Overall, we think the 2019 Cadillac XT4 has the right stuff to be the volume-adding product the brand needs right now. However, we wouldn’t call the luxury compact crossover perfect. We’ve compiled five things we’re not so sure about, following five things we really like about the 2019 XT4.
Without further ado:
No Super Cruise at launch
We expected the 2019 XT4 to haul in Cadillac’s heralded Super Cruise semi self-driving system, but that’s not the case. Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen confirmed the crossover will not boast the system at launch, though it will likely arrive further into the CUV’s lifecycle. An entry-level luxury crossover with an optional hands-free driving system would have been a real headline-maker.
The standalone powertrain seems a tad underwhelming
We like the fact that Cadillac will usher in an exclusive 2.0-liter turbocharged LSY four-cylinder engine for the 2019 XT4, but on paper, it seems a smidge underwhelming. The engine is SAE-certified to make 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. At a glance, the turbo-four makes less power than its German rivals, and BMW specifically also offers a turbocharged inline-six engine as optional. We know the XT4’s platform will accept a V6 engine, and we think such an option would suit it well.
There aren’t any real segment breakthroughs
Cadillac’s banner ad for the 2019 XT4 claimed the compact crossover would be a fresh, new idea. However, nothing truly sets it apart from its rivals at the moment. Yes, it has the exclusive turbo-four engine, but otherwise, it’s a lot of the same. That’s not to say the XT4 will be a bad car, but it doesn’t appear to the move the needle right now. Super Cruise would have done that.
The looks are very Volvo-ish
We’re split on the design here at GM Authority. Some of us think the XT4 is rather handsome, but others clearly pointed out the taillights are ripped from Volvo. And they do look very, very similar. The Cadillac doesn’t actually look like a Volvo crossover, but the rear end shares a lot of similarities.
Was the plastic cladding necessary?
We’re sure there’s a reason behind the decision, but the plastic cladding on the front fascia sort of cheapens the XT4’s look. It fits in better with the darker color Cadillac showed the crossover in, but the burnt orange color and the gray plastic aren’t mixing very well, in our collective eyes.
Comments
You can add a missing power train option: hybrid or EREV. If the Cadillac XT4 is assembled on the same line as the Chevy Malibu , why isn’t the Hybrid power train offered? And for many Chevy Volt fans, an EREV XT4 would be the best upgrade from the compact 4-seat sedan Volt. Some are looking at the imports for an alternate hybrid or PHEV CUV. Modern car buyers are looking for gasoline economy, not performance, yet an electric power train can perform better.
I don’t know a single person that is looking at gasoline economy in a luxury car . People buy them to show off . Full electric is show off . Hybrid is not
At $36K what do you expect?
Super Cruise is a top model trickle down as it gets cheaper.
Powertrain should have been 300 HP if just for marketing alone.
Breakthroughs again generally cost money and start higher up in the price line.
Looking like a Volvo is not really a bad thing right now. But then again it will not be mistaken for anything but a Cadillac.
Black plastic in this class often is a benefit in the buyers eyes. But I agree they should at least offer painted trim like the Acadia Denali on the Premium model.
“Black plastic in this class often is a benefit in the buyers eyes” Well, I guess BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Lexus are behind the design curve on that one. The XT4 will probable slot in about 5th place in the category, which is about normal for Cadillac. I see nothing about this vehicle that “Dares Greatly”.
I like the black plastic around the wheel wells and along the rocker. Our ATS is nothing but rock chips in those locations. Also I was looking at a small Mercedes SUV and it has plastic in all of those locations. I do however think it should be an option for chrome or color match, but still plastic.
scott3 says:
April 4, 2018 at 6:29 am
At $36K what do you expect?
A Chevrolet 🙂
Blue, with a V sport optional engine having 330 hp, would be a big hit.
From 200 feet away, the XT4 still looks like a Cadillac, and a good looking one!
Should sell well.
The powertrain is my biggest dislike. I wish the new 2.0T had just a bit more power, but if the torque curve is as good as Cadillac claims, and the engine is refined, then this should be a decent base motor. But this can’t be the only option. I’m surprised more powertrains weren’t debuted. This vehicle should receive the V-Sport treatment with the 3.0TT in the range of 350hp. Also, the PHEV powertrain needs to be an option ASAP, and give it AWD as an option. This is an SUV after all. If this car wanted to make a bigger splash at its debut, one of these other powertrain options should have been presented alongside the base engine. Hopefully more information and powertrain options come to light as we move closer to launch.
Good to see some balance regarding the new vehicle, as usual a nice job by Sean. I’m still wondering about the ride quality, also the front legroom specs look really small (stated to be 40.87″). That’s not just short from legroom for a Cadillac but small for any vehicle. However, measurement techniques can vary, so it would have to be tried out in person.
