Does This Cadillac CT4 Prototype Have More Power?
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Big changes are afoot for the Cadillac CT4, with a full mid-cycle refresh expected to drop for the 2024 model year. Per a GM Authority exclusive published earlier in the month, the upcoming refresh may include powertrain updates for “regular” variants of the luxury sedan, including Cadillac CT4 Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Sport trim levels. Now, new GM Authority spy photos provide yet further evidence that the 2024 Cadillac CT4 will indeed introduce some sort of powertrain update.
As we can see, GM Authority spy photographers captured this curious-looking Cadillac CT4 prototype equipped with a rather strange exhaust treatment. That exhaust just so happens to be the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS), which, as may have guessed, measures emissions levels. This particular model is the Cadillac CT4 350T, current examples of which are equipped with the turbocharged 2.0L I4 LSY gasoline engine, as opposed to the optional (and more-powerful) turbocharged 2.7L I4 L3B gasoline engine.
So, let’s review the evidence in-hand – first, GM Authority sources indicate that the refreshed Cadillac CT4 will introduce new powertrain updates. Now, we have new photos that show a Cadillac CT4 prototype equipped with the EPA’s PEMS. Both pieces of evidence seem to point to the same thing – powertrain updates for the refreshed 2024 Cadillac CT4 are imminent.
That said, there are a few other possibilities to point out here. One is that the CT4 requires recertification with the EPA due to a weight change (within certain parameters), even if the powertrain remains unchanged. Another possibility is that the GM 8-speed automatic transmission currently mated the CT4’s LSY engine may be swapped for another gearbox, which would would also require recertification.
Either way, it’s also worth noting that the turbocharged 2.0L I4 LSY gasoline engine and turbocharged 2.7L I4 L3B gasoline engine are part of the same engine family, and they are part of GM’s Cylinder Set Strategy as well. This is important when considering the L3B’s substantial output increases realized between the 2019-model-year Chevy Silverado 1500 / GMC Sierra 1500 and the engine’s current TurboMax guise, during which time maximum peak torque increased from 348 pound-feet to a whopping 430 pound-feet. The point being this – similar to the L3B, GM may have some extra wiggle room when it comes to squeezing more juice from the LSY as well.
We’ll certainly keep an eye on this story to see how it develops, so stay tuned, and in the meantime, subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac CT4 news, Cadillac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
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Can always dream that the ‘base’ engine becomes a 2.7T with 310 hp / 350 lb-ft. (admittedly far-fetched), and maybe the spec for the -V jumps to 325+ hp / 430 lb-ft. (…has a chance).
I hope they’re not wasting their time validating the 2.7T in there with the 237 hp / 259 lb⋅ft bottom-rung tune from Colorado/Canyon. Maybe they finally stepped up and found 30-40 more hps & tqs out of the 2.0T…
I think what GM is going to do is deploy the TurboMax alongside a slight horsepower and significant torque update for the LSY.
It still won’t get anywhere close to LNF, but LSY could possibly get 250 horsepower, with the TurboMax / CT4-V doing 330-340 horsepower.
Ideally they could get TurboMax to 355 and claim that the CT4-V now matches the G8 GT in output, from 14 years ago. Ideally the LSY could get to 260 hp and match the LNF pre-GMPP-tune horsepower. But I don’t think it will happen.
It’s sad that we were hitting 300 horsepower in 2008 with GM 4-cylinders, in a 2.0T no less, and we’re still fighting to get back there with a 2.7T.
GM should accept gasoline will be around, plug-in hybrid or no, and get their 2.0T back to LNF levels.
The reality of ever stricter emissions and mileage requirements are why the LSY replaced the more powerful LNF and LTG with a resulting loss of both power and torque. Hopefully they can at least get this engine back up to around 250 horses or more.
Chrysler and Stellantis don’t seem to have that problem with their 2.0T Hurricane.
Stellantis, Toyota, and Hyundai all are pushing well over 300 hp with hybrid variants.
GM shouldn’t have dropped Voltec, and instead should have explored sport and SUV applications. They went all in on EV, and they’re starting to see that was a mistake.
There aren’t good answers for GM at this point. They should reinvest, and it looks like they are, but these cars will not be competitive this gen in performance. This is why Blackwing even is getting Super Cruise. GM is going to sell tech to push cars over performance.
as long as it is not an EV
Go Big…., or go home… CT5 blackwing for me please….. turbo what?
The LSY is such a disappointment.
Hopefully they can get it close to the 270 ish /295 numbers of the LTG
If there is any significant power increase for the 2.0T, maybe it could be optional and standard
in the Sport.
The Prem Lux already has the 2.7 optional. Test drive before buying.
As designed now, the Sport isn’t of much use. You you want some Sport, but want more
power, get the V. The V isn’t much more expensive than the Sport, as long as you order it
without unneeded options, which dealers almost always add, like the $3000+ 19″ wheels and
a variety of other $600 options.
People coming out of the 2.0T/3.6 ATS + CTS just don’t want the slower 2.0T in CT4/CT5.
I got all excited that the 6.2l from the ct5v-bw was going into the ct4v-bw. What a let down.
Only way I see that happening is if the TTV6 goes under.
Big fear is the bean counters will just decide to do away with the CT4-V Blackwing, leaving CT5-V and soon Lyriq (and Celestiq Blackwing… oops).
It has a frumpy butt though by the looks of it.
Butt they did an amazing job of disguising the wedge look of the ATS without changing the side windows at all.
So let me get this straight. They could have just kept the LTG 2.0T engine that was fantastic. It made 272 HP and 260 lb ft of torque. It was smooth and a lot of fun to drive. Reliability was above average too. Then we got the horrible LSY. Now we are talking about finding an engine that will make approx. the same kind of power as an engine they already had. The 2.7L is a noisy buzz box. And the LSY sounds like it is going to fly apart at any moment.
GM still uses the LTG in the Camaro Turbo, they just dropped it from the Malibu unfortunately. The end of LTG production is definitely tied to the end of the Camaro, since they would have to ship the base model with the 3.6, and that would further impact CAFE ratings. GM isn’t dumb enough to try and ship an LSY Camaro.
The reason they used LSY officially, was that it’s quieter and has less vibration. Internally though, it provides much better fuel economy stats, so every fleet Cadillac that uses it marginally improves GM emissions ratings/quotas.
Bob Lutz never would have signed off on it, but that’s why people like him aren’t at GM anymore.
Arguably the LSY is keeping the CT4 and CT5 alive, since it gets great CAFE ratings. Only other way to get that would by hybrid. And GM still hasn’t committed to adding hybrid/PHEV tech to CT4/CT5.
And don’t forget that keeping the LTG in the base CT4 would have taken away any reason for anyone to spend more and buy the non-BW CT4-V. Having ~100hp gap between the two helps justify the price difference. My wife has a ’21 CT4 sport and I sure wish it had the LTG power plant…would have made it a great upgrade from her ’16 ATS.