History of the Cadillac XT4
Although it was only introduced in 2018, the Cadillac XT4 has an interesting history. The subcompact luxury crossover is a solid choice in the crowded SUV market, sharing a platform with the Buick Envision. Now in its fourth model year, the XT4 continues to be the top choice for many luxury vehicle owners.
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The XT4 — which is short for Crossover Touring 4 — made a stunning debut in a way that perfectly fits with the Cadillac brand. The new SUV was teased during the 90th Academy Awards in a 30-second spot that also featured the rest of the lineup. Less than a month later, the XT4 made its official entrance to the world at the New York Auto Show, with pre-orders beginning not long after. Built at the General Motors Fairfax Assembly plant, the XT4 went on sale as a 2019 model in the fall of 2018.
The first-gen XT4 had a standard turbo engine under the hood capable of 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The engine featured a start-stop system and Active Fuel Management and was paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission. The European market received a 2.0 Multijet Diesel engine rated at 172 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. Available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, the XT4 was marketed as a small, sporty SUV that could do it all.
In its first few months of availability, at the end of 2018, Cadillac sold 13,822 worldwide units of the XT4. By the end of 2019, there were nearly 40,000 XT4 models sold across the globe, with 31,987 of those based solely in the U.S. In 2020, even during a global pandemic, Cadillac managed to sell 58,032 units of the XT4.
Still in its first generation, the 2022 XT4 was recently introduced to the world. The model is available at three trim levels — Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Sport — and is the smallest SUV in the Cadillac lineup. Highlights of the XT4 include its Drive Mode Selector, available Active Sport Suspension, Amazon Alexa functionality, wireless smartphone integration, intuitive controls, and an available hands-free power liftgate.
Even though vehicle sales were on a downward trend due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cadillac XT4 thrived and is expected to get a highly anticipated refresh for the 2023 model year.
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.