{"id":22864,"date":"2018-09-20T13:47:11","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T17:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=22864"},"modified":"2018-09-20T13:47:11","modified_gmt":"2018-09-20T17:47:11","slug":"payne-cadillac-xt4-finds-the-sweet-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/payne-cadillac-xt4-finds-the-sweet-spot","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Cadillac XT4 finds the sweet spot"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Xt4<\/p>\n

Small utes are all the rage. Since\u00a0Buick innovated the segment with its Encore cutie in 2013, everyone\u00a0jumped into the pool: BMW X1, Infiniti QX30, Mercedes GLA, Mazda CX-3, Jaguar E-Pace, Audi Q3. Everyone, it seemed, but that icon of American luxury, Cadillac. While the Encore reinvented Buick \u2014\u00a0That\u2019s a Buick?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0as an SUV brand, Cadillac focused on building an image of style and performance from a sedan foundation.<\/p>\n

Now at last comes the 2019 Cadillac XT4 subcompact crossover, and it was worth the wait. Right out of the nest, it\u2019s a serious contender.<\/p>\n

Flogging the XT4 all over Seattle I found the wee ute has learned from its class peers to deliver the sweet spot in size, handling and ergonomics. To my friends who embraced Caddy\u2019s edgy style, but then ran screaming from its knobless, slider-controlled CUE (Cadillac User Experience) infotainment system \u2014\u00a0you can come back now. The new rotary remote-and-knob controlled touchscreen is a thing of beauty.<\/p>\n

On its slim shoulders the entry-level XT4 carries not only the expectations of the brand\u2019s first new SUV segment entry in 14(!) years, it also introduces buyers to a new \u201cY\u201d pricing strategy.<\/p>\n

When I first shook hands with the little ute at the New York auto show earlier this year, I wasn\u2019t sure the XT4 was up to the task. In the shadow of celebrity debuts like the mighty\u00a0turbo-V8 CT6 V-Sport, bling-tastic Ford Aviator\u00a0and luscious Maserati Levante, the XT4 seemed overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

But in its natural, road-going habitat, Cadillac\u2019s pup has presence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere can I get one of those?\u201d a passerby asked as I emerged from the XT4 near Seattle\u2019s downtown farmers\u00a0market. The XT4 is a mature expression of Cadillac’s distinctive Art & Science design \u2014\u00a0handsome, but with a dose of Motown swagger.<\/p>\n

Cadillac has learned from the inauspicious debut of its ATS sedan \u2014\u00a0an athlete with the slashing moves of Barry Sanders but with the personality of vanilla. Despite its best-in-class handling, the ATS was a wallflower in a room of premium preeners.<\/div>\n

The XT4 wants to be noticed. Its face features a big, grinning grille framed by LED-studded, vertical peepers that would make Elton John proud. The XT4 went into big-brother Escalade\u2019s huge walk-in closet and pulled out the neon \u201ctornado lights\u201d that are the three-row SUV\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n

My favorite trim is the wicked Sport model in all-black with big\u00a020-inch wheels,\u00a0black grille, black suit, black rocker panels \u2014\u00a0and those white, vertical LEDs in front and white verticals in the rear. Hello, X-Man, shall we go fight some bad guys?<\/p>\n

The Sport\u2019s brooding intensity contrasts nicely with the other \u201cY\u201d spoke in the Cadillac trim-tree \u2014 the Premium Luxury with its chrome accents, shimmering grille\u00a0and red taillights.<\/p>\n

Branching, Y-like, from the competitively priced\u00a0$35,790\u00a0front-wheel drive base model, the contrasting PreLux and Sport trims both gain all-wheel drive for the same $40,290 price. Look for the Sport \u201cbranch\u201d to sprout a V-series twig to take on BMW\u2019s M performance badge.<\/p>\n

The XT4\u2019s gym-toned bod is a good foundation for such future aspirations.<\/p>\n

Mind you, this is no rear-wheel drive based, longitudinal-engine Baryshnikov. Such SUV athletes (Jaguar F-Pace or BMW X3) are found only in the bigger, compact segment. Space is at a premium in subcompacts, so even Jaguar and BMW have succumbed to front-wheel drive platforms with transverse engines.<\/p>\n

For all-out athleticism, the X1 leads the subcompact pack, but the XT4 is at its heels.<\/p>\n

