Cadillac is in the midst of a comeback attempt. It has fired the head of the brand, and moved its headquarters back to Detroit after a brief fling in New York.
Most recently, it announced it was discontinuing the CT6, its slow-selling big car. The latter is part of a massive corporate restructuring involving the closure of five manufacturing facilities.
These are challenging times for GM as it struggles to cope with a rapidly-changing marketplace that is no longer interested in cars, especially big ones — the very foundation of the Cadillac brand.
Amidst all that bad news emerges a bright light — the 2019 Cadillac XT4.
The newest Cadillac joins the XT5 and the big, old Escalade, giving Cadillac a trio of utes or crossovers.
The compact XT4 is the leading edge of a move by Cadillac to reduce its dependence on cars and strengthen its utility vehicle line. Look for at least two more additions in the coming years
Small crossovers are the hot ticket in the current market and the XT4 checks all the right boxes. For starters, it is a pure Cadillac.
In previous forays into new segments, Cadillac has relied on re-badging and tweaking vehicles from other GM brands. The XT4 is all Cadillac, starting with a new and unique-to-Cadillac platform.
The XT4 is among the larger compact crossovers. The exterior style is clearly from the Cadillac design studio, especially from the front, and with the L-shaped vertical taillights.
The interior is worthy of the brand and segment, in terms of fit, finish and materials. The horizontal layers of the instrument panel are unique, and a pleasing departure to these eyes.
The dash contains two large round dials for engine and road speed flanking a driver-adjustable screen. A 20-cm touchscreen for infotainment functions dominates the centre of the instrument panel with two rows of controls below — with 13 and nine separate buttons respectively.
My one gripe in this area is the control for the automatic transmission — unnecessarily complex.
This may be the smallest Cadillac utility vehicle, but its exterior dimensions bely the amount of room inside, thanks to some creative packaging. Cadillac says the rear seat offers best-in-class legroom, and the cargo space behind the second row is impressive, deep and easily accessed through a low lift-over. It provides 637 litres of space with the second row in place and 1,385 with it folded.
The XT4 comes with a new nine-speed automatic transmission married to a new engine — a high-tech turbocharged 2.0-litre four riddled with new technologies that will find their way into “lesser” GM vehicles, as used to be the practice.
The new four is 6.8 kilos lighter than the current GM 2.0-litre four and 12 per cent more fuel-efficient. It produces 237 horsepower and a stout 258 lb.-ft. of torque at only 1,500 rpm. It can shut down two cylinders when demand is low, has variable camshaft technology and a twin-scroll turbocharger designed specifically for Cadillac.
There is no sign of the dreaded turbo lag, simply ask and it answers immediately with a healthy dose of acceleration.
The transmission is equally impressive with seamless shifts and the AWD system sending power to the front wheels most of the time, but to all four when traction is limited.
The top two trim levels — Premium luxury or Sport have a unique feature — the ability to disconnect the AWD system for maximum fuel economy.
Nimble and responsive, the XT4 drives lighter than it looks.
The 2019 Cadillac XT4 is good news on all fronts, evidence that Cadillac’s resurrection is in good hands.
The specs
Model: 2019 Cadillac XT4 AWD Premium Luxury
Engine: turbocharged, 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, 237 horsepower, 258 lb.-ft. of torque, regular fuel
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
NRCan rating (litres/100km city/highway): 10.9 / 8.2
Length: 4,598 mm
Width: 1,946 mm
Wheelbase: 2,778 mm
Weight: 1,758 kg
Price: $42,795 base, $58,510 as tested, including freight
Competition: Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes GLA, Volvo XC40
Options on test vehicle: power sunroof, $1,795; technology package, $1,895; shadow metallic paint, $900; Cadillac User Experience with navigation, $1,895; 20-in alloy wheels, $1,295; trailer package, $655; comfort & convenience package, $1,195; driver awareness package, $895; driver assistance package, $1,295; enhanced visibility package, $1,795
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