The 2024 Cadillac XT4 Is A More Premium & Luxurious Entry-Level Caddy SUV

The compact entry-level luxury SUV space continues to get more competitive and Cadillac first entered this segment with the XT4 back in 2018. For 2024, the XT4 is getting a full revision and I'm here on the floor of the 2023 Detroit International Auto Show. So now that we're finally seeing the new XT4 in person, let's go ahead and take a first look. Now, before we start talking about the exterior styling changes for 2024, I'll remind you guys what's powering the XT4 underneath the hood. Cadillac continues to offer it with one powertrain option. It's a two liter turbocharged direct injection four cylinder. You can see it's transversely mounted because this vehicle is a front drive architecture. So front wheel drive will be standard. This model here, however, has the company's signature twin clutch all wheel drive system. It still makes 235 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque. Those numbers are average for the segment and all goes out through a nine speed automatic transmission. This vehicle weighs in at around 3,700 pounds. We've had a chance to test this powertrain. It hasn't changed and it's still a relatively good powertrain. I'm surprised to see, however, that Cadillac is not doing any kind of hybridization. But remember, if you guys aren't ready to go fully electric, the XT4 still offers a full conventional gas powertrain. But let's go ahead and talk about the exterior styling because this model here is the premium luxury trim. It's painted in stellar black metallic. It looks beautiful here, especially on the auto show floor lights with the sparkling metallic black. You can see the premium luxury has its own unique grill with the kind of satin chrome border surrounding the Cadillac Crestro with the new logo. You can see it has kind of like these interesting textured and patterns here that actually is mimicked in the actual seats. You can see the headlights have also been redesigned. They have the new stacked vertical LED headlight design where if you actually push the unlock button here, I have the fob, it actually does a little bit of a sequence and animation where the LED daytime running light comes on. You can see it's got this new vertical stacked LED, which just looks a lot more distinctive. It also reminds you a lot of the lyric of the revised Cadillac CT5 and of the Escalade as well. But let me know in the comment section below what you guys think of the styling. I actually already thought this car was a very handsome vehicle when it first came out. So in terms of the exterior styling, Cadillac wanted to keep it a little bit more restrained and I think they definitely achieved that. Now in terms of the dimensions, the XT4 is actually a really good size for those of you who live in an urban environment. At 181 inches long, this is again, kind of in between something like a BMW X1 and an X3. It's wheelbase is around 109.4 inches long. You can see the overall profile hasn't really changed because remember, this is a refresh, but we'll show you guys later on in terms of the back seats, one of the biggest in this segment. The wheels, you can see, these are an optional 20 inch wheel that you get with the premium luxury. They're like an $1,100 option. I really like the multiple spoke design with the kind of two-tone machine finish with the gray inner pockets. This is definitely a good wheel that goes with the overall proportions of the new XT4. Now looking at the rear of the vehicle, this is probably where it hasn't really changed too much, but it has that signature Cadillac look to it with the vertical stacked full LED taillight design. You can see it has their new badging here where it says 350T. That's supposed to be the torque in Newton meters. I don't particularly like the badging, but it does have a purpose. This shows you, again, that you have a two liter turbo four cylinder. There's also some nicely integrated chrome exhaust tips into the actual rear bumper fascia, which again gives it a little bit of a sportier look. And then in terms of the cargo area, you obviously get a power liftgate in this vehicle, but when you open up the tailgate itself, which in terms of the cargo space, you have around just under 23 cubic feet of space. If you fold down the seats, which you can kind of do from back here as well, that actually drops the seat and gives you almost a completely flat floor that increases the cargo capacity to just under 49 cubic feet, which is about average for the segment. There is, underneath here, you can see a pretty big storage area. It looks like there's actually room for a spare, although this model here doesn't have it. But overall, again, if you're looking for the biggest cargo area, there are other competitors that have more space, but this is still a nicely sized cargo area for the class. So while the exterior of the 2024 XT4 doesn't look all that different, the interior is really where Cadillac focused hard. And as you guys know, the company is kind of in the process of completely redoing their interiors. And the XT4 has the company's latest 33 inch curved display. Now, as I get in and shut the door, the door has a nice solid sounding thunk. And check out that animation, guys. That shows up every time you kind of get in and out of the vehicle to kind of greet you. And unlike some competitors, which are two screens, this is one continuous screen and it really looks impressive. This is definitely one of the best screens in the industry and it's standard equipment on every version of the XT4. So that's very impressive. Now, this premium luxury trim that I'm showing you has kind of the jet black premium leather interior. You can get heated and ventilated seats. The seats adjust in eight different ways with a two-way lumbar support. And you also have two-person memory and you also can get a massaging feature on the upper trim. This one here is