Even if the ride quality and front legroom are acceptable to the buyers, the cargo capacity might be a negative for some. This being a CUV, presumably there’s going to be cargo carried at some point. And while the stated 49 cubic feet (with rear seats folded down) is very big compared with the trunk of a sedan, it’s pretty small for a CUV.
As some others on this website have noted, the Honda CR-V is roughly the same exterior dimensions, yet it has 50% more stated cargo capacity (again with seats folded down) than the XT4. Though again measurements can be misleading, compared with “real world” storage. Still, for people doing a stated spec comparison, the XT4 cargo may disappoint on that. Just as the stated HP and torque may dissuade some, regardless of real-world performance.
What is the solution to the plastic cladding? Black paint maybe?
Body color would look awfully chunky.
What is the solution to the plastic cladding?
Woodgrain!!!! 🙂
Woodgrain on the front fascia of a CUV, really!!!?
My 6 month wait for this is disappointing, my gripes are…black plastic wheel wells & bottom of grille, fuel filler on the right side, no mirror signals…after viewing the PDF on this vehicle I see Cadillac wants buyers to buy the Luxury Premium model as the base Luxury is missing options that I want but are not available unless you purchase the Premium. The Chev Equinox Premium loaded is under $40K & has a lot more going for it.
Waiting for 6 months shouldn’t be a “Disappointment”, but “Discovery”, no matter what you buy, it will never have all you want, but what you are willing to live with and you found out you can’t live with the XT4. Now go Buy that Chevy Equinox Premium and be Happy, it’s still GM… ?
Wait for the Q3. It is coming. It will be in the same price range,but its interior will outclass this. Or the new Gla. (Will get the same interior as the new A) Cadillac is still behind. Let’s hope the real “wow” interiors will start from the CT5. I believe in JDN. What he has done to the Ct6,which was a dated and boring looking car,is just unbelievable. Ct6’s front is beautiful. Let’s wait for the truly his cars. CT5 is the first car,which was created by him from 0.
Ok, I’ll wait for the CT5. BUT if it has a mediocre interior compared to the rivals, I will give up and will never look at this brand again.
I am also underwhelmed. The black plastic at the wheel wells makes the car look cheap. The matt black plastic front and rear look out of place for a Cadillac. Looks more like the design Mazda uses. Just cheap looking for a Cadillac.
When can we expect Super Cruise?
When will the configurator go live on the website?
I think the interior is pretty blah for a luxury nameplate. The doors and infotainment surround are plain to the point of looking cheap. The back seats look very flat – a Cadillac trait shared with my old CTS wagon and 1st gen SRX. Good design costs nothing vs. bad design, and I’m sure there are ways of making things look more expensive then they are (especially when you are saving $$$ by assembling it alongside a Chevy with many Chevy parts). I recently purchased a Ford Flex Ecoboost, and the interior punches above its price class (considering you can get one in the 30K range) – everything looks and feels expensive although its a simple design. Volvo has nailed the simple but expensive design. This just looks simple.
It’s cheap..
It looks good and is clearly a Cadillac…
One of my daughters is the target demo (32 yr old, + six figures income, lives in Denver) and has no idea what engine has been in any of her cars…as long as it’s powerful enough.
This is to get young buyers to the brand and I think they are going to sell as many as they can build.
Im 23 years old male – i dont agree. I think his points are to the T on what i think about the car.
Plastic black piece at the bottom for a LUXURY vehicle? Yuck. Ya, its a cheaper model, but does that mean it needs to look cheap. I’ve seen lower cost bmw’s, mercs that all pull of a premium look no matter its price segment. Cadillac dropped the ball.
Oh, and ya, girls dont care about engines sure.. maybe some do… I do care a lot though. This engine is a quick, no thanks…
Interior is quite bland, exterior is the same. It just seems like a very… blah vehicle. Great for a chevy car, or ford… but when i go get my next vehicle in the next year or two… I am going to look into whats going to have presence. This caddy does not have it.
Cheap or not, as a luxury brand you need to set yourself up as just that… kind of disappointing, but maybe thats cause we all were hyped up.
I’m 24, six figurer earner. I bought the ELR when I was 21 and its an amazing car. All these years later people come up to me everyday to ask about the car. I took my gf to look at the Jaguar E-Pace and she was unimpressed because she expected the interior to be on par with my ELR. Entry level crossovers are made with cheap materials. If you want a better interior, you have to get a more expensive crossover.
So you paid $70,000 for what is basically a Chevy Volt with a Cadillac badge? How are you making six figures and be that dumb?
