First-Ever 2019 Cadillac XT4 Is A Great Compact Luxury Crossover

This week we are taking a look at the least expensive Cadillac you can buy, the all-new from the ground up, 2019 XT4, a compact luxury crossover that competes with the likes of the Acura RDX, Lexus NX, Lincoln MKC, and many others.

Exterior

The XT4 is all Cadillac on the exterior.  It has the long vertical headlights and a bold grill.  It has sharp-looking wheels and GM set those wheels out to the corners of the SUV, giving it a wide stance.  From behind, you see the spoiler and dual exhaust.  The Cadillac design team made this SUV appear to look much larger than it actually is.

Performance

Under the hood you’ll find an all-new 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder that is putting out 237-horses and 258-pound feet of torque.  It has a shiftable 9-speed automatic, and my tester is all-wheel drive, which is optional at a cost of $2500.

Interior

XT4 comes in three trims, the Luxury, then you move up to the Premium, which is what I am reviewing, and finally there is a Sport version.

Open the driver’s door to reveal a truly luxurious interior with cooled and heated front seats that will massage you, and stitching all around.  It is noticeable how clean everything looks and how well laid out the interior is.

The driver info center in the center of the gauge cluster is easily read, colorful, and easily configurable from the heated steering wheel.  Looking through the windshield you see a vibrant head-up display.

The center console is well done with a handy wireless cell phone charger, an easy to use shifter, you can turn off the start/stop system, and choose from the Tour, All-wheel, or Sport drive modes.

Just above that are two rows of easy-to-use buttons for climate control and some of the safety features, and I love that everything is convenient to reach.

Above that is the new and improved Cadillac User Experience, or CUE.  I was not always a big fan of this system, but this new one is awesome.  There is a round knob on the console to scroll around the screen, but I find it easier to use my fingers to choose which option I want, and to scroll side to side.  The annoying sliding volume bar is gone, replaced with a functional round volume knob.

CUE operates the Bose audio, Bluetooth, navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple Carplay and Android Auto.  You can swipe left for even more and to add your own apps.  The system is one of the fastest I’ve ever experienced.  One cool thing, if you have an Android phone, you can touch your phone under the screen to instantly sync it to the screen.  The voice recognition works very well, a bit of a rarity these days.

Safety and Options

XT4 comes well-equipped with blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a rear camera, and front and rear parking alerts.  It also has a power tilt steering wheel, keyless remote start, and a power lift gate that is foot- activated.

My tester has $12,000 in options, which includes a panoramic sunroof, the CUE system, the Enhanced Visibility package: which is folding mirrors, a rear camera washer, and the upgraded high-definition rear camera.

This one also has 20” wheels, the Driver Assist package: which is adaptive cruise control that has full speed stop and go.  It also has automatic forward and reverse braking.

The Driver Awareness package include: forward collision alert, automatic high beam headlights, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, and this one has the trailer-towing package.  In this package, you get the vibrating seat if you need any warnings, which is nice.  That keeps your other occupants from knowing they are about to die.

It also has the back seat reminder, which will warn you when you get to your destination if you put anything in the back seat like a child or pet.

Unique Features

Unique features that caught my attention include the rear view mirror that turns into a rear view camera. It’s very cool but works better during the day. When you are in Tour mode, it turns off the all-wheel drive system for better gas mileage, and at cruising speeds the cylinder deactivation systems allows you to seamlessly run on just two cylinders.

Ride and Drive

The strong acceleration surprised me, and the ride and handling are both very good.  XT4 is incredibly quiet inside, and back seat legroom will easily fit people 6-feet tall.

Fuel Economy and What You’ll Pay

Fuel economy is rated at 22 in the city, 29 on the highway, which is good for an SUV, and I actually got better than 30 on the highway.

Watch the pricing closely…it goes up fast.  Base price on the all-wheel version is $41,795, but equipped like this one, it is $54,785.

Verdict

I have to say, I am super impressed with this Kansas City-built Cadillac.  If you are looking at luxury compact SUVs, this one must be on your shopping list.

Photo Credit: Cadillac