The 2021 Cadillac CT4 is available in four different trims namely, Luxury, Premium Luxury, Sport, and V-Series. The V-Series of the sedan will be reviewed separately. The CT4 starts with a base price of $34,390 and goes all the way up to $39,690 for the Sport trim. Cadillac has provided more than enough features in each trim to stand on its own in the lineup.

Which Trim should you buy?

The Base model itself is decently equipped, and with a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine that produces 237 hp, it has enough grunt to hurl this car forward at decent speeds. The top trims are offered with an option of a 2.7L engine that produces a superb 309 hp. Even though V-Series is the best in the lineup, that is for another article. If we have to choose one regular trim, the middle range Premium Luxury is our recommended pick.

The 4 cylinder engines used in the CT4 might not be the biggest or the most powerful option in the market, but for the car and the competition in the segment, it works out really great. The base 2.0L 4-cylinder engine of the sedan puts out 237 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. If one needs extra oomph, one can opt for the optional 2.7L engine which provides 310 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. The performance of both the engines is really smooth, and the other powertrain components complement them well. 

All the cars here use the same engine setup, and yet the Caddy produces the least power at just 237 hp behind the Jag, which produces 247 hp. Both Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series are tied at 255 hp. We have the top speed of only two cars though, with the Caddy being faster at 200mph compared to the XE’s 155 mph. When comparing the 0-60 mph timing, Caddy is the fastest option in the comparison at just 5.1 seconds.

How well does the Cadillac CT4 handle?

The CT4 is a car belonging to the luxury sedan segment, and the cars from this sector are known to and supposed to handle well. Caddy has kept that in mind and handles well, and the steering precision is commendable and very agile. This car is more performance-oriented, and thus, the car’s steering and handling attributes match the performance, which is a good benchmark. 

Braking Performance

It has been said multiple times that the CT4 is an entry-level car in the luxury sedan segment and a competition to the Europeans, who in a sense have set performance standards for braking, handling, and speed, etc, which inherently sets standards for the Caddy. The Cadillac's brake dimensions are pretty good but not good enough as the Germans have bigger brake dimensions. BMW has the biggest brake rotors along with being the heaviest in the competition.

Since we do not know the brake rotor's dimensions of the Jaguar, we can say that it must be pretty good as the stopping distance is 123 ft. However, the stopping distance for the other cars is not here, but based on the weight figures, the CT4 weighs the least and must stop well. All in all, the German cars in the competition have kept a check on the brake rotors.

One of the important disadvantages of the Cadillac is that of its poor fuel economy, that being said, it is not very very embarrassing because the Merc gives a much worse figure. The sedan offers 23 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined. The fuel tank capacity of 17 gallons is a pretty good advantage for the Caddy in the segment.

The Mercedes C-Class offers the least fuel economy amongst all the cars on the list, offering 19 mpg in the city and only 27 mpg on the highway, but on the bright side, the fuel tank is a huge 17.4 gallons. The Jaguar’s efficiency is the one that is really on top with a combined mileage of 30 mpg with a 14.8-gallon fuel tank, which ironically is the smallest among these four. BMW's figures are not known to make any comparison.

The interior of the CT4 is decent and not too bad. There is less use of cheap plastic and boring designs like the old models or old American cars. The inside of the Caddy is a good place to be in and a bit more appealing to the younger generation. The rear seats might seem a bit too cramped but can easily seat two people with comfort and ease. The sedan fails to make a mark on the practicality side as it only offers 10.7 cubic feet of cargo space.

The space inside the cabin of the Caddy CT4 feels airy and good. Jaguar has the lowest headroom and also has the least legroom, while BMW is the most spacious offering amongst the four. Mercedes comes close to the CT4’s interior dimensions. When comparing the cargo capacity of the sedans in the competition, BMW 3 Series offers the most at 17 cubic feet. Major interior features include: 

• Leather Upholstery
• Dual Zone Climate control
• Power Adjustable Seats
• Heated and Ventilated Front seats
• Heated and Ventilated Steering wheel

What’s there to keep you entertained?

There is an 8-inch infotainment system that comes as standard across all the trims of the car that runs on the latest Cadillac user experience software, which features voice recognition, personalized settings for each driver, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot, and an 8-speaker sound system. One can also opt for optional packages like the Technology package consisting of a 12-inch reconfigurable driver cluster and heads-up display, Navigation or Bose premium Package which includes navigation, a 14-speaker Bose premium sound system, and wireless phone charging.

Major infotainment features include:

• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
• Navigation
• HD Radio
• 14 speaker Bose Audio system
• 8-inch touchscreen
• 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot 

The CT4 appears to be a blend of the Cadillac’s traditional styling of long big lights and a slightly modern touch of beautiful lines and curves. The car appears sharp and a bit aggressive while being elegant and flamboyant. While not too big, it is still spacious. The car can seat 4 with comfort inside. When it comes to dimensions, the sedan weighs 3,358 lbs and has the least-in-class wheelbase of 109.3 inches.

We cannot skip the fact that the CT4 is the longest and lightest car here, while BMW is the tallest at 57 inches and the heaviest too at 3,582 lbs. Mercedes is the most astonishing car concerning the ground clearance department, offering just 3.8 inches of clearance, while the BMW again has the highest ground clearance of 5.7 inches. Major exterior highlights of the sedan are: 

• 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels
• diamond sky rocker moldings 
• rear air diffuser
• blue brake calipers
• neutral-density transparent outer-lens LED tail lamps 

The 2021 Cadillac CT4 will get the basic safety features like forward-collision alert, automatic emergency braking, 8-airbags, traction control, tire pressure monitoring system, and many more. On the two higher trims, some driver-assist features are available as optional extras. The Cadillac’s safety features list includes:

• Driver Awareness Plus package 
• Driver Assist Package
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• Automatic Emergency Braking
• Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Forward Collision Alert

Cadillac CT4 vs Jaguar XE

These two are evenly matched in terms of the power figures but cannot be more different in their dimensions. While Caddy is the most spacious one here, Jaguar is at the opposite end. Jaguar XE has been in the market for some time now and has gone through quite some changes too. However, the CT4 is the latest entrant, much more up-to-date, modern, less expensive, and has better performance.

Cadillac CT4 vs BMW 3 series

These two are unevenly matched in terms of the power figures and the performance figures. Even though the Caddy is really spacious, the BMW 3 Series is even better. BMW 3 Series too has been in the market for some time now and has gone through quite some changes too, and it has proven itself to the people. If we have to choose between the two, BMW is the one.

Cadillac CT4 vs Mercedes-Benz C-Class 

The CT4 was not seen as a competitor at all while making the Merc C-Class, but to their surprise, the CT4 does better than the Merc on many fronts, except for the performance.The performance might not be the Caddy’s forte when comparing to the Merc, but the comfort and the features offered really does make us consider this car as a force to reckon with.

The 2021 Cadillac CT4 is a pretty decent car to be bought in the segment. While the fuel efficiency is not the best, it is still good enough and the performance is great too. It fills the gap that was there between the price point difference in the segment and makes the segment more accessible to all people who wish to own or wish to upgrade to a bigger vehicle without spending too much money. However, the German rivals in the segment offer a better proposition for some extra premium in the segment.