Cadillac is one of the last ways you can get a good old-fashioned American sedan. While still riding the wave of SUVs and crossovers to please current market trends, Cadillac is the last stop if you want a honking American V8 with rear wheel drive. Gas-powered Cadillacs, however, are soon on their way out, with Cadillac slated to go all-electric as it takes aim at Tesla, starting with the 2024 electric Lyriq; no more gas motors as soon as 2030. So act fast if you want a gas-powered Cadillac, as its current models represent the pinnacle of luxury and refinement for the discerning American luxury consumer.
Escalade
The Cadillac Escalade remains the King of the Road, selling more than 40,000 examples a year, making mincemeat of the runner-up Lincoln Navigator, which doesn’t even sell half as many. Beginning msrp is $80,795 — price of entry is not cheap — the 2023 Escalade is one of the most coveted vehicles in suburban driveways next to well manicured American lawns. Air ride adaptive suspension provides a supple, smooth ride despite the Escalade’s origins as a truck, and GM added power running boards which make ingress and egress a cinch 6.2 liters of V8 American fury is standard, packing 420 horsepower.
Surprising to many will be both the optional 3.0L turbo-diesel as well as the supercharged 682hp Escalade V-Series, the latter of which starts at an eye-popping $149,695. The diesel has 277 horsepower but a whopping 460 lb-ft of torque, and runs about $4,000 more than the standard motor. The “normal” Escalade runs 211.9 inches in length, and is based on the Chevrolet Tahoe body size, while the Escalade ESV is 227 inches in length, and is based on a Chevy Suburban. The entry level ESV starts at $87,190 msrp with the 6.2L V8.
XT Range
Slightly more attainable than the Escalade are Cadillac’s medium and small size SUV crossovers, the XT5 and XT4, respectively. Many, including us, have a hard time telling the two apart, though the trained eye can see that the former is larger and has more windows when comparing the two side-by-side. All are offered in front or all wheel drive, and both have a standard four cylinder turbo motor boasting 235hp.
The smaller XT4 starts at just $36,295 msrp for 2023, making it one of the cheapest ways to find yourself behind the wheel of a new Cadillac. The XT4’s gas mileage is impressive, getting up to 30MPG on the highway, and standard features include LED headlamps and tailamps, 18 inch alloy wheels, parking assistance, emergency braking, and other smart system safety elements. The slightly more expensive premium luxury trim starts at $40,195 msrp and adds leather seats, hands-free power lift-gate, and lane departure warning. The XT4 is being facelifted for 2024, and will start at $37,895 msrp, in a slightly more modern looking package — be sure to keep an eye out for clearance deals on the outgoing 2023 bodystyle when the 2024 facelift debuts.
The XT5 starts at $44,195 msrp, providing a bit more room for passengers in the rear and cargo in the back. The XT5 has 30 cubic feet of storage to the XT4’s 22, and is nearly 190 inches to the XT4’s 181 inches long. Only the larger XT5 offers an optional 310-hp V6 which is not available on the XT4, and it only costs about $1,000 more than the four cylinder. Right now the XT5 Luxury is leasing at $539 a month for 39 months with $4200 down for qualifying lessees.
Cadillac’s last SUV of its model range is the Cadillac XT6, which looks like neither the XT5 nor the XT4, but offers seating for 6 or 7, and starts at $