Many luxury car brands are now luxury SUV brands. GM's Cadillac division is one of the very few that still sells luxury cars as well as SUVs.
Specifically, sedans.
And one of them — the CT4 — doesn't cost much more to start than some family sedans.
It's also not just a badge you're buying.
What It Is
The CT4 is Cadillac's entry-level luxury sport sedan. It is also a rear-wheel drive sedan, which is becoming harder to find even in the entry-level luxury-sport sedan class. CT4 rivals such as the Audi A4 are based on front-wheel drive layouts — like current economy cars.
And rivals such as the rear-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz C300 and BMW 3 sedan are expensive cars.
The Benz starts at $44,850 — vs. $34,395 for the CT4.
A BMW 3 starts at $43,800.
Cadillac also offers high- and very high-performance versions of the CT4.
The $46,595 CT4 V comes standard with 325 horsepower, and if that's not enough, the $60,995 CT4 Blackwing comes with 472 horsepower.
And it comes standard with a manual transmission.
What's New for 2023
All trims now come standard with the previously optional surround-view camera system, and the Blackwing gets updated appearance packages.
What's Good
It features rear-wheel drive for thousands less than front-wheel-drive-based rivals such as the A4.
There are three available engines — including a V6.
It's very roomy up front for such a small car.
What's Not So Good
Manual transmission is only available in the Blackwing.
It's very cramped in back — even for a small car.
There is much less trunk space (just 10.7 cubic feet) than others in the class.
Under The Hood
The CT4's standard engine is a 2.0 four that offers 237 horsepower — a bit more than the A4's 201 horsepower and a bit less than the BMW (and Benz's) 255 horsepower.
An eight-speed automatic is standard, as is rear-wheel drive.
All-wheel drive is optional.
A second engine is available — and though it's still a four (and has a turbo), it is a bigger (2.7-liter) four that's nearly the size of a small V6. And — in the V — it produces horsepower comparable to the output of a small V8: 325 horsepower and 380 foot-pounds of torque. A slightly less potent (310 horsepower) version of this engine is also available as an option in the Premium Luxury trim.
This engine comes standard with a 10-speed automatic that has a very deep 0.64 overdrive ratio that reduces engine RPM at highway speeds of 70 mph to just under 2,000 RPM, accounting for the slight fuel efficiency penalty you pay for all that additional power. The 2.7 engine takes the CT4 20 miles in the city and 29 on the highway — vs. 23 in the city and 34 on the highway with the 2.0-liter engine.
If you would like a manual — a feature none of the others in the class offer — the CT4 Blackwing comes standard with one to go with the turbocharged, 472 horsepower 3.6-liter V6 that's also standard.
It's sufficient to get the Blackwing to 60 mph in less than four seconds.
On The Road
The CT4 is what luxury-sport sedans once were — in that is authentically sporty. Perhaps too much so for some tastes. The car has been faulted by some reviewers for having a too-firm ride (even the base Luxury trim), but this is subjective and you might disagree — if you like an authentically sporty ride.
And handling.
The ride is firm — and the steering is sharp. But that's what makes this car fun to drive — as opposed to just driving along. The Blackwing is even more so. But the relevant point is the other iterations of the CT4 are, too. Just not as brutal — this is a compliment — as the Blackwing.
At The Curb
At 187.2 inches long, the CT4 is one of the largest — longest — small cars in the class. But it is also one of the most cramped.
At least, for those condemned to suffer in the back.
It has just 33.4 inches of rear-seat legroom — which isn't much more room than you'd have in the back seat of a two-door performance car such as the Ford Mustang. It is also almost three inches less than what you'd have to work with inside a Benz C300 —which has 36 inches of rear-seat legroom — and a BMW 3 series (which has 35.2 inches).
Rear-seat headroom is also almost two inches less (36.5 inches) than in front (38.3 inches), which means taller adults have to duck as well as tuck to sit back there.
This problem is exacerbated by the smallness of the CT4's trunk — which is something odd to say about a Cadillac . At one time — a long time ago — Cadillacs were as famous for their big trunks as for their big engines. It was said — and it was true — that you could fit two bodies in the trunk of a Cadillac, back when Cadillac was still building Sedan DeVilles. This Cadillac might have room for a trunk — sans the the legs and arms. You only have just over 10 cubic feet to work with, which is markedly less than the BMW 3's comparatively generous 13 cubic feet and the C300's almost-the-same 12.6 cubic feet. Oddly, the Sport trim is not available with the 2.7-liter engine. It comes only with the base 2.0-liter engine. It does come standard with "sporty" affections, however — including a rear spoiler, metal paddle shifters, sport seats and a sport steering wheel.
The Rest
The CT4 is anomalous — being both a sedan and a sedan that's still available with a manual transmission. These two things together set it dramatically apart from the automatic-only crossovers (most of them with 2.0-liter engines) that have become as prolific as dandelions after a spring rain — and just as individual.
The Bottom Line
Cadillacs used to stand out — and this one still does.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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