2019 Cadillac XT4 Review

[MUSIC PLAYING] WILL KAUFMAN: There was a time when entry-level luxury meant a small sedan, like a BMW 3 series. With the SUV craze, these days, entry-level luxury means a small crossover, and that's where the new 2019 Cadillac XT4 comes in. Cadillac has big plans, with an onslaught of new products slated for the next few years. That makes the XT4 doubly important. Not only is it competing in a really hot segment, it has to introduce new buyers to the brand and make them excited about trading up to a higher end Cadillac when the time comes. So is the 2019 XT4 a promising entry into the Cadillac brand? We're here on the outskirts of Seattle to find out. The driving dynamics of the XT4 are kind of interesting. They're not what I was expecting. But I think I can see what Cadillac was going for here. Let me try and describe what I'm talking about. Power for the XT4 comes from a 237-horsepower turbo-charged, four-cylinder engine. There are a lot of technical changes to it that are designed to just get more mileage and make sure that it can still deliver all the power it needs. Power delivery from the engine is very smooth, and it's pretty strong for a vehicle in this class, but there's no real sense of urgency to the way that it puts the power down. It doesn't feel like a sporty SUV the way some of the German competitors do. This vehicle also has a nine-speed automatic and an optional twin clutch all-wheel drive system that's similar to what you see in other GM products like this. There's a clutch that can completely disconnect the rear wheels, so you get more efficiency when you're in two-wheel drive mode. And then it can send power to the rear wheels when it's needed and shift power between the rear wheels, which is good for traction if you're in a low traction environment. The variable steering in the XT4 is pretty light. It's precise. You can definitely put this car where you want it to be, but you can't really tell what's going on with the front wheels through the steering wheel. The ride feels a little stiff-legged and a little bouncy, especially over larger bumps. The other thing is the brakes. These are electrically-activated hydraulic brakes, so the feel through the pedal is really artificial. It's a very firm pedal, and it's very linear, so it's pretty easy to judge braking force. But you feel a little disconnected from what's actually happening with the car. All of these things together-- the sort of light steering, the firm brake pedal, the little bit bouncy suspension-- all of it comes together to make this feel a bit more like a large SUV, dynamically. Now, that's not to say that it completely drives like a large SUV. There's definitely more maneuverability, there's less body roll, there's more grip, but it still has that feeling like this is a little bit more like an SUV than just a lifted car. Sets it apart a little bit from some of the competitors that do a lot of work to make their vehicles feel very car-like on the road. I mentioned before that the small luxury crossover segment is very hot, and that's true. There are a lot of brand new vehicles that this has to compete against. There's the Volvo XC40, and the BMW X1 and X2. There's also the all-new Lexus UX and the brand new Audi Q3. The Cadillac XT4 starts at about $36,000. And for a sport or premium luxury trim and front-wheel drive, you're looking at about $41,000 with destination and handling added in. All-wheel drive is another $2,500. A fully-loaded XT4 is going to break $55,000. That really puts the Cadillac XT4 right in the thick of things in terms of pricing in this segment. EPA estimated fuel economy is 24 miles per gallon city and 30 highway. For a car that makes 237 horsepower, that's not terrible, but it's not amazing either. That's definitely not going to make this a class leader in terms of efficiency. [MUSIC PLAYING] On the outside, the XT4 has a pretty distinctly Cadillac look to it where, on the inside, they've clearly put in some effort to give it that entry-level luxury feel. All of these surfaces are covered with nice looking materials. There's a lot of soft touch inside of the cabin. There are definitely a few places where you can feel the entry-level part of entry-level luxury. There's this plastic around the window switches that General Motors just can't seem to get away from. These are very comfortable seats. I've been in these all day. I'm really happy with them. There's a good amount of adjustability. There's heating and ventilation in this premium luxury trim and even sort of a basic massage function. There are a lot of deep pockets and cubbies around. There's even this convenient little wireless charging pad that you can slip your phone into. And since this is a General Motors product, you get things like OnStar, you get 4G LTE connectivity with a wifi hot spot, you get Android Auto and Apple Car Play. There are also USB and USBC ports for both the front and back seat. Of course, there's a full suite of active safety features and driver aids, lane keeping, collision avoidance, adaptive cruise control. Now, one thing is, just in terms of that wow factor of interior technology, some of the other vehicles are going to look a little more impressive. One thing they've done here that's sort of interesting is they've installed a control knob for the infotainment system. Now, I have mixed feelings about this. I like knob interfaces. I think it's a less distracting way to interact with the infotainment system, but this system is not really optimized for this interface. And what the knob does also changes depending on what screen you're in. I do appreciate that there are buttons for just about everything in here. The HVAC system can be controlled entirely through buttons up here. Heating seating and cooling, a lot of the safety features all have buttons attached to them, which makes life a little easier. There are a ton of different camera views. You can get a good look at the curbs. You can see what's happening both in front and behind the car and get a good 360 view from multiple angles. And that's good because visibility in the XT4 is not amazing. They are pretty thick pillars all around. So for low speed maneuvering, I really appreciated having the cameras. This backseat is one of the things that Cadillac is counting on to set the XT4 apart from its competitors. There's more leg room here than you get in a lot of vehicles in this class and a decent amount of head room. I'm just starting to rub on the roof, so taller passengers might run out of headroom but for the most part, full grown adults are going to be able to use this back seat. On this trip, I will say I've enjoyed my time in here. This is a comfortable place to enjoy a picturesque drive through the Pacific Northwest. I think for people who like the Cadillac brand already, for people who really enjoy larger SUVs but are looking to scale down a bit, they're going to find stuff in here that appeals to them. Our final verdict on the XT4 is going to have to wait, though, until we have a chance to get it to our test track along with all its competitors and do full ratings and reviews. So stay tuned to Edmunds for more. If you like this video, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.