Over the undulating\u00a0rural hills and valleys of Seattle\u2019s Bainbridge Island, my X-tester was sure-footed and fun to drive even as the Pacific Northwest\u2019s persistent cloud-cover slickened the roads. When the rain turns to ice and snow, Cadillac has fortified the all-wheel drive DNA of the\u00a0ATS with dual\u00a0rear clutch-packs.<\/p>\n

The clutches can throw 100 percent of rear torque to either side to prevent one wheel from spinning helplessly \u2014\u00a0in a ditch, on ice\u00a0or on snowpack \u2014\u00a0and get you moving again.<\/p>\n

Acceleration from the 2.0-liter turbo four-banger is brisk as the XT4 puts down a class-competitive 258\u00a0pound-feet of torque eclipsed only by the Jaguar. That also means impressive 3,500-pound towing capacity for a segment in which some wee competitors don\u2019t encourage towing. Go ahead, hook up a couple of ATVs for a weekend up north. Or throw two golf bags into the raked, tornado light-equipped hatch if that\u2019s your sport of choice.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s the interior\u2019s attention to detail forward of the cargo bay that really wows.<\/p>\n

The entry-level ATS sedan was small in the back seat. Cadillac learned from its mistake. The XT4 is roomiest in class and your basketball-playing 6-foot-5\u00a0reviewer could easily sit behind himself \u2014\u00a0and sit up straight under a full-length, optional moonroof that brings welcome light to the rear cabin.<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, engineers nixed the rear-quarter glass to improve driver visibility with one seamless window aft of the b-pillar. More clever details? The front doors are designed to store umbrellas (shades of Rolls-Royce) for the Seattle rains. Only in standard features does the XT4 (like its Chevy and GMC kin) come up short as it fails to offer standard adaptive cruise-control or blindspot-assist that can be found on mainstream cars under $30,000.<\/p>\n

If buyers shop up to the compact ute class and the sensational new, larger but just-as-sporty Acura RDX, they\u2019ll notice it offers standard\u00a0all-wheel drive, full moonroof and adaptive-cruise\u00a0for just $38,325.<\/p>\n

Cadillac has turned its Achilles heel, CUE, into an advantage here. Rather than reinvent the wheel (Acura chose a complicated, mouse-pad solution), Caddy\u2019s infotainment system brings the best from the touchscreen and remote rotary-dial camps. Like Jeep\u2019s Connect system, the screen is fast and easy to navigate when stopped \u2014 then easy to control by rotary dial when moving.<\/p>\n

Throw in a space-saving monostable shifter and the console offers a storage cubby for your phone or fries. This slavish attention to detail reminded me of another stylish subcompact, the Volvo XC40. But ride the Swede hard and its uneven transmission and pedestrian chassis can\u2019t keep up.<\/p>\n

The XT4 is the total package. It offers\u00a0first-class amenities for long drives with smooth power and handling for when the road gets twisty.<\/p>\n

The roomy, user-friendly,\u00a0nimble BMW X1 took two generations to become the class standard. The XT4 finally offers a no-compromise competitor \u2014\u00a0and Cadillac\u00a0got it right on the first try.<\/p>\n

2019\u00a0Cadillac XT4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel drive, five-passenger SUV<\/p>\n

Price: $35,790 base ($52,285 Premium Luxury AWD and $56,835 Sport AWD\u00a0as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 2.0-liter turbo 4-cylinder<\/p>\n

Power: 237 horsepower, 258 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 9-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.0 seconds (mfr.)<\/p>\n

Weight: 3,660 pounds (FWD, mfr.\u00a0estimate)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA fuel economy: 25 city\/30 highway\/27\u00a0combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Sculpted good looks; CUE goes to head of class<\/p>\n

Lows: Big back seat squeezes cargo room; more standard features, please<\/p>\n

Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Small utes are all the rage. Since\u00a0Buick innovated the segment with its Encore cutie in 2013, everyone\u00a0jumped into the pool: BMW X1, Infiniti QX30, Mercedes GLA, Mazda CX-3, Jaguar E-Pace, Audi Q3. Everyone, it seemed, but that icon of American luxury, Cadillac. While the Encore reinvented Buick \u2014\u00a0That\u2019s a Buick?\u00a0\u2014\u00a0as an SUV brand, Cadillac focused […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22864"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22864\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}