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2020 Cadillac CT4 revealed

After unveiling the sporty CT4-V earlier this year, Cadillac has now taken the wraps off the rest of the CT4 range.


The CT4 uses an updated version of the Alpha platform underpinning the Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac CT5 sedan. That’s good news as Alpha cars have been frequently praised by critics for their dynamics.

In terms of size, it’s almost identical to the old entry-level ATS. Total length is 4756mm, fractionally longer than a BMW 3 Series but with a wheelbase 76mm shorter at 2775mm.

Though Cadillac considered the ATS a rival to the 3 Series, the bigger CT5 is now positioned as the brand's 3er rival. CT4 pricing hasn't been released, but expect it to correspond with or even undercut Germans the next class down, such as the Audi A3.

Standard in the CT4 Luxury, Sport and Premium Luxury is the turbocharged 2.0-litre LSY four-cylinder used predominantly in Cadillacs, producing 177kW and 350Nm and mated to an eight-speed automatic.

The previously-revealed CT4-V uses a turbocharged 2.7-litre four-cylinder producing 242kW and 515Nm and mated to a ten-speed automatic. A detuned version of the 2.7-litre engine is optional in the CT4 Premium Luxury, producing 231kW and 472Nm.

Both engines will use cylinder deactivation and automatic stop/start technology. As with the CT5, there’s a choice of rear- or all-wheel-drive across the range but the ATS's V6 is no more.

Standard on all models are selectable drive modes that adjust the transmission shifting, suspension, steering and brake feel and, in all-wheel drive models, the front/rear torque split. Drivers can even customise each of these to configure their own unique driving mode.

Rear-wheel drive V-Series models gain GM’s Magnetic Ride Control adaptive suspension.

Cadillac’s recently announced V models like the CT4-V are much tamer than past Vs, although they now offer all-wheel drive. That leaves room for a new performance range using the 'Blackwing' badge accompanying Cadillac’s new twin-turbocharged 4.2-litre V8, if not always the engine itself.

The CT4-V Blackwing is tipped to use a boosted six like the old ATS-V, whose twin-turbocharged 3.6-litre V6 produced 346kW and 603Nm. Cadillac has committed to continuing to offer manual transmissions and one is expected to appear in the CT4-V Blackwing.

All CT4s have an eight-inch touchscreen, a full-colour digital gauge cluster, and a high-definition rear-view camera. The CT4 will also be available with Cadillac’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving technology.

Cadillac has been progressively rolling out a new pricing and positioning strategy or, more accurately, returning to their old one. The last ATS and CTS were priced line-ball with similarly-sized Germans but couldn’t best them in sales so, as it did with the first two generations of CTS, Cadillac is offering a bigger car at the price of a smaller German car.

This new strategy was first deployed with the flagship CT6, a sedan with dimensions similar to a BMW 7 Series but prices that overlap with the 5 Series range. The 2020 CT5, likewise, is sized like a 5 Series but has a base price even lower than the entry-level 3 Series.

A decade ago, GM announced it was returning the Cadillac brand to Australia. A fleet of CTS sedans were sent our way only for the launch to be scuppered, GM blaming the Global Financial Crisis. Since then, there’s been no word from GM about an Aussie return for its luxury brand.

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