the premium luxury. And overall, you can see the screen is obviously the centerpiece, but let's go ahead and talk about the rest of the materials. You have a soft touch material here with genuine leather covering the door panels with actual stitching. I don't particularly love how dark it is in here with the black interior, but you can also get like a whisper beige interior as well. You have some aluminum accents for the door handles. Padded over here, windows are one touch up down for the front. The rears are only one touch down, but not one touch up. You can see the steering wheel. This model here has like a tech package that also includes a power tilt and telescoping wheel, which is definitely a nice touch. You don't typically see that in this segment. Paddles on the wheel, typical buttons here to control the infotainment system, which by the way, this infotainment system still has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also has Google built in, which is definitely a nice touch. I can't show it to you now because this model here is kind of like a pre-production car, but you can see here, I love the kind of detail here with the kind of stitching that you have. That's the contrasting stitching. This is still leather that covers over the dashboard on this upper portion here. The tech package also includes a heads up display, which is kind of a harder feature to find in the segment again. And then down over here on the center console, you can see there's an electronic shifter that controls the nine speed auto. You have your two USB charging ports. There's a little door here that closes. It's covered in leather. Your wireless phone charging pad is here. You can also control the screen via this little dial here. In addition to using it as a touchscreen, I imagine most of you will just end up using it as a touchscreen anyways. You can see padded center console here. Open this up, you can see that's where your wireless phone charging pad. There's a good amount of storage in there as well. And then the seats also feel pretty high quality. The leather feels supple. And they also feel like they are gonna be comfortable on those longer drives. The glove compartment here, you can see it's a bin style. It's stamped and it's lined with felt. It's a little bit on the smaller side for me. I love the aluminum trim that you're gonna find over here as well. There's also a 14 speaker AKG premium sound system. You can see there's also metal speaker covers here for the tweeters here on the actual A-pillar. And then above me here, you can see big panoramic glass roof. That's gonna be an optional feature. I believe it's like 1500 bucks. You can actually build this car now on Cadillac's website. But overall, it definitely gives me a more upscale feel. Whereas the previous model with its, it maxed out at eight inches for the display. This new display here, which is standard, definitely raises the bar. Let's go ahead and hop into the back seat because that's another area where the XT4 is very, very impressive. Now getting back here, you can see the legroom Cadillac says is around 39 and a half inches. 39 and a half inches is basically in the same territory of a lot of midsize and larger SUVs. So you can see this is where I'd have the seat to drive. I'm five foot seven. There's a ton of space, a ton of foot space. There is a hump here that intrudes for the drive shaft, for the all-wheel drive system. You can see there are two rear seat air vents. You have USB charging ports. You have three level heated seats, which is also a nice touch. The soft materials also kind of carry over back here where it's genuine leather stitching with the contrast stitching, padded armrest here. You have two storage cubbies as well, or two storage pockets in the actual door. And then these seats you can see here, they fold down, which when they fold down, they almost give you a completely flat floor, which is definitely a nice touch. They sadly, they do not recline, but that's a feature you don't typically find in the segment. But you can see here, fold this down, there's an armrest with two cup holders. So really, if you're looking for the biggest back seat in the compact luxury SUV space, the XT4 is definitely the vehicle that you should be looking at. So as Cadillac's smallest and most affordable luxury SUV, clearly the company has made some key changes here, and it's gonna be centered around the large 33 inch display, which is standard equipment. In terms of the exterior styling, I still think this is a handsome vehicle. The back seat is gigantic, and the two liter turbo engine, it's gonna be enough power for most people. Although I am a little bit sad that Cadillac isn't offering a V6 or a hybrid option. But again, if you guys want an internal combustion engine car, a traditional vehicle, the XT4 still delivers. Now, if you're looking to get your hands on this vehicle, it's already on sale and pricing has already been announced. You can actually go to Cadillac's website and build this car, and it starts at just under $38,000 plus destination. This premium luxury trim that I'm showing you starts at around $42,000. If you guys want all wheel drive, it's like an extra $2,000. I built this car out in the stellar black with the optional premium and the technology package. This model here should be around $50,000, which is actually a pretty good deal considering how much space and how much technology this car offers and how much style. And I especially love the fact that Cadillac made that screen standard. It really raises the bar, especially when you compare it to the eight, nine, and 10 inch displays that you find in the competition. And it really shows that Cadillac is serious about being a world-class luxury player in this luxury automotive space. But with all that said, I hope you guys have enjoyed this video for Redline Reviews here at the 2023 Detroit International Auto Show. I'm Sofian Bey.