The verdict: A big, honkin’ 33-inch touchscreen and suite of subtle aesthetic changes to both the exterior and interior make the refreshed 2024 Cadillac XT4 a “killer app” in the fiercely competitive luxury compact SUV class.
Versus the competition: The 2024 Cadillac XT4 swims in quite the populated class, butting headlights with mainstays like the Lincoln Corsair and Lexus NX. Cadillac has deliberately positioned the XT4 as a tweener size, larger than crossovers like the BMW X1 but smaller than the X3, ditto with the Mercedes-Benz GLA and larger GLC. For some buyers, this Cadillac will be the perfect size; for others, springing for the next size up might make more sense.
Cadillac’s future is electric, but the luxury marquee’s present bills are primarily paid by its healthy selection of gas-powered SUVs (which, for the moment, still enjoy strong sales). This bevy of battery-powered cars in the pipeline, meanwhile, functions as the brand’s trickle-down technology launchpad. The refreshed XT4 is a perfect example of this, offering buyers a crack at the electric Lyriq’s expansive 33-inch touchscreen in a far more conventional package.
Related: 2024 Cadillac XT4 Gets New Styling, Safety Tech, 33-Inch Touchscreen
The XT4’s 2024 refresh has been a long time coming. Caddy’s subcompact SUV has cruised virtually untouched since its introduction for the 2019 model year, and while the tweaks and twiddles it sees for 2024 are hardly an overhaul, they bring the XT4 more in line with the brand’s latest offerings.
Fresh(ish) Threads
Cadillac’s holistic design language has shifted slightly since the XT4 was wrapper-fresh, and a slightly massaged schnozz for the 2024 version is the most apparent exterior change. The XT4’s new, sleeker headlights, more sculpted lower front end and sharper grille split the difference between Cadillac’s larger XT6 and Escalade SUVs, albeit at scale. In back, good luck pinpointing what’s different without a side-by-side comparison; repositioned rear reflectors are the most significant change, shifted from a strip at the bottom to scallops on the outer edges of the bumper. There’s also a new selection of available wheel designs.
Inside, there’s some new upholstery colors and a smorgasbord of available trim materials, including wood, aluminum and carbon fiber. The XT4 also adds a cluster of new standard tech to its active safety suite: blind zone steering assist, rear cross-traffic braking, front braking for pedestrians and cyclists, automatic high-beam headlights and lane departure steering assist. Automatic cross-traffic emergency braking, speed limit assist and traffic sign recognition have been added to the XT4’s available Active Safety Package.
Super Screen
The 33-inch elephant — or maybe tapir — in the cabin is by far the 2024 XT4’s most significant upgrade. The new 33-inch curved touchscreen pulls much of its presentation and interface from Cadillac’s larger, all-electric Lyriq SUV. Serving as a contiguous display that includes both the instrumentation and infotainment screens, it’s the first thing you’ll notice in the XT4’s cabin.
Cadillac says the screen’s resolution peaks at 9K, and based on the rich presentation and needle-sharp animation, we believe it. Touch capability extends from the center portion to the far left driver-side section, where you can swap display styles, themes and standard data readouts, including trip mileage and fuel consumption. In practice, the display is as gorgeous as it is intuitive and quick-responding. Menu and screen transitions are nearly as quick and clean as a new iPad, and users can navigate them either through standard touch or via redundant hard controls on the center console.
Nervous yet, Apple CarPlay fans? Fret not: While GM is looking to purge both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from future vehicles, the 2024 XT4 not only still offers both, they’re both wireless and complemented by Google Built-In infotainment architecture.
Interior Intricacy
Hooray for CarPlay and hooray for physical buttons. We’re at least a generation removed from Caddy’s infamous touch-capacitive Cadillac User Experience system, but we’re still grateful for the gradual industrywide return to physical controls in place of touch-based ones. In the XT4, a strip of soft-touch switches toggle climate controls and a selection of driver-assist functions. The climate controls are augmented by a ridiculously smooth digital display for temperature and fan functions; it’s a seemingly trivial feature, but these little details add up to a slick package.
There’s a handful of these “surprise and delight” features and design flourishes spread throughout the cabin. Approach the XT4 directly from the front and you’ll see a modestly sized metallic Cadillac crest mounted proudly on the back of that new screen, a tiny flair that’s easily visible through the windshield. On the passenger’s portion of the dash, the center trim doubles back on itself, capped with metallic trim inscribed with the traditional “Cadillac” script.
Substance for All That Style?
Time to drive. In this regard, prior opinions on the XT4’s dynamic capabilities — or lack thereof — remain unchanged. The XT4’s mechanical hardware remains the same, with the familiar turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder as the sole powertrain and a choice of front- or all-wheel drive.
The engine makes 235 horsepower and 258 pounds-feet of torque and works with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The pair returns more-than-adequate merging and passing power, though our FWD test car noticeably tugged the wheel during our hardest on-ramp efforts. Still, there are no real complaints here — we’re just glad there’s enough torque to notice. Driver inputs are as unremarkable and inoffensive as they should be in a premium (sub)compact SUV, though steering was slower than both expectations and preference. It’s less about thrill-seeking and more about wishing for a tighter ratio in Los Angeles parking lots — something to keep in mind if you plan to thread your new XT4 through some tight spots.
After crisscrossing what felt like the entire Los Angeles metroplex twice over, the 2024 XT4 proved itself the comfortable, refined and well-appointed premium runabout we expected it to be. It does, however, display some moderately jouncy suspension tuning; serving as a trans-L.A. hiking shuttle for a pair of friends, both politely complained of minor motion sickness from the XT4’s disjointed body control and noticeably rough suspension rebound.
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Money Matters
All in, the 2024 Cadillac XT4 is a stylish reminder that the premium compact SUV class is one of the more attractively priced corners of the market, especially for buyers who don’t require more space. At $48,625 (including destination) for our mid-grade Premium Luxury trim, the refreshed XT4 represents a meaningful material and aesthetic upgrade from downmarket segment siblings like a well-equipped Chevrolet Equinox or Toyota RAV4, both of which can easily top $40,000.
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