The 2023 Cadillac XT4 enters into one of the most competative segments on the market today. The compact luxury crossover market is the bread and proverbial butter of luxury marques and if they happen to get the formula right, it’s receipe for success across the board. Does the XT4 stand up to the challenge?
Welp…kinda
Let’s start with the good. It looks great! Looking like a squashed Escalade, the XT4 does justice to modern Cadillac design with it’s sharp angular shapes abound. The infotainment system is the newest iteration of CUE and it works seamlessly, quickly and non-intrusively.
…that’s all I got for the good
The not-so-good parts are plentiful unfortunately. The drivetrain can only be described as lackluster. There is a pervasive feeling that the drivetrain just ‘doesn’t want to be bothered’. It’s slow to respond to commands and when it does respond, the engine sounds econocar cheap. Add that to dead-ish steering, wooden brakes and a somehow floaty and jarring ride…it’s just a mess on the dynamic front.
Moving to the cabin and it merely feels like an upscale Buick. Everything feels ‘okay’. Nothing stands out and makes one go ‘ahhh Cadillac’. More like ‘ugh…come on Cadillac’.
When you start comparing the XT4 against the rest of the competition is where everything completely falls apart. Comparing the XT4 to the likes of the Acura RDX, Lexus NX and even the Lincoln Corsair…the Cadillac unfortunately doesn’t stand a chance.
So where does this leave the 2023 Cadillac XT4? Far behind the rest of the pack