channel

Cadillac at long last has entered the premium compact crossover segment with its new for 2019 XT4.

XT4 is aimed at the younger-set who want a premium ride. Cadillac is hoping they stick with the brand as their household transportation needs change.

SUVs now make up 60 percent of luxury vehicle sales in the U.S. The premium ride of choice is no longer the sedan. The practicality, utility and ride comfort of crossover SUVs like Cadillac’s XT4 continue to drive the shift away from traditional sedans.

The five-seater XT4 comes in a Luxury trim priced at $35,790 including the $995 destination charge. Two other choices that build off of the Luxury trim are the Sport trim and Premium Luxury trim, both priced the same at $40,290.

All three XT4s are powered by a 2.0-liter turbo four that puts out 237-HP and 258 lb. ft. of torque. A 9-speed automatic gets the power to the front wheels. For $2,500 more you can opt for all-wheel drive in each of the trims.

Engine Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) helps to reduce fuel consumption. EPA test-cycle fuel economy ratings are 24 city mpg and 30 highway mpg for front-drive models and 22 city mpg and 29 highway mpg with all-wheel drive. To help reduce both fuel consumption and, correspondingly, tailpipe emissions the engine uses an idle stop/start system which does have a shut off switch (unlike many other GM vehicles) to suit your driving needs if you want the engine to stay on when you come to a stop.

I had a week’s time to drive a XT4 AWD Sport with a $41,795 base MSRP. This particular XT4 was well loaded with options bringing the bottom line to $50,685.

My typical daily driving involves Chicago’s city streets and the myriad of frequent traffic signals and stop signs. From time to time I make a few highway drives. Around town the XT4’s acceleration is quite good with adequate low-rpm engine torque and decent mid-range power for highway merging as well as passing. The old way of thinking is that luxury calls for a large displacement V8. Not today. Turbocharged four-cylinder engines have become a mainstay even in luxury vehicles. Times are a changing!

I needed to make a 55-mile trip outside of Chicago and had a chance to monitor fuel economy on the highway. While cruising in the 70 mph range the XT4 delivered 33-34 mpg. That’s well above the 29 mpg EPA rating for the AWD XT4.

The $2,450 Comfort and Convenience package on my XT4 added leather seating surfaces, 8-way power passenger seat, ventilation as well as a massage control on the front seats, plus a hands free liftgate. On my road trip I was quite comfortable with both the well-positioned center armrest along with the door armrest. I thought the small-ish steering wheel diameter was comfortable and attractive and I liked its rim thickness. A slot in the center console held my mobile phone perfectly.

The XT4’s interior has a premium look and feel, as a Cadillac should. The two-tone light wheat and jet black leather seating looked good. I also liked the combination of steering wheel controls, rotary controllers and the climate control flip-switches. I’m not a big fan of needing to adjust everything through a touchscreen. It’s very distracting from the task of driving. Some infrequent touchscreen adjustments are okay, and Cadillac’s User Experience (CUE) seems to have arrived at a happy medium.

The $770 Driver Awareness package provides a number of advanced driver assistance safety (ADAS) features. I was looking to evaluate the smart cruise control but that wasn’t equipped on this XT4. It’s part of an optional $1,000 Driver Assist Package.

The overall ride characteristics are not as refined as I would like, but at least the XT4 doesn’t float like Cadillac's of the past. Although, suspension tuning is fairly compliant as proved by few rapid highway cloverleafs for verification. Steering is light with not much feedback. City pock-marked streets do not result in your teeth being jared.

Not to overlook versatility, there is a good amount of storage space behind the rear seats for weekend road trips, your golf bag, or hauling luggage to the airport.

More about the Cadillac XT4 can be found at www.cadillac.com. For 2020 the XT4 gets a few popular features that were optional in 2019 now as standard equipment.

Cadillac plans to expand the rollout of Super Cruise, the world’s first hands-free driver assistance feature for use on a limited access freeway. Super Cruise will be available on all Cadillac models, with the rollout beginning in 2020.

Cadillac’s entry in the premium compact SUV segment comes across as a viable offering with its decent driving dynamics and long list of features and options. There’s plenty of safety and technology to choose from. The refined look and feel of the interior certainly should attract both female and male buyers alike.

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