Cadillac has a Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde thing going on. The CT4 and CT5-V Blackwing are absolutely monstrous performance sedans, and the Escalade we’ve known and loved for so long is nothing short of opulent. Then there’s the rest of the lineup, which seems to play it safe so as not to deviate from the older demographic that Cadillac has catered to for the last few decades. The 2024 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD falls into this space, feeling very much like the safe choice and nothing like their more exciting offerings.
That’s not to say the XT4 is a poor choice in the segment. It just seems that Cadillac wants to both hang onto its traditional buyers, while also try to bring in a younger demographic into the fold. I blame GM as a whole more than I do Cadillac, what with all the badge engineering, but I can’t shake the feeling their identity is getting a little lost. Sorry, Cadillac, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. But alas, you can try.
The XT4 is an attractive cute-ute. It receives a mild facelift for 2024, with sharper front-end styling giving the XT4 new life. This particular tester’s black paintwork and prominent grille are certainly Caddy trademarks, and the headlights have Cadillac’s signature vertical LEDs, which are at least unique if not the most attractive. The rear-end styling seems like a mishmash between Honda CR-V, some Volvo, and dash of Caddy all blended together. It looks good nonetheless; the tail lights have an attractive and distinctive pattern when lit. Finally, the 20-inch wheels on our tester give the XT4 an athletic yet sophisticated vibe. I can see how buyers of all ages would find the XT4 attractive.
Once you get inside, things start to get a little wonky, but most if it has to do with the colourway of our tester. Depending on your personal preferences, you may find the XT4’s beige interior option a little less modern and chic. The beige upholstery is perfectly fine, but the contrasting beige and brown accents on the dashboard and elsewhere remind me of my parents’ old couch they had in the basement back in the early 1990s. The other interior colour options exude a different persona altogether, but this spec sure ain’t designed for the youths.
What the youths do love is technology and screen time. The XT4 puts that front-and-centre with a true 33-inch curved widescreen display, encompassing the gauge cluster and infotainment screen. No, this isn’t multiple screens hidden behind a single piece of glass a la Mercedes’ Hyperscreen, this setup is a single display that looks great. With that being said, I find Cadillac doesn’t take advantage of all the extra real estate and separates it into two distinct portions, anyway, so the benefit is questionable. The only time I saw it used as a single, continuous screen is during the startup graphics. A bit of a missed opportunity for sure.
Other tech bits and creature comforts are what you’d expect in this class, including Cadillac’s full suite of driver assists and active safety bits save for Super Cruise, heated and cooled seats, and a heated steering wheel. I still dig GM’s butt-vibration warnings that vibrate the left or right side of the seat, depending on which parking sensor or warning is going off. Don’t knock it till you try it.
I was a bit disappointed in the 14-speaker AKG audio system, which is a $1,000 add-on. It’s stellar in the big-brother Escalade, and I really wanted to like it here, but it sounds muddy and uninspiring by comparison. Bah humbug. That aside, the rest of the interior is spacious enough for the segment, with plenty of rear-seat space for a child’s seat, and a cargo area large enough to fit a stroller laying flat.
Motivation comes from a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder powerplant developing 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet torque, routed to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission. This front-wheel-drive-based drivetrain is shared with a number of other GMs, notably in more downmarket models. I mention this because although it all works just fine, it doesn’t sound particularly luxurious or refined. It feels right in something with a Chevy badge, and the Buick Envision can get away with it, but less so in a Cadillac that’s supposed to be the “standard of the world.”
And that brings me to my biggest gripe with the XT4. Unless you’re particularly enamoured by its styling, absolutely love the 33-inch display, or desperately need a Cadillac badge, you’re best off saving a few bucks and getting into an Envision Avenir. Yes, the Cadillac has a more modern interior, but the Envision’s isn’t too shabby, the powertrain is identical, and it’s a little more athletic than the Caddy.
Above all, the Envision Avenir I reviewed last year topped out at just under $51,000 as-tested, whereas this 2024 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD clocks in at $59,159 as-tested. It’s not a lacklustre product by any means, but that eight-grand difference from its own sibling makes the XT4 a tough value proposition.
