The 2019 Cadillac XT4 is late to the game. It is only Cadillac’s third crossover entry on Day 6,419 of the SUV/crossover onslaught and comes at a time when probably most of Cadillac’s competitors are far ahead in the Big Cars race. So it’s got some catching up to do. Fortunately, it’s a luxury crossover with an all-new engine and an all-new platform. And the XT4 is priced aggressively: Starting at $34,795, it’s cheaper than a comparable BMW, but a hair more expensive than a Mercedes or Volvo.

Why is this a car that buyers should concern themselves with, other than the fact that it’s another crossover? Well, it’s billed as being designed for fun, but the actual driving experience never quite lives up to that.

The XT4 slots below the XT5 as Cadillac’s compact crossover offering. It competes with the BMW X2, the Mercedes GLA and the Volvo XC40 and comes with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. And Cadillac’s engineers were apparently quite adamant about it being “fun to drive.”

During a presentation at the car’s media launch in Seattle, Cadillac’s engineers spoke at length about how the brand-new chassis has been stiffened for greater driver engagement and road feedback. It even has a lateral cross brace. The XT4 is its own car; it doesn’t ride on a platform merely recycled from another GM product. It even has an all-new engine for Cadillac too.

This is the car that Cadillac undoubtedly hopes will print money, the one that will help build its sales both here and in China, which is currently its top market.

It’s not just the chassis that’s new, either. The XT4 also uses a brand-new, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, good for 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. That torque is apparently available from 1,500 rpm to 4,000 rpm, which makes it extremely usable.

It’s mated to a nine-speed automatic, which I was told has “imperceptible shifts” that have been optimized for maximum vehicle efficiency. Cadillac says that it will always find the right gear for the right moment. And the car has an eco mode that will deactivate two of its cylinders while driving to save even more fuel.

There’s also a new electro-hydraulic braking system, which reduces the parasitic demands of the brakes on the engine and lessens inconsistencies in braking and pedal feel over an extended period of time.

Cadillac didn’t provide us with any zero to 60 times or top speeds, but all of this new technology for a car that starts under $35,000 was impressive.

I didn’t think that little engine could be peppy at all, but it certainly was. When passing and merging, the automatic kicked down pretty quickly into the appropriate gear and the car leaped forward to close the gap. It’s not earth-shattering acceleration, but it gets the job done well.

Around some tight bends, the XT4's height wasn’t the most confidence-inspiring, but it still handled the decently. It was comfortable to sit in for the four hours that I spent with it, and also came with Cadillac’s digital rear-view camera, handy for expanding rear-view visibility as the C-pillars are large.

Rear passenger room was also impressive. My driving partner, who is 6'1" (I am not) moved the driver’s seat to his driving position and then climbed into the back row. His knees touched the front seat, but overall he said he was comfortable and could ride that way for a decent amount of time. But if you were to put a car seat back there, the kids’ feet would definitely touch the front seats.

The only different between the two upper trim packages, the Sport and the Premium Luxury, are a few design cues and a suspension option. The Sport rides on a much more athletic-feeling suspension setup, whereas the Luxury feels noticeably bouncier.

The interior materials were nice to the touch, with a satisfying amount of buttons and switches. The only off-putting thing was the big, droopy slab of dashboard hanging out from the right of the infotainment screen. What is that? It seems like wasted space.

I felt my eyebrows raise when the Cadillac people said that the XT4 had nine gears. Nine gears is far too many for an engine with that little power, I reasoned. And I was right.

But it’s that subjective kind of “right,” the kind that acknowledges that the gearbox is doing its job of shifting and saving gas, but is also bummed out that the transmission isn’t more pleasant to experience. If Cadillac set out to make those shifts seem “imperceptible,” then it sure pulled that off. There’s barely a hiccup in the car’s acceleration as it upshifts.

Mash on the accelerator and the transmission drops by a few gears to dip into the power, but the ratios are so short that it leaps back up through the gears in almost a frenzied staccato. We thought putting it in manual mode would help. It didn’t. The car revolted against any instruction from the dinky little paddle shifters behind the wheel, changing gear far too slowly. Chastised, we put it back into automatic mode. Why even bother giving it a manual option, then?

Despite being a “compact” crossover, the XT4 isn’t a small car. Nor does it feel that way. Yes, work went into tightening up the chassis, but all that effort seemed lost because the steering is so loose and vague. It felt unconnected from the road and I had trouble figuring out where the front of the car was pointed in the very tight turns.

