zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
The 2020 Cadillac CT4 Is Cadillac's Phoned-In Attempt At Attracting A ‘New Generation Of Customers’
The 2020 Cadillac CT4 Is Cadillac's Phoned-In Attempt At Attracting A ‘New Generation Of Customers’-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:56

Image for article titled The 2020 Cadillac CT4 Is Cadillac's Phoned-In Attempt At Attracting A ‘New Generation Of Customers’

The 2020 Cadillac CT4 is here, with an all-turbocharged lineup, optional all-wheel drive, and the goal of attracting the “new generation” of Cadillac customers. Though it’s meant to lead in the new generation of sedans to , it doesn’t do anything that you would call radical, not so much as adopting even a slightly more creative name.

Cadillac, specifically, said the CT4 was developed to “appeal to youthful buyers in the luxury market who may be new to the Cadillac brand.” Kids, Cadillac is coming for ya—using the same approach it’s been using for years.

Image for article titled The 2020 Cadillac CT4 Is Cadillac's Phoned-In Attempt At Attracting A ‘New Generation Of Customers’

Cadillac details of the new CT4 sedan Thursday, and if you vaguely remember reading about a CT4 before, that was the , meant to be a replacement for one of the outgoing V-Series performance cars but not bringing big enough power numbers to do so. This is the plain CT4, which is meant for even less performance.

The new CT4 will come with an all-turbocharged lineup and standard rear-wheel drive, as Cadillac announced, and AWD will be available on every model. will be available in the 2020 calendar year, as Cadillac says, which means you can pay for it, but it does not specify if it will be limited on trims.

Image for article titled The 2020 Cadillac CT4 Is Cadillac's Phoned-In Attempt At Attracting A ‘New Generation Of Customers’

The standard engine is Cadillac’s 2.0-liter, twin-scroll turbo four-cylinder that makes a rated 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, and it’ll be paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. There’s also a 2.7-liter turbo, which will be available on the higher Premium Luxury trim of the car and standard on the V-Series. On the Premium Luxury trim, it’ll make 309 HP and 348 lb-ft, while we learned that it’ll make 325 HP and 380 lb-ft on the CT4-V. Models with that engine will get a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Image for article titled The 2020 Cadillac CT4 Is Cadillac's Phoned-In Attempt At Attracting A ‘New Generation Of Customers’

Inside, the CT4 will get an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen and the ability to do over-the-air updates, as well as an available heated steering wheel and “eight distinct interior color, material and trim options.” Pricing isn’t out, but Cadillac said the car will be available for ordering later this year.

But as decent as Cadillac’s products are, aside from the company’s and tendency to jump from to —like a new V-Series car that makes only 24 more horsepower than —it’s odd that the company would try to market this CT4 to “youthful buyers” who may be “new to the Cadillac brand.”

Image for article titled The 2020 Cadillac CT4 Is Cadillac's Phoned-In Attempt At Attracting A ‘New Generation Of Customers’

In a basic sense, this car isn’t really a departure from anything Cadillac’s been doing, and that was expected after we saw the CT4-V. It looks like a Cadillac. It’s turbocharged, luxury oriented and will likely be pricey, even if less pricey than the cars it’s replacing, like a Cadillac. It’s a sedan, like Cadillac is known for. It powers the rear wheels, like a Cadillac.

Cadillac seems to have fallen into the “Blah” category, somewhat at its own fault. Some of that is due to high pricing. Some of it is due to a with the German luxury brands, while also not making its own kind of identity (as you find at, say, Lincoln.) I’dadd that it’s also somewhat at the fault of generalized public opinions that it can’t totally control. It’s kind of like the Corvette, before the came out: Sure, the product is good, but even in a roaring, 755-HP , it’s hard not to feel like a middle-aged man. It’s also hard not to feel kind of “Blah” about Cadillac, even if it’s difficult to explain why.

Image for article titled The 2020 Cadillac CT4 Is Cadillac's Phoned-In Attempt At Attracting A ‘New Generation Of Customers’

But unlike an engine move in a Corvette, there’s nothing new and daring here that would make the CT4 attract that young and new-to-the-brand audience it so badly wants—even if the product itself seems like a perfectly fine vehicle.

And, while it’s not all Cadillac’s fault that it has to go after new buyers, it probably shouldn’t label the same old, same old as one of its attempts to do so.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
GT7 Celebrates 25 Years of Gran Turismo by Adding Road Atlanta and 4 New Cars
GT7 Celebrates 25 Years of Gran Turismo by Adding Road Atlanta and 4 New Cars
December 23 marks 25 years since the release of the original in Japan in 1997 — a game that changed not only the course of gaming, but the course of automotive history. It would be another five months before those of us in the U.S. would have our chance...
Nov 12, 2025
Reminder: 'Bullitt' Was and Still Is Bad
Reminder: 'Bullitt' Was and Still Is Bad
Every few years someone will try to tell me that the 1968 movie Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen and renowned for its chase sequence, is good. “Have you seen the car chase?,” they will say, and that is usually the only thing, . We bring this up once again in...
Nov 12, 2025
This is the Best and Only Snow Brush You'll Ever Need For Your Car
This is the Best and Only Snow Brush You'll Ever Need For Your Car
It’s getting colder up here in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that many of you fine readers will soon be blessed with one of motoring’s greatest boons: snow. The white powdery mix provides a chance for you to slide your car around at safe speeds, get sideways through a...
Nov 12, 2025
Watch This Wild Thanksgiving-Themed Indiana Car Dealership Commercial
Watch This Wild Thanksgiving-Themed Indiana Car Dealership Commercial
On this day for taking stock of the things we are grateful for in our lives, I think now is as good a time as ever to talk about what I am most for: cheap, commercials. Few things on Earth give me more joy and pleasure than watching a...
Nov 12, 2025
Sony Snuck a Bunch of BMW E39 M5s into Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Sony Snuck a Bunch of BMW E39 M5s into Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The world of is canonically one of the best places for car lovers. Not only because there are , but also because of the disproportionately high number of models casually cruising around , being so bold as to street park in the Big Apple though they lack Peter Parker’s and...
Nov 12, 2025
Chevy's Holiday TV Commercial Is Great Because It Doesn't Try to Sell You a Car
Chevy's Holiday TV Commercial Is Great Because It Doesn't Try to Sell You a Car
When car companies try to do super-sentimental ads, it typically comes off as cringe at best. But this holiday ad from Chevrolet seemingly doesn’t attempt to sell any cars at all, and as a result, it’s pretty great. In the ad, a Black woman and her beloved 1957 Chevy...
Nov 12, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved