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If you find Cadillac’s newton-meter
badging confusing, wait until you get a load
of its new sedan strategy. The two surviving
sedans would seem easy to categorize, with
the Cadillac CT4 replacing the luxury-
compact ATS and the CT5 replacing the
luxury-midsize CTS. The full-size CT6—
Cadillac’s best and most advanced car in
decades—ends production in January.
Both CT4 and CT5 carry forth on an
updated version of the rear-wheel-drive
Alpha platform. The CT4 is about 0.8 inch
wider but has roughly the same wheelbase
and approximately the same overall length
as the ATS (Cadillac has been vague with
specs thus far), though with a better rear-
seat package made possible by a redesign
of the interior. The CT5 is 1.7 inches shorter
overall than the outgoing CTS, but its
wheelbase has stretched by 1.4 inches.
The CT4 remains in the same size catego-
ry as the BMW 3 and 4 Series and Mer-
cedes C-Class, though Cadillac says main
competitors for its 2020 CT4-V are the en-
try-compact front-drive Audi A3, Mercedes
A-/CLA-Classes, and the upcoming rear-
drive BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe.
Similarly, Cadillac names the BMW
M340i, Audi S4, and Mercedes-AMG C 43
and not the more powerful M550i or AMG
E 53 as competition for its 2020 CT5-V.
Why? Cadillac has retreated from taking on
the Germans directly in prestige and price
point in favor of its old bargain-premiumnomenclature delineating the standard Vs
from the track models. The 2020 Cadillac
CT4-V’s “500” badge refers to the 369
lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque generated by its
2.7-liter turbo-four, which also makes 320
hp. The engine is a version of the 2.5-liter
naturally aspirated Chevrolet Colorado/
GMC Canyon engine and features a
three-step sliding camshaft to optimize
performance at different speeds.
The CT5-V will come with a 3.0-liter
twin-turbo V-6 making 355 horsepower
and 400 lb-ft of torque (rounded up to
550 Nm). The standard engine on the
base Cadillac CT5 is a 2.0-liter turbo-four.
The two Vs are more balanced for ride
and handling, Kotarak says. In the CT4-V,
a new upper shock mount will replace
an upper jounce-bump mount for more
suspension travel. Both Vs will come with
next-gen MagneRide 4.0 dampers and be
the first offered with all-wheel drive.
Summer tires come with RWD V
models, and AWD versions get all-
seasons. After these sedans debut, the
all-new 2021 Escalade, finally with
independent rear suspension and design
cues from the Escala concept, reclaims
the mantle as the marque’s flagship. AMIn which milder V
models replace
the V-Sports
V Is for
What
Now?
ON SALE:
CT4-V: Late 2020; CT5-V: Early 2020
BASE PRICE:
CT4-V: $42,000 (est); CT5-V: $50,000 (est)strategy. These two mild V models
replace the V-Sports (see Mercedes-
AMG’s 43 and 53 variants), with high-
performance “track-model” Vs coming
later. Cadillac slipped camouflaged CT4
and CT5 “track” models on the circuit
before last June’s Belle Isle Grand Prix,
showing off cars with more aggressive
spoilers, grilles, and black wheels.
They’re expected to come with Cadillac’s
exclusive Blackwing 4.2-liter twin-turbo
V-8, which until now was assigned to just
the lame-duck CT6-V.
There are no plans for a two-door
CT4 as of now, says the model’s chief
engineer, Rob Kotarak, and we don’t
expect a manual transmission option
for any variant of either car, though the
track models could get the mid-engine
Corvette’s dual-clutch transmission.
“The 10-speed was obviously the
ultimate match” for the CT4-V, which of
course will come with paddle shifters,
Kotarak says. Cadillac will add a semi-
autonomous Super Cruise option to ’21
CT4s and CT5s.
Those inscrutable newton-meter
badges appearing on the rear deck
of the new Caddies could be used asCT4-VCT5-V