But for navigating Costco parking lots, it should be just fine. That’s probably what most buyers are going to be using it for.

The base model XT4, as mentioned above, will cost $34,795. But the ones I was driving in Seattle were the Sport and Premium Luxury trims. After options like the all-wheel drive, comfort and convenience package, power sunroof, and 20-inch wheels, the total vehicle price came to $56,835. Which is a lot more!

Don’t get me wrong, the XT4 is a nice car, but nothing about it blew me away. Except maybe the base price. But I wonder how many of these cars you can actually buy at the dealership will be that low.

Even though the little engine has a little kick to it and the chassis underwent all kinds of stiffening here and there, any attitude the car could have is hidden away in its numb steering and the short ratios of the nine-speed.

Will this platform underpin other Cadillac models? (It has to.) Will it be shared across other GM cars? (Maybe.) What else is getting that engine? (Probably a lot of stuff.) A Cadillac spokesperson declined to answer any of those questions, however.

Cadillac reminded us at this launch that a barrage of new Cadillacs is coming. A new model will be launched every six months through 2020, starting with the XT4. Which almost certainly means more compact crossovers because Cadillac’s got to stay competitive. Its current sedan-heavy lineup isn’t doing it any favors, but hopefully this move to crossovers isn’t too little, too late.

I got the sense, after listening to the presentation Cadillac gave about its car, that it resigned the XT4 to be something between fulfilling that crossover demand and also being a car that isn’t complete vehicular anesthesia to drive. Like it’s being aimed at someone who doesn’t actually want a crossover but has to buy one because, like, kids and everything. If that’s the case, then what about a V-Sport or V model? The Cadillac spokesperson declined to comment on that as well.

As it stands, the XT4 is solidly Fine. You don’t need to teach yourself anything new when you climb into it in order to drive it. It does what it’s supposed to do without complaint. You buy it and drive it don’t think about it again because it will give you exactly zero trouble, but also zero joy.

When I reviewed my first draft of this story, I noticed I called it the “XT$” by mistake in one section. But that typo’s appropriate. If things go well, the XT4 should be a money machine. But it won’t thrill any drivers while it does that.

Update 11:05 a.m. EST: Cadillac provided us with the XT4's performance specs. The FWD will do zero to 60 in seven seconds, the AWD in 7.2 seconds. And the top speed is a tire-limited 130 mph.

Should launch for the 2020 model year.

The Cadillac XT4 is a decent compact crossover. It’s already on sale with a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, good for 237 horsepower (177 kilowatts) and 258 pound-feet of torque, and spy photos from earlier this year suggested a diesel version is in the works. It turns out a sportier V-Series model is also planned, according to Cadillac Society, which obtained leaked photos of the said vehicle courtesy of “an anonymous source.”

What these shots seem to confirm is that the sporty lifted Caddy will receive the 310-hp (231-kW) turbocharged 2.7-liter inline-four from the new Chevrolet Silverado (internal code L3B). Whether these are the exact power numbers for the XT4-V (or XT4 V-Sport) remains unclear at the moment, but we expect the output to be north of 300 hp (224 kW)



Comparing this to the 2.0 turbo, the new four-banger would represent a healthy power upgrade of about 70 to 84 hp (52 to 62 kW) and up to 111 lb-ft (150 Nm). Expect the power to reach all four wheels as standard through a revised version of the XT4’s nine-speed automatic and an AWD system.

Some visual tweaks will differentiate the performance version from the standard XT4. These include model-specific wheels and tires, carbon fiber trim for the license plate surround, and quad exhaust tips. A more aggressive front fascia is probably also in the cards. We anticipate that Cadillac will welcome a milder XT4 V-Sport trim before possibly adding a wilder XT4-V model to the lineup.

While all the pieces of the puzzle seem to fit perfectly, take the information with a grain of salt. As Cadillac Society points out, the “2.7 T“ logo seen in the leaked photos is totally out of line with the company’s badging nomenclature, which is currently based on the torque numbers. We’ll have to wait a few months to see the performance XT4 debut, as we expect it to be launched for the 2020 model year.

Were you hoping for Cadillac to launch a punchier version of the XT4? Well, tough luck, because that won’t happen.