CT6, XT5, ATS,CTS and XTS are not JND car’s. If these XT4 crossover would have started at $40,000 and up( maybe JDN should have done) it would look completely different on these interior. XT4 will have sc ( all Cadillac models will ) and electric drivetrain system( all Cadillac models will). The new CT5 will not started at $30,000. These next gen CT6 will not look these way is now. The new XT6 crossover coming up will be different. XT4 looks good like I said before.
Bottom line J ND is overrated he’s a good salesman that’s about it. people want a Cadillac that is the status symbol of America the best we can do I don’t give a damn about BMW or Mercedes.
Although it is a good thing for Cadillac to finally come out with this vehicle to compete in the segment , that cladding on a ” Cadillac ” just shouldn’t be there . This isn’t a Chevy where you might expect something like that .
I know JDN looks at XT4 as an entry level model withe hope of that buyer moving up to an XT5 or higher but the cheapness of the materials may turn people off .
If it were not for the Volvo-like tail lights you are basically looking at a baby XT5 , that may be a good thing , or not , but this is JDN’s first car and I did expect a bit more . From the pictures it looks like there is a lot of plastic inside / hard surfaces and that can be a big turn off .
Super Cruise we are told is coming , but why do we have to wait when it could have been an option for the higher trim level . And only a little 4-banger again in a Cadillac .
Cadillac will sell these for sure but not close to the level of the XT5 .
I dislike the dashboard. It still looks like they scavenged the GM parts bin rather than gave it unique Cadillac qualities. Apart from the leather (? or faux leather) upper it all looks like cheap-as plastics and I think the design sucks too.
That said it is the “cheapest” Caddie in their SUV range and it is built to a price. But it doesn’t scream “premium luxury” to me, which is what the new Caddie company brand values are trying to be. For this reason it misses the mark! It might as well be a GMC-badged SUV as far as I’m concerned.
Would any of these flaws be deal-breakers for you? That is, you won’t buy a XT4 because of them? I don’t like the plastic cladding either, but it seems that all automakers have plastic cladding on their CUV/SUV models.
Jetsa, some of these flaws would be a deal-breaker, if someone was expecting all Cadillacs to have certain standards and they found the XT4 to be lacking the Cadillac standards. Now if they were generically shopping all brands of CUVs of a certain size, they might not find the XT4 off-putting but they also wouldn’t find it to be outstanding. Furthermore, it would have been a missed opportunity to introduce the Cadillac brand to an early customer in a positive way.
Cadillac chief Johan de Nysschen has said that the XT4 is intended to turn young car shoppers into long-term Cadillac customers. But if the XT4 is just cheap and plastic “like everybody else”, then the customer comes away unimpressed with Cadillac as a brand. And that may actually reduce the chance of that customer turning to Cadillac in the future. If Cadillac can’t build a small CUV and adhere to their own luxury standards, then they shouldn’t offer it at all. I don’t understand why they didn’t learn this lesson after the Cimarron debacle of the early 1980’s.
Now if “the other luxury brands” all are cheap and non-luxurious with their smaller/cheaper vehicles, then that’s all the more motivation for Cadillac to stick to their highest standards. In that way the entry-level customer can go from one brand to another other to another and think “cheap”, “cheap”, “cheap”, “WOW” – with the wow coming from their experience in the Cadillac. THAT’S how you get a customer for life, not by allowing your standards to fall to a low level because “someone else does it” or even “everyone else does it”.
Cadillac could have stood out from the other brands and introduced young customers to an amazing luxury experience. But Johan chose to simply copy what already existed on the market, including cheap/low standards if someone else did it too. Nice going Johan.
Drew,
Anyone expecting luxury from Cadillac at this late date is probably waking up from a long coma.
Susan, yes but it is still sad that Cadillac does not intend to maintain luxury standards. It’s just a meaningless brand now, it means whatever JdN wants it to mean, including cheap plastic cramped underpowered hard-riding vehicles that barely even look like Cadillacs (e.g. XT4 loses the classic Cadillac taillights for faux-Volvo ones).
And to think that this brand was once so synonymous with luxury and top-of-the-line offerings, that people would call anything “The Cadillac of…” if they felt it was the best of that type of product. Not that JdN would have any idea that this was how Cadillac used to be viewed; they probably don’t say “The Cadillac of… ” in South Africa.
deNysschen was hired to perform a task. If he fails he will be unemployed. Bean counters obviously call the shots at Cadillac. It’s anyone’s guess what market is currently targeted.
I have no issue with JdN’s country of origin. Cadillac seems to be going downstream. It’s unfortunate but things change.
