Used 2023 Cadillac CT4

The 2023 Cadillac CT4 is the smallest and most affordable offering in the American luxury brand’s lineup. It’s the spiritual successor of the Cadillac ATS, a compact sedan that’s fun to drive and doesn’t break the bank. The CT4 is more luxurious than a mainstream compact like the Toyota Corolla, but it’s not quite as premium as one of its more expensive European rivals like the BMW 3 Series. The Cadillac CT4 is good for drivers with a luxury-car budget who still want a good value.

Driving the Cadillac CT4 is comfortable and agile, but the driving experience isn’t as refined as its more expensive rivals. The ride is more luxurious than an average non-luxury compact sedan, however.

The base 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine delivers adequate performance while returning pretty good fuel economy. Upgrading to the 2.7-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine makes things more exciting, and if you get it in the V-Series model, you also get upgrades to the brakes, suspension, and exhaust to add to the thrills.

Drivers looking for peak performance in a small Cadillac sedan will want the CT4-V Blackwing. It’s powered by a twin-turbo V6 that turns this Caddy into a serious sports sedan at a comparably affordable price compared to the likes of the BMW M3 and Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.

The interior of the Cadillac CT4 is nicer than the average non-luxury sedan, but it’s not as luxurious as its more expensive European rivals. The interior quality of this Cadillac is commensurate with its price tag. The quality of the materials may be lacking depending on your tastes, but the features are user-friendly, and the front seats are comfortable.

The Cadillac CT4 is not exactly a family car. The back seats and trunk are awfully cramped, even considering the compact dimensions of this sedan. If you like the CT4 but need more space, the bigger CT5 would be a better pick.

Styling is one of the strong suits of the Cadillac CT4. It uses a sharp, modern design that turns heads, and it looks good from every angle. The look changes a bit depending on how you option it. For example, the Sport and V-Series models have aggressive appearance packages. An available Radiant Package adds unique 19-inch wheels and a bright grille.

The dimensions of the CT4 are in-line with much of the compact luxury sedan class. It’s about the same size as the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and the new Acura Integra.

V-SERIES BLACKWING
The hottest version of the CT4 is the V-Series Blackwing model. The twin-turbo V6 under the hood pumps out 472 horsepower, and it flies from 0-60 mph in as little as 3.9 seconds. Luckily for purists, it comes standard with a manual transmission.

SUPER CRUISE
The high-tech Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving system is available on the CT4. It allows for hands-free driving on highways mapped by Cadillac.

The Cadillac CT4 is well-equipped for a premium sedan at its price point. The standard powertrain is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Standard features include LED exterior and interior lighting, Inteluxe faux leather seating, wireless charging, adaptive remote start, dual-zone automatic climate control, a dual digital driver information display, and a drive mode selector.

The standard infotainment system is an 8-inch touchscreen with two USB ports, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa, HD Radio, and SiriusXM.

The standard Cadillac Smart System bundles many useful driver assistance tech features. It gives the CT4 automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, an HD backup camera, rear parking sensors, a vibrating Safety Alert Seat, rear seat reminder, and teen driver mode. Additional standard safety tech includes a following distance indicator, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high beams.

One of the most popular options on the CT4 is all-wheel drive, which is optional on every trim except for the CT4-V Blackwing.

Upgrading to the Premium Luxury trim adds many upscale features while keeping the starting price under $40,000. Features include 18-inch alloy wheels, leather seats, a memory package, ambient interior lighting, auto-dimming mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, a universal garage door opener, and more safety tech features like front parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, and enhanced automatic emergency braking.

The Sport trim has a similar equipment list as the Premium Luxury model, but adds a sporty appearance package, performance tires, alloy pedals, 18-way front seats with performance bolsters, and optional Brembo brakes.

A more robust 2.7-liter turbocharged engine is optional on the Premium Luxury trim, giving it a nice performance boost. Surprisingly, you can’t get the 2.7-liter engine on the Sport trim.

There are some great option packages available for Premium Luxury and Sport that you can’t get on the base Luxury trim. The Super Cruise 1 package adds the excellent hands-free semi-autonomous driving system, a 12-inch digital gauge cluster, and a surround-vision camera and recorder.

A Climate Package adds heated and ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel. A Technology Package adds an air ionizer, a digital gauge cluster, and a head-up display. The Super Cruise 2 package adds the contents of the Climate Package and Technology Package to the Super Cruise 1 package.

If you’re looking for a real sports sedan without breaking the bank, you’ll be interested in the V-Series. The CT4-V uses an upgraded version of the 2.7-liter turbo engine producing 325 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. On top of the engine upgrade, it has a quad-tip exhaust with performance-tuned valves, a limited-slip rear differential, performance traction management, launch control, Bose 14-speaker audio, and a sporty appearance package.

Finally, the CT4-V Blackwing sits at the top of the lineup with a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 engine. It also comes with Brembo high-performance brakes, a performance suspension with Magnetic Ride Control, custom launch control with line lock, high-performance tires, and AKG 15-speaker premium audio.

A surround vision recorder is a new individual option for the Premium Luxury, Sport, and V-Series trims.

There’s a lot of mechanical variety in the Cadillac CT4. The base engine that powers most CT4 models is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4. This is par for the course for a base engine in this segment in terms of performance and efficiency. This engine employs an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The base engine delivers adequate performance for most drivers, but the 2.7-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine is a good upgrade if you want a little extra muscle. It’s optional in the Premium Luxury trim, where it makes 310 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque, but in the V-Series model, those numbers bump up to 325 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque for a little extra excitement. A 10-speed automatic transmission sends the power to the wheels.

Finally, a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 powers the high-performance CT4-V Blackwing. It not only puts up considerable power and torque numbers for a sedan this size, but it comes standard with an enthusiast-oriented 6-speed manual transmission. The optional 10-speed automatic gives it a quicker 0-60 mph time and better fuel economy.

Rear-wheel drive is standard on every iteration of the CT4. Except for the CT4-V Blackwing, all-wheel drive (AWD) is optional on every trim.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
237 horsepower @ 5,000 rpm
258 lb-ft of torque @ 1,500-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 23/34 mpg (RWD), 22/31 mpg (AWD)

2.7-liter turbocharged inline-4
310 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
350 lb-ft of torque @ 1,500-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 21/31 mpg (RWD), 21/29 mpg (AWD)

2.7-liter turbocharged inline-4 (CT4-V)
325 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
380 lb-ft of torque @ 1,800-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/29 mpg (RWD), 20/28 mpg (AWD)

3.6-liter turbocharged V6 (CT4-V Blackwing)
472 horsepower @ 5,750 rpm
445 lb-ft of torque @ 3,500-5,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 16/24 mpg (automatic), 15/23 mpg (manual)