Topic: Test Drive: 2019 Cadillac XT4

[dirtyjeffer]

The new A-class interior is supposed to be very nice, especially considering the starting price is in the $30s.

agreed...from what i've read, the reviewers have mentioned how upscale it is, especially for the price...they mentioned if the goal of an inexpensive MB product is to get feet in the showroom, and get buyers into the brand (to hopefully keep them as repeat customers as they move up the ladder over time), this is how you do it...they said it was like it should be, a smaller version of a premium product...not just a cheap Mercedes.

[Niklasky]

I really don't like these iPads in the Mercedes. Quality, fit and finish might be good, as well as premium feel, but this is poorly integrated.

[KD]

I find that led strip lighting doesn't come across well in photos.  I have led strip lighting in a tray ceiling downstairs and under my floating bath vanity and it never looks right in photos. 

[dirtyjeffer]

I really don't like these iPads in the Mercedes. Quality, fit and finish might be good, as well as premium feel, but this is poorly integrated.

it's not quite "built-in" like Audi's Virtual Cockpit, but i think it looks much better than how many brands simply tack it on the dash like an afterthought.

i think this looks well done:



these examples, not so much:

[ArticSteve]

Deborah Wahl, Cadillac's chief marketing officer, said the brand's sales should soar on the back of new crossovers such as the XT4 and XT6.

Trust she has a rock solid severance package in place because she's gonna need it.

[Brig]

I like it, but I don't like the price.     Would make a great used buy, though. 

[OliverD]

Deborah Wahl, Cadillac's chief marketing officer, said the brand's sales should soar on the back of new crossovers such as the XT4 and XT6.

Trust she has a rock solid severance package in place because she's gonna need it.

Cadillac basically only sells crossovers now. Their car sales are a fraction of what they were just a few years ago. The only Cadillacs in stock locally are Escalades and XT5s.

[KD]

Deborah Wahl, Cadillac's chief marketing officer, said the brand's sales should soar on the back of new crossovers such as the XT4 and XT6.

Trust she has a rock solid severance package in place because she's gonna need it.

Cadillac basically only sells crossovers now. Their car sales are a fraction of what they were just a few years ago. The only Cadillacs in stock locally are Escalades and XT5s.

Yup, car sales have hit the Wahl. 

[chignectohead]

This has the new longer stroke 2.0t from GM, which somehow has less power and torque than the old one they've been plunking into everything from Malibus to Equinoxes for years which is a square 86mm bore and stroke (like about three other manufacturers of 2 litre engines). I read about the change somewhere or other, and as a mechanical engineer found myself in a true WTF moment. It's supposed to be smoother and slightly more thermally efficient. Whoopee. Less money spent on refining the existing engine would have gotten the same result unless Powertrain is staffed by dolts, and at least its reliabilty is proven. How to waste money like Mercedes and BMW, both of whom have made two entirely different 2.0 t engines since 2011. And that Berlin by garish moonlight MB dash is the height of bad German ground-pounding taste in my opinion - a Gorden Wagener wet dream of Teutonic brass band glitz.

The reviewer went off into flights of fancy about this vehicle, showering accolades with gay abandon. Guess he'll be at the press barbecues for the immediate future. At $75K with taxes, the XT4 had better be wonderful. But it's just a gussied up GM something or other with a flash bit o' styling, a different interior, the aforementioned engine and hasn't a hope against a Lexus NX in the real durability stakes. I never got GM vehicles. At least for the past 40 years. They seem to be a collection of decent modules assembled into a unit, with nobody in charge of integrating the result into a seamless whole. Mystifies me over and over again - started with those Citations in 1979 and hasn't let up since, Corvettes and the middle gen CTS excepted, perhaps the trucks which interest me not one bit so I cannot judge them.

The MB GLC is a dud, as a trip to the forums will prove, and C/D found the new CLS with straight six to have a flimsy structure, so only badge boys or people believing in Black Forest elves assembling them still believe they're buying real quality in every model from a given brand. It seems to me that actually driving some of these chariots might sway some prospective purchasers into sanity. That's what I endeavour to do myself. Who makes the vehicle I couldn't care less. Decades of engineering experience have taught me that some designs transcend others of nominal equality, and nobody really knows why some things just work well and others are mere journeymen or worse. But that's the way it is. Is the XT4 a standout star? Highly unlikely, like about 90% of the general mediocrity out there.

[ChaosphereIX]

But that is just the thing, people these days do not care as long as it looks snazzy, has Apple CarPlay, and has a nice ride. Does it appear at all sporty, perhaps with a small spoiler and angled shoulder lines? Yes? Then it is sporty, that is the end of it. Pump in the fake engine noise, slather it in black piano trim and fake chrome, and slap big blacked 22s on it and people will love it. Because they do not care about what a car is anymore, this forum excepted of course, instead they are seduced by marketing magic fairy fluff and gimmicks.

