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2020 Cadillac XT4 Review and Buying Guide | Competence and curb appeal

The 2020 Cadillac XT4 is a handsome little crossover distinctively sized between two segments. This allows it to boast backseat space on par with larger SUVs like the Audi Q5, while being a bit more park-able and fuel efficient like the BMW X1. There should definitely be a Goldilocks "just right" thing going on for many shoppers. Cadillac's baby SUV also impresses on the technology front, boasting loads of standard, advanced features along with a user-friendly touchscreen interface that shouldn't be too hard to figure out. There are dynamic missteps, though. The steering, throttle and brake pedals lack the driver-oriented response and feedback we've come to expect from Cadillac's sharply tuned sport sedans, while also not exactly possessing the nice-and-easy isolation of Caddy's past. In either scenario, we're not sure it "drives like a Cadillac" despite some otherwise impressive engineering going on underneath that handsome skin. The XT4 is also pretty expensive given its features, size and interior quality. Competitors both larger (Acura RDX) and smaller (Volvo XC40) provide better value. Still, as we noted in our XT4 first drive, there's enough novel tech to provide bragging rights, it's obviously a Cadillac in design (and definitely not just a rebadged Chevrolet in execution), and it's a pleasing enough place to sit while scooting around in traffic. It has competence and curb appeal, which count for a lot. What's new for 2020? After being an all-new model last year, the XT4 heads into 2020 with some noteworthy features updates: Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking are now standard, while the Premium Luxury trim level gets the hands-free power liftgate as standard equipment.   What's the XT4's interior and in-car technology like? The XT4's interior design isn't as memorable as that of its exterior, nor its stylish Volvo XC40 and Lincoln Corsair competitors. It's a bit generic, which just doesn't seem right for a Cadillac. Materials quality is acceptable when closer to its base price, but begins feeling less so as options are added and the price tag rises. We've also driven multiple XT4's with an annoying rattle in the B pillar. Standard infotainment technology is abundant. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included with the standard 8-inch touchscreen and benefit from a pair of USB ports: one standard USB-A and the other a newer USB-C.

Cadillac: The standard of what?

Cadillac's tagline "Standard of the World" goes back to 1908 when it won the Dewar Trophy. While you might think that the moniker and the trophy have something to do with a feat of racing and daring-do against a cadre of British, French, and German marques, it's nothing of the sort. Rather, Cadillac achieved the trophy because of interchangeable parts. The parts they were producing back then were so well-made that Henry Leland, who established Cadillac, was able to disassemble three Model Ks, mix up the parts, and then put together three functioning cars. This amazed the Brits who handed him the trophy, and the "Standard of the World" was born. During the past several months, Cadillac has been producing news releases that would seem as though the company is the Standard of the World: "Cadillac Global Sales Rise 44.2 percent in January ... 18 percent in February ... 22.1 percent in March. . .40.9 percent in April ... 33.8 percent in May ... 7.2 percent in June." Like the Dewar Trophy being about manufacturing not performance, things are not necessarily what they seem. That is, Cadillac's growth is predicated on performance in China, not in the US. Through June, its China sales are 80,357 vehicles for the first five months of 2017, versus 72,073 in the US. The China number is a 75.4-percent year-over-year increase while the US number is a 1.6-percent decrease. For the entire globe, Cadillac has sold 164,174 vehicles. Of them, 65,250 were the XT5. That was followed by the ATS, at 34,277 units. In the US, the XT5 is doing reasonably well, as it has moved 29,798 units during the first six months. The ATS, conversely, is doing not particularly well, as it is down 26.2 percent with sales at just 7,209 for the year so far. To put that into some sort of context, know that Cadillac has sold 7,370 copies of the generally derided XTS, which is down 24.7 percent. The CTS is down 36 percent at 5,059 units, and the only other car in the lineup (we'll pretend that the ELR doesn't exist anymore and it shortly won't), the CT6 sedan, is up 172.7 percent – but they have sold only 5,397 CT6s. While Caddy talks a good game about competing with the likes of the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes E-Class, know that those two sedans have been sold 17,036 and 20,783 times this year in the US respectively. So what is Cadillac chief Johan de Nysschen to do? According to Reuters, it is to cull the lineup.

Cadillac cancels sponsorship of Trump's PGA event

Cadillac has ended its sponsorship of the PGA's World Golf Championship, which has incited a response from Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Without the automaker's money to run the event at a property owned by Trump in Miami, the PGA announced it will move the WGC to Mexico City. Trump responded by saying, "Cadillac's been a great sponsor, but they're moving it to Mexico. They're moving it to Mexico City which, by the way, I hope they have kidnapping insurance. They're moving it to Mexico City. And I'm saying, you know, what's going on here? It is so sad when you look at what's going on with our country." In 2010, the PGA announced a multi-year deal with Cadillac to sponsor the WGC, starting in 2011. Since 2007, the event has been held at what is now known as the Trump National Doral Miami location. Trump took ownership of the property in 2012. Cadillac issued a statement to Autoblog that says: "We are proud to have been the title sponsor of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship since 2011. We have made the decision, however, not to extend our sponsorship beyond this year. We thank the PGA TOUR for a great six years with the Cadillac Championship." Related Video: News Source: Talking Points MemoImage Credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images Auto News Government/Legal Cadillac Mexico City