Cadillac would be the equivalent to the European offerings of BMW and Mercedes but running on American DNA. Fitting nicely into the luxury sedan club, the 2020 Cadillac CT4-V is compact and boasts sharp styling and a lavish interior while pumping out up to 325 horsepower via its performance tuned 2.7L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. That’s only if you opt for the performance spec’d CT4-V trim. Base trims will get a smaller 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine producing 237 horsepower with options to upgrade to the larger 2.7L turbocharged 4-cylinder with 309 horsepower.
BOLD EXTERIOR
The exterior of the 2020 CT4-V features an upscaled Rock’n Roll design scheme completed with a satin black front mesh grille pattern, unique orthogonal LED headlamps with Cadillac’s signature front badge. Out back encompasses an integrated rear spoiler with quad trapezoidal shaped exhaust pipes.
The overall shape is kept compact and sporty with short front wheel overhangs and a flattened rooftop silhouette to achieve a performance and luxury-oriented look.
REFINED INTERIOR
The sharp and stealthy contours of the 2020 Cadillac CT4 continue into the cabin space with well appointed modern tech amenities including 12-way power adjustable front seats, dual climate controls, an 8” infotainment touchscreen compatible with Android Auto, and Apple Car play and an upgradable 14-speaker Bose audio surround system.
The interior is an overall attractive place to be, with leather seating and high quality soft touch materials. The intuitive layout puts all the controls exactly where you would expect them to be, while the touch screen helps to reduce button clutter on the dash.
Although its compact dimensions may restrict legroom in the rear seats for larger passengers, the CT4 ultimately achieves a tightly controlled and high authority driving position.
POWERTRAIN
Base trims will come standard with a 2.0L turbocharged four cylinder engine outputting 237hp. Upgrading to the Premium Luxury trim provides access to the larger 2.7L four cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 309hp. The performance version CT4-V trim is also offered with a performance tuned variant of the turbocharged 2.7L engine adding an additional 16 horsepower to a total of 325hp! The 2.0L engine will get an 8-speed automatic while the larger 2.7L engine upgrades to a 10-speed automatic transmission with steering-mounted paddle shifters for manual sequential shift mode.
Standard across all trims is the rear wheel drive configuration, with the option of upgrading to all-wheel-drive for better traction and immunity to harsh weather driving. You’ll also get one of Cadillac’s innovative Magnetic Ride Control dynamic damping suspensions that will automatically adjust the suspension damping ratios at 1,000 times per second, achieving performance handling without compromising comfort.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Cadillac remains a strong North American contender in the luxury performance market that’s primarily dominated by the European rivals of BMW and Mercedes. The 2020 Cadillac CT-4-V is a well rounded entry into the performance luxury sedan segment, thanks to its bold and contemporary styling, compact form factor, and performance backed powertrain with its 10-speed automatic gearbox, innovative magnetic ride damping suspensions and the 2.7L 325hp engine.
The standard rear-wheel drive configuration will deliver the ultimate driving experience, but the all-wheel drive system will still offer different stretches of driving enthusiasm with increased traction and handling capability.
The base Luxury trim will come standard with a 2.0L 4 cylinder engine and an 8-speed automatic that will be reasonably priced at $34,390. While an attractive price point, we recommend upgrading to the Premium Luxury configured with the 2.7L 4-cylinder engine to rake in the performance benefits. That will however up the price to $41,990, but is still a competitive price point compared to the BMW 2 series and Audi A3.