Speaking to sources familiar with the company’s product plans, Cadillac Society reports that the premium compact crossover will not be offered with a V6, even though there is just about enough room under the hood to fit it. Such a model would not justify the premium and would also pose a threat for the bigger XT5, which is graced with a 3.6-liter V6 delivering 310 HP and 271 lb-ft (367 Nm) of torque.

Things don’t look promising for a possible XT4-V performance model either, as Cadillac reportedly has no plans to give it a shot. This version was rumored to use the CT4-V’s 2.7-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine that pumps out 320 HP and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque.

This means that North American buyers of the XT4 will have to settle for the 2.0-liter turbo-four that’s matched to a nine-speed automatic transmission and develops 237 HP and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque.

In Europe, on the other hand, the XT4 is powered by the new 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine, which delivers 168 HP and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque in combination with a nine-speed automatic transmission. In the U.S., Cadillac’s rival to the likes of the Audi Q3, Volvo XC40, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA and others is offered in three trim levels: Luxury, Premium Luxury and Sport.

Priced at $35,695, the base model comes with LED exterior lights, automatic emergency braking, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and more. The XT4 Premium Luxury is offered from $39,795 and adds leather trim, electrically-operated tailgate, front and rear park assist, lane change alert with side blind zone alert, and rear cross traffic alert. The Sport model also starts at $39,795 and brings 18-inch wheels, glossy black exterior accents, special interior trim, carbon fiber or wood decor, and a sports steering wheel.

The Cadillac XT4 debuted in 2018 as a 2019 model. While it might seem shiny and new in the minds of many, the small luxury crossover is already nearing its mid-cycle refresh. New spy photos capture a heavily camouflaged test vehicle in public, marking our first look at what should be a 2024 model.

If you're a current fan of the XT4, there's good news. Despite the black coverings on the front and back, a close look suggests changes should be minimal. Don't let the round lights under the LED running lamps in front confuse you. Those look like placeholder items for on-road use while the new headlight design is finalized. It means the updated XT4 will definitely have new eyes, possibly similar to those on the Cadillac Lyriq. New lights mean changes to the fascia, but we can see the familiar XT4 grille smiling through the covers.

Moving to the back, we suspect the bulky camouflage is something of a red herring. We can see XT4 taillights in the familiar L shape on the corners, and the trapezoid exhaust tips are obviously in full view. Aside from some minor trim changes, we suspect the new backside will look mostly the same as the old one.

The big news for the refreshed XT4 will likely come from interior changes, specifically the addition of a large curved screen taking up most of the dash. We have one spy shot that peers through the passenger window, and while we can't make out details, the big display is impossible to miss. It's a complete departure from the current model, reminiscent of the Cadillac Escalade's curved OLED screen that houses both the infotainment and digital instrument displays.

As for the powertrain, at this early stage we haven't heard anything definitive. The present-day XT4 uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making a modest 235 horsepower (175 kilowatts), turning either the front wheels or all four with a nine-speed automatic transmission. This is the only engine offered, and there's no reason to think it won't return for 2024. With Cadillac's move towards electrification, a hybrid powertrain could also be offered.

Cadillac introduced the 2024 XT4 - a bold, modern take on the compact luxury SUV brimming with curated design updates and an extensive suite of technology and safety features.

"The XT4 continues to be a top-selling vehicle in its class, year over year," said Rory Harvey, Global Cadillac Vice President. "Its balance of dynamic style, drivability and luxury has made it a favorite for many new Cadillac customers. Now with enhancements including our 33-inch-diagonal LED Color Touchscreen Display and new safety features, it will further demand a second look."

Offered in Luxury, Premium Luxury and Sport trims, highlights of the XT4's new and enhanced features include:

• Front and rear design updates, including new grille designs and new LED headlamps
• A fresh new interior design featuring a 33-inch-diagonal interface/display with 9K resolution
• New interior color and trim choices
• Over a dozen standard safety and driver assistance technologies including Blind Zone Steering Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Braking, and Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• New lineup of 18- and 20-inch alloy wheels
• Available AKG 13-speaker audio system
• 5G Wi-Fi® hotspot capability (U.S. and Canada).

Luxury and design take precedence from the inside and out

A more distinguished, contemporary pose is struck with the 2024 Cadillac XT4 with a new exterior appearance as well as a revamped interior.

"The 2024 XT4's exterior styling - with signature vertical lighting cues and enhancements - advances Cadillac's design standard," said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director, Global Cadillac. "Complemented with a redesign of the interior instrument panel, fashionable embroidery patterns on the seating and a feeling of front row spaciousness - the new XT4 is distinctive and audacious."

