Let me get this out of the way right at the top: I was expecting a smoother ride from the 2019 Cadillac XT4. Yes, it’s among the brand’s least expensive vehicles and no one expects a “compact luxury crossover” to glide as if on air like the Caddy pleasure boats of the past.
No … wait … Yes I can expect that! This is a Cadillac, ‘member?
Should you require all-wheel drive, like my test vehicle had, you may not mind a ride that is not as smooth as a you-know-what.
This is especially true if the crossover otherwise lives up to the Premium Luxury that is part of this XT4’s full title.
My loaner’s Sedona-colored leather seats and arm rests pop out from the otherwise Jet Black interior to produce a sporty look. The driver’s seat is power adjustable eight ways as part of the standard “Luxury & Convenience” features that would also have the front passenger seat power adjusting six ways–and memory to remember those positions–with two-way power lumbar for each seat in the front.
However, feeling a little sore spot in my back after a weekend of heavy lifting, I reached down to the bottom left side of the driver seat and fumbled around until I found the controller for the seat massage feature, something I have not been able to deploy since I test drove a Genesis months ago.
The XT4’s massage feature is part of the $1,050 “Comfort and Convenience Package” that pumps the front passenger seat adjuster to eight-way power, the lumbar control on both sides up to four-way, plus each can be ventilated. An $850 “Cold Weather Package” heats those seats as well as rear outboard positions and the steering wheel.
Wherever they are, with or without the options, the soft leather is living room recliner-like comfortable. You can nap to a ballgame in one.
Also standard on the XT4 are a power lift gate; LED lights all around; rain-sensing wipers; automatically dimming inside mirrors; heated exterior, power-folding mirrors; 10-spoke, 18-inch alloy wheels; and the keyless/adaptive remote starting system. Infotainment options are displayed on an eight-inch color touch screen and can be controlled with a universal remote, all standard also.
Included safety features are air bags all around, front and rear park assist, a high-definition rear vision camera, a safety alert seat and sonic and/or displayed alerts for lane changes and blind spots.
The XT4 is powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo that is relatively fuel efficient. (Government rated at 22 miles per gallon in the city, 29 mpg on the highway and 24 mpg combined.) The nine-speed, twin-clutch, AWD automatic transmission shifted smooth as silk for me. Handling was a bit on the stiff side, however.
One thing I found really cool on the XT4 was how the Cadillac logo was repeated throughout the exterior and interior of the vehicle. Even the door handles had a brushed design that seemed to mimic the famous emblem. These are touches of class, I tells ya!
You do pay for that, of course. If you knock out anything I previously mentioned that was not standard, you are looking at a $41,795 vehicle (manufacturer’s suggested retail price).
However, my tester had $5,895 worth of options and a $995 destination charge the pushed the MSRP up to $48,685. That may not be much compared to other Caddys (Can you say Escalade?), but it is pricier than most other crossovers that have landed in Ride Me.
Besides the Cold Weather and Comfort and Convenience packages mentioned earlier, my loaner’s options included the $1,500 “Cadillac User Experience” that is essentially a premium Bose, 13-speaker audio system with embedded navigation and Bluetooth/Apple/Android connectivity that, frankly, I have seen as standard on other vehicles.
A “Driver Awareness Package,” a $770 extra, gives you automatic high beam control , a following distance indicator, a lane departure warning system and front pedestrian/low-speed forward automatic braking. My tester also included a cool-looking Shadow Metallic exterior paint job (at $625 more) and $1,100 20-inch alloy wheels “with diamond cut/medium android finish.”
You can get an OnStar subscription that includes a wi-fi hot spot, which as I have explained previously is worth the investment.
Cadillac backs up this XT4 with a four-year or 50,000-mile (whichever comes first) bumper-to-bumper warranty and a six-year or 70,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Six years or 70,000 miles (whichever comes first) of roadside assistance and courtesy transportation at service appointments are also included.
A Cadillac dealer can tell you more about these or anything the dealership offers.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.
I had to order mine. I received it in November and instantly feel in love. I have over 7,000 miles on it now and look forward to drive it each time. I wish I could have opted for the adjustable suspension, seats,and steering from the sport.