Does The Cadillac XT4 Have What It Takes To Top It's Segment?

Late last month, Cadillac surprised the world as they took the wraps off the latest addition to their lineup, a compact CUV called the XT4. It's more of the same, yet something completely new from the American luxury carmaker.

More of the same because it's very similar to the larger XT5, and something different because it's the first time Cadillac has made a compact luxury crossover. Think of it as a potential ATS replacement. Since the luxury crossover segment is a rapidly growing one, it's no surprise Cadillac has jumped on the bandwagon with it's second CUV, to sit alongside the larger XT5.

While the XT5 does battle with BMW's X5, Merc's GLC, Audi's Q5, Porsche's Macan-and to some extent, Cayenne, Volkswagen's Touareg, Lexus' RX and Alfa Romeo's Stelvio, among others, the XT4 is set to battle the Merc GLA, Lexus' NX, Audi's Q3, BMW X3 and probably a few more.

If you look at the spec sheets, you might think that this new Caddy has what it takes to go toe-to-toe against it's rivals. Starting with price, the XT4 costs $35,790 and upwards, while the Audi stands at $32,900, the BMW at $33,900, the NX at $35,985 and the Merc costs $33,400.

Pricing aside, let's talk about engines. Every car mentioned here has a 2.0l Turbocharged 4-Cylinder engine. They all come with FWD as standard and AWD is optional. The transmission and power figures are what set them apart. The Cadillac comes with a 9-speed automatic, the most gears in it's class, whereas the Audi and Lexus come with 6-speed transmissions, the Merc with 7 and the BMW with 8.

Horsepower figures are a surprise though, as the XT4 trumps all it's rivals by having the most bhp in this company. The Caddy offers 237HP and 258lb-ft of torque, while the Audi has the lowest power here with 200HP and 207lb-ft. The BMW, Lexus and Mercedes have 228, 235 and 208bhp respectively, while the torque figures for all three are the same at 258lb-ft.

Horsepower figures aside, the performance of these cars throws up another surprise. The BMW has the fastest 0-60mph time, taking just 6.6sec to reach the mark. The Lexus and Mercedes take 7.2sec each, while the XT4 is estimated to reach the magic number in 7.5sec. Which leaves the Audi in last place, reaching 60mph in 8.2sec. The Lexus has the lowest top speed, with the Japanese CUV topping out at 124mph. The GLA and Q3 at 130mph each, the XT4 is also expected to top out at 130mph. But the real surprise is the BMW X1, which would win this round with it's 131mph top speed.

Getting on to fuel economy numbers then, because this will be one of the most important things for potential customers. The Q3 has the worst combined fuel economy (23 MPG). The Lexus only manages 25 MPG, the BMW one-ups that by 26MPG, while the Merc and Caddy provide up to 27 MPG.

Speaking of dimensions, because that's important too, the NX (182.6in) is the longest here, followed by the XT4 (181.1in), X1 (175.4in), GLA 173.9in), and the Q3 (172.8) comes as the shortest one here. The XT4 is the widest (74.1in) here, followed by the NX (73.6in), the Audi (72.1in), the BMW (71.7in) and the Merc being the narrowest at 71.0inches. The NX is the highest vehicle in it's class, at 64.8in. That's followed by the XT4 at 64.1in, the BMW in third with 62.9in, the Q3 at 62.6in and the GLA comes last with a height of 60inches.

But when it comes to the wheelbase of these vehicles, you might expect the Germans to have better figures, but this is where the Q3 fails to beat it's rivals-at least in terms of having a long wheelbase. 102.5in is what's available in the Audi, while the NX comes with a 104.7in wheelbase. The BMW and Merc come at 105.1in and 106.3 respectively, and the XT4 once again beating the opposition with a 109.4in wheelbase.

Talking about cargo volume-another area of interest to buyers, the Audi fails to shine again by only having 16.7 cubic feet of volume. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the GLA has 17.2 cubic feet of space, the NX is slightly better at 17.7 cubic feet, the XT4 managing 22.5 cubic feet. The X1 beats all others by having the most cargo volume at a whopping 27.1 cubic feet.

If we talk about weight then the GLA is the lightest here, weighing in at just 1495kg. No surprise as it's basically a jacked up version of the A-Class hatchback. The X1 comes in at second place with a weight of 1607kg, the XT4 an estimated 1660kg and the Q3 at 1670kg. The NX is the heaviest here with a weight of 1787kgs. That's heavy.

But getting non-numbers based stats, the XT4 is the latest model in a class that has pretty much facelifted models. The X1, NX and GLA were all facelifted last year, while the Q3's facelift is barely recognisable. That's a crucial point for the XT4, as it's the freshest model in it's class. And that's important for buyers. My choice in this segment would be the XT4. Not only does it look fresh, it's also a great continuation of Cadillac's design language, which I'm a fan of. For me, the GLA comes in at 2nd, the NX in 3rd, the X1 in 4th and the Audi in last.

As the stats suggest, the BMW has an advantage in a drag race, while the XT4 and GLA have the best fuel-economy.

Judging on wheelbase and legroom, the XT4 seems to have the upper hand here. By having the longest space between the front and rear wheels, the Cadillac can be the roomiest vehicle in this class. And that's a good thing for consumers.

My choice would be the XT4, because not only is it the newest one here, but it also has the most legroom in it's class. Looks great too, and even though it's the most expensive one here, it's worth the money.

So, what do you think? Which one would you have were you in the market for a compact luxury crossover? Make your mind up by taking a look at the photos below.