On the exterior, the XT4's all new front fascia features the unmistakable Cadillac vertical signature lighting which now integrates sleek refreshed headlamps and daytime running lights. The XT4's new grille is a fresh reinterpretation of the classic Cadillac chevron embedded in a highly dynamic parametric pattern and crafted with ultra-precision.

Each cell of the grille is unique in shape, size and curvature and dipped in deep black gloss. The Premium Luxury trim has an exclusive grille, wheels, fascia, roof rails and side body accents, where the Sport has its own exclusive fascia, wheels, body-side dark accents and dark finish roof rails.

There's also a new lineup of 18- and 20-inch alloy wheel designs across the portfolio, as well as three new exterior colors: Emerald Lake Metallic, Midnight Sky Metallic and Deep Sea Metallic.

Inside, the Cadillac XT4 has a more tech-forward ambience with a redesign of the instrument panel that incorporates a bold, 33-inch-diagonal LED display inspired by the Cadillac LYRIQ. It is the interface for a new, advanced Virtual Cockpit System that is the foundation for the vehicle's infotainment system and connectivity features.

The XT4's cabin also features authentic brushed aluminum décor across the full width of the newly styled instrument panel accented with contemporary embroidery patterns on the seats.

Interior décor varies based on the trim:

• Luxury - features classic Piano Black appointments with laser etching
• Premium Luxury - offers genuine wood or aluminum trim, depending on the color combination
• Sport - includes genuine carbon fiber or genuine wood, depending on the interior color.

Advanced user interface and next-gen connectivity

The Cadillac XT4's new, expansive 33-inch-diagonal LED color touchscreen display is the focal point of the refreshed interior and the command center for its infotainment system and suite of advanced safety features.

This artfully integrated advanced display is capable of a stunning 9K resolution and curves toward the driver in a single continuous screen, spanning the driver's viewing area. It also incorporates a customizable user interface designed to offer a technology-forward and personalized experience, with selectable display themes that can be tailored for the user's mood or personality.

The 2024 XT4 will offer intuitive access to the vehicle's infotainment and connectivity features, including:

• New 5G Wi-Fi® hotspot capability
• Google built-in compatibility that offers a helpful, personalized, and seamless way to enhance the vehicle experience. With Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play users have access to hands-free help, live traffic updates their favorite apps and more
• Wireless Apple CarPlay®, Wireless Android Auto™ compatibility
• Amazon Alexa compatibility.

When it comes to music, news, podcasts or driving directions delivered by the infotainment system, the new AKG Studio audio system with metal speaker mesh offers an immersive listening experience. The 13-speaker system is available on all trims.

Safety and driver assistance technologies

The Cadillac Smart System™ suite of safety and driver assistance features is standard on the XT4 and helps enhance confidence on the road. The following features are also standard:

• Blind Zone Steering Assist
• Rear Cross Traffic Braking
• Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking
• Following Distance Indicator
• IntelliBeam automatic high beams
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• Second Row Seat Belt Indicator

The Active Safety Package is available on Premium Luxury and Sport. Its roster of features includes several new and updated technologies:

• Adaptive Cruise Control
• New Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking
• Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking
• Reverse Automatic Braking
• HD Surround Vision
• Rear Pedestrian Alert
• Enhanced version of Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• Side Bicyclist Alert
• New Speed Limit Assist
• New Traffic Sign Recognition.

Proven performance and driving experience

What hasn't changed with XT4 is the proven performance and responsive driving experience on offer from Cadillac's 2.0L turbocharged engine (235 HP) with Active Fuel Management and an advanced nine-speed automatic transmission with electronic shift control. The Active Fuel Management system helps reduce fuel consumption by temporarily deactivating some of the engine's cylinders in certain driving conditions.

A Driver Mode Selector is also standard, allowing the driver to tailor the XT4's responses to different driving conditions. Tour, Sport and Snow/Ice modes are available on all trims. Active Sport Suspension also elevates ride and handling dynamics and is exclusively available on XT4 Sport.

Additionally, the Cadillac XT4's available twin-clutch all-wheel-drive system helps traction and vehicle control, whether the road is dry, wet, snowy, or icy. It is available on all trims and enhances performance by delivering torque to the wheels that need it the most.

Coming in summer 2023

The 2024 Cadillac XT4 goes on sale in summer of 2023, with production to take place at GM's Fairfax Assembly facility in Kansas.