At this point, the only Cadillac I’m concerned with is the one in my garage.
I agree dump the plastic cladding looks cheap of The Cadillacs of yesteryear. Yes it needs more horsepower and more torque without a doubt. Cruise I can live without as long as it has the other Automotive features and safety features. Like I’ve stated before Cadillac has been a day late and a dollar short for how long. the new vehicles are right around the corner how long have we been told that I’m getting tired of listening the same old thing
What I dislike about this luxury vehicle are those cheap, plastic gray undertrays front and rear, the wheel surrounds, and side molding. Also that aluminum crap front, back and side. Everything should be the same color as the vehicle.
Quit bitching about Super Cruise, it’s coming. as well as other engines including a PHEV and V Sport…..
Should of had Super Cruise as a option–that would have been big–and Cadillac needs to make a statement at this time–even for entry level. Power should have been a little more for base engine–match Audi Q5 four which has 252 hp. I still like the vehicle and think it will do well.
Here are some interior spy shots of the upcoming Q3. Fully digital dash, awesome infotainment system(as usual). Same price range. Nice try, XT4 but nope. Ure still behind. XT4’s interior will be outclassed. Sad but true.
https://www.carscoops.com/2018/04/first-look-inside-2019-audi-q3s-high-tech-cabin/#lg=1&slide=2
As far as I can tell, the XT4 beats the daylights out of the Mercedes GLA, Infiniti QX40, and Volvo XC40.
The interior appears to be high quality and the exterior styling is handsome. It’s the right size and it will sell well.
Beyond that, I can’t comment. This type of vehicle has no appeal to me. It’s a Cadillac for people who can’t afford a Cadillac. I would never buy a vehicle with a long front overhang like that
As usual, critic infestation is alive and well way ahead before seeing this actual vehicle in person. Let me comment on five criteria which are not deal breakers at all but truly objective.
1 Super Cruise is the most technically advance feature to date to debut on the Cadillac. If you think about it, adding this feature to an entry-level CUV like this does not make sense at $5K on an upper-trim option. Just calculate the cost, operating cost to produce & volume ratio would not add up if hardly anyone wants it @ $5K a pop. Spending $5K on CT6 Premium Luxury sounds a lot better than spending it on the XT4 Premium Luxury and Sport. It will be offered during its life-cycle at some point at a lower cost.
2. The base engine will be more than enough for as efficiency, refinement and performance are concerned. If the HP and torque is matched to the 9 speed transmission, it won’t disappoint but it won’t make anyone reject buying this vehicle either unless you were way over expecting. Other engine choices could debut late this year or debut on the second year of its current cycle.
3. I can’t think of any segment breakthroughs on this. But offering things that matter like no more base models and standard Luxury trims with LED headlights with an optional sunroof is a start. No more base models, thank you. At least a lot of fancy options and safety tech is available on Sport and Premium Luxury trim; Luxury to a lesser degree.
4. I don’t see any Volvo in this car at all. From a design standpoint, it is essentially all Cadillac. There are a lot of design elements that look similar to other automakers but not intended to look like certain models from overseas. Tail light design is probably the most difficult part of the vehicle to design to make it stand out without making it too expensive. The design is efficient enough to satisfy anyone looking for styling and want to be different.
5. Body cladding in SUVs of this caliber is not a deal-breaker. I can’t simply judge by looking at the pics or videos but its more of a stylistic standpoint. An automaker will design a vehicle the best way they can for that segment and make it look good. If the XT5 is selling well for a mid-size crossover with this much cladding, Cadillac certainly believe the cladding will bold well with this model.
There is people on here who already judge that this vehicle has cheapness to its interior who had not been to NYC to see it in person and never driven it already complaining just like the other Cadillacs in the past. I can’t say for sure if this vehicle will be mid-pack or near the top of the comparison test. But the only thing I will say is that this vehicle is going to do very well for Cadillac here in the States and China. Only the most criticize vehicles tend to sell well, like Escalade for example, in spite of heavy criticism from enthusiast who makes up a small percentage of the purchasing power.
Everyone has made some very interesting and good points which I’ll keep in mind going forward. I’m going to keep an open mind and read all of the test drives and reviews that I know will be written, posted, and published during the rest of the year. Frankly, I’m comparing the XT4 to the new Volvo V60 estate which may seem like comparing apples to oranges, but both are the same length and have fairly similar power trains and I expect the price ranges will also be the same. But, the Volvo Sensus infotainment system is all touch screen which many people say has a steep learning curve while it seems the new CUE software has been totally redesigned. I’m torn between a crossover and a car and the V60 seems a compromise between a car with the same amount of crossover storage.