[Auto] 2020 Cadillac CT4-V Review: The Sport Sedan Cadillac Has Been Trying To Build Forever

[The GodFather]

 

Who out there has driven a Cadillac Cimarron? Show of hands? Sorry, but we can't count those pressed up against the bottom of a casket lid. Which is a tasteless (sorry!) way of saying most of those people are possibly dead, except for me. And I actually tested one, a 1987.

People seem to think we were impressed by the smallest Cadillac of the time, like we were actually amazed by the brand's biggest turd ever. But speaking for myself, we saw it for what it was: A re-badged Chevrolet Cavalier with a noisy V6 eventually replacing the less-noisy-by-two-cylinders four-cylinder. 

 

Buyers wanted something small, and it was small, and they wanted Cadillac quality, as if the laborers on the line made sure to tighten every bolt on the Cimarron, and only the ones absolutely

 

necessary on the Cavalier. Which, looking back at my father's that-era Cavalier, might explain a lot.

 

Every time Cadillac debuts a new small car, pundits--and they know who they are-- bring up the Cimarron, though it's been dead since 1988, as an example of how tough it's been for the brand to build a small car. The Catera and CTS didn't count, but the ATS did. Though it received critical praise for its powertrains and handling, it got an equal amount of dings for its interior quality and room. In the end, it was largely ignored by buyers. 

With effective replacement for the ATS, the new CT4, we can finally call a moratorium on any Cimarron comparisons. This is a very thoughtfully executed little car.

2020 Cadillac CT4-V, By the Numbers
Base price (as tested): $44,495 ($48,815)
Powertrain: 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with a 10-speed automatic transmission
Horsepower:  325 at 5,500 rpm
Torque: 380 pound-feet at 1,500 rpm
Fuel economy (MPG): 20 city/ 28 highway/ 23 combined
Curb Weight: 3,780 pounds
0 to 60 mph: (observed): 5.9 seconds
 

 

My test model was nicely optioned, including all-wheel-drive for the bargain upgrade price of $500. And it was the V-Series, which replaces the 2.0-liter turbo engine with a larger one. 

Pop the hood and you think: Man, that's a big four-cylinder, and it is--2.7 liters, leaving no room under the hood for the battery, which has been relocated to the left side of the trunk floor. What, did this engine come from a truck or something?

Why yes, it did, and from the full-sized GM line. This helps explain why maximum torque, 380 pound-feet, happens at just 1,500 rpm. But the only time the 325-horse engine feels truckish is when in restarts from auto-off, which will send you to the button that keeps the engine running at idle. It's not especially pleasing to the ears, but then again, very few turbo fours these days really are.

The platform, similar to the ATS but heavily tweaked, is a mild revelation. The CT4-V corners without drama, even in the "Comfort" setting; all suspensions are a compromise, but Cadillac hits a happy medium here, making this a daily commuter, with a "Track" setting that will allow you to have some fun on weekends. Steering is remarkably neutral with just the right amount of feel; brakes are linear and competent. The run-flat Continental tires are, surprisingly up for some fairly serious twisty roads.

 

 

Mileage is not glorious for a four-cylinder--an EPA-rated 20 mpg city, 28 highway, and 23 overall, which I was not able to match, with 21.2 the best I could muster. That, however, was on a lot of two-lane highways filled with gravel trucks, which need passing, and that's the next paragraph.

This engine, though it never sounds particularly invigorating, is, since it's mated to the excellent 10-speed automatic transmission. It shifts more often than I do making capital letters on this computer, and that's a good thing, as it is unobtrusive and maximizes the engine's power. My 0-to-60 mph test results were at or just under six seconds, but it's past 60 that this powertrain wants to just keep on pulling.