[Seafoam]

This has the new longer stroke 2.0t from GM, which somehow has less power and torque than the old one they've been plunking into everything from Malibus to Equinoxes for years which is a square 86mm bore and stroke (like about three other manufacturers of 2 litre engines). I read about the change somewhere or other, and as a mechanical engineer found myself in a true WTF moment. It's supposed to be smoother and slightly more thermally efficient. Whoopee. Less money spent on refining the existing engine would have gotten the same result unless Powertrain is staffed by dolts, and at least its reliabilty is proven. How to waste money like Mercedes and BMW, both of whom have made two entirely different 2.0 t engines since 2011. And that Berlin by garish moonlight MB dash is the height of bad German ground-pounding taste in my opinion - a Gorden Wagener wet dream of Teutonic brass band glitz.

The reviewer went off into flights of fancy about this vehicle, showering accolades with gay abandon. Guess he'll be at the press barbecues for the immediate future. At $75K with taxes, the XT4 had better be wonderful. But it's just a gussied up GM something or other with a flash bit o' styling, a different interior, the aforementioned engine and hasn't a hope against a Lexus NX in the real durability stakes. I never got GM vehicles. At least for the past 40 years. They seem to be a collection of decent modules assembled into a unit, with nobody in charge of integrating the result into a seamless whole. Mystifies me over and over again - started with those Citations in 1979 and hasn't let up since, Corvettes and the middle gen CTS excepted, perhaps the trucks which interest me not one bit so I cannot judge them.

The MB GLC is a dud, as a trip to the forums will prove, and C/D found the new CLS with straight six to have a flimsy structure, so only badge boys or people believing in Black Forest elves assembling them still believe they're buying real quality in every model from a given brand. It seems to me that actually driving some of these chariots might sway some prospective purchasers into sanity. That's what I endeavour to do myself. Who makes the vehicle I couldn't care less. Decades of engineering experience have taught me that some designs transcend others of nominal equality, and nobody really knows why some things just work well and others are mere journeymen or worse. But that's the way it is. Is the XT4 a standout star? Highly unlikely, like about 90% of the general mediocrity out there.

I take it you are  scratching this one off your list?

[NormT]

This has the new longer stroke 2.0t from GM, which somehow has less power and torque than the old one they've been plunking into everything from Malibus to Equinoxes for years which is a square 86mm bore and stroke (like about three other manufacturers of 2 litre engines). I read about the change somewhere or other, and as a mechanical engineer found myself in a true WTF moment. It's supposed to be smoother and slightly more thermally efficient. Whoopee. Less money spent on refining the existing engine would have gotten the same result unless Powertrain is staffed by dolts, and at least its reliabilty is proven. How to waste money like Mercedes and BMW, both of whom have made two entirely different 2.0 t engines since 2011. And that Berlin by garish moonlight MB dash is the height of bad German ground-pounding taste in my opinion - a Gorden Wagener wet dream of Teutonic brass band glitz.

The reviewer went off into flights of fancy about this vehicle, showering accolades with gay abandon. Guess he'll be at the press barbecues for the immediate future. At $75K with taxes, the XT4 had better be wonderful. But it's just a gussied up GM something or other with a flash bit o' styling, a different interior, the aforementioned engine and hasn't a hope against a Lexus NX in the real durability stakes. I never got GM vehicles. At least for the past 40 years. They seem to be a collection of decent modules assembled into a unit, with nobody in charge of integrating the result into a seamless whole. Mystifies me over and over again - started with those Citations in 1979 and hasn't let up since, Corvettes and the middle gen CTS excepted, perhaps the trucks which interest me not one bit so I cannot judge them.

The MB GLC is a dud, as a trip to the forums will prove, and C/D found the new CLS with straight six to have a flimsy structure, so only badge boys or people believing in Black Forest elves assembling them still believe they're buying real quality in every model from a given brand. It seems to me that actually driving some of these chariots might sway some prospective purchasers into sanity. That's what I endeavour to do myself. Who makes the vehicle I couldn't care less. Decades of engineering experience have taught me that some designs transcend others of nominal equality, and nobody really knows why some things just work well and others are mere journeymen or worse. But that's the way it is. Is the XT4 a standout star? Highly unlikely, like about 90% of the general mediocrity out there.

I take it you are  scratching this one off your list?

Only because he needs a minimal square engine for racing to work!  All of GM 2.4 or 2.5l engines are stroker versions.  The 2 4l takes 13 psi on a stock engine just fine.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

This has the new longer stroke 2.0t from GM, which somehow has less power and torque than the old one they've been plunking into everything from Malibus to Equinoxes for years which is a square 86mm bore and stroke (like about three other manufacturers of 2 litre engines). I read about the change somewhere or other, and as a mechanical engineer found myself in a true WTF moment. It's supposed to be smoother and slightly more thermally efficient. Whoopee. Less money spent on refining the existing engine would have gotten the same result unless Powertrain is staffed by dolts, and at least its reliabilty is proven. How to waste money like Mercedes and BMW, both of whom have made two entirely different 2.0 t engines since 2011. And that Berlin by garish moonlight MB dash is the height of bad German ground-pounding taste in my opinion - a Gorden Wagener wet dream of Teutonic brass band glitz.

The reviewer went off into flights of fancy about this vehicle, showering accolades with gay abandon. Guess he'll be at the press barbecues for the immediate future. At $75K with taxes, the XT4 had better be wonderful. But it's just a gussied up GM something or other with a flash bit o' styling, a different interior, the aforementioned engine and hasn't a hope against a Lexus NX in the real durability stakes. I never got GM vehicles. At least for the past 40 years. They seem to be a collection of decent modules assembled into a unit, with nobody in charge of integrating the result into a seamless whole. Mystifies me over and over again - started with those Citations in 1979 and hasn't let up since, Corvettes and the middle gen CTS excepted, perhaps the trucks which interest me not one bit so I cannot judge them.

The MB GLC is a dud, as a trip to the forums will prove, and C/D found the new CLS with straight six to have a flimsy structure, so only badge boys or people believing in Black Forest elves assembling them still believe they're buying real quality in every model from a given brand. It seems to me that actually driving some of these chariots might sway some prospective purchasers into sanity. That's what I endeavour to do myself. Who makes the vehicle I couldn't care less. Decades of engineering experience have taught me that some designs transcend others of nominal equality, and nobody really knows why some things just work well and others are mere journeymen or worse. But that's the way it is. Is the XT4 a standout star? Highly unlikely, like about 90% of the general mediocrity out there.

I take it you are  scratching this one off your list?

Only because he needs a minimal square engine for racing to work!  All of GM 2.4 or 2.5l engines are striker versions.  The 2 4l takes 13 psi on a stock engine just fine.

What's a 'striker' engine?  Is that where the tolerances between the piston and the cylinder wall are just a little too large, so the piston skirts end up striking the cylinder wall?  Because that's called 'piston slap', and if I recall is something usually found on GM 350's....

I'm not surprised GM is including piston slap on their 2.4L and 2.4" 'striker' engines, though.  Typical GM...

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

This has the new longer stroke 2.0t from GM, which somehow has less power and torque than the old one they've been plunking into everything from Malibus to Equinoxes for years which is a square 86mm bore and stroke (like about three other manufacturers of 2 litre engines). I read about the change somewhere or other, and as a mechanical engineer found myself in a true WTF moment. It's supposed to be smoother and slightly more thermally efficient. Whoopee. Less money spent on refining the existing engine would have gotten the same result unless Powertrain is staffed by dolts, and at least its reliabilty is proven. How to waste money like Mercedes and BMW, both of whom have made two entirely different 2.0 t engines since 2011. And that Berlin by garish moonlight MB dash is the height of bad German ground-pounding taste in my opinion - a Gorden Wagener wet dream of Teutonic brass band glitz.

The reviewer went off into flights of fancy about this vehicle, showering accolades with gay abandon. Guess he'll be at the press barbecues for the immediate future. At $75K with taxes, the XT4 had better be wonderful. But it's just a gussied up GM something or other with a flash bit o' styling, a different interior, the aforementioned engine and hasn't a hope against a Lexus NX in the real durability stakes. I never got GM vehicles. At least for the past 40 years. They seem to be a collection of decent modules assembled into a unit, with nobody in charge of integrating the result into a seamless whole. Mystifies me over and over again - started with those Citations in 1979 and hasn't let up since, Corvettes and the middle gen CTS excepted, perhaps the trucks which interest me not one bit so I cannot judge them.

The MB GLC is a dud, as a trip to the forums will prove, and C/D found the new CLS with straight six to have a flimsy structure, so only badge boys or people believing in Black Forest elves assembling them still believe they're buying real quality in every model from a given brand. It seems to me that actually driving some of these chariots might sway some prospective purchasers into sanity. That's what I endeavour to do myself. Who makes the vehicle I couldn't care less. Decades of engineering experience have taught me that some designs transcend others of nominal equality, and nobody really knows why some things just work well and others are mere journeymen or worse. But that's the way it is. Is the XT4 a standout star? Highly unlikely, like about 90% of the general mediocrity out there.

/r/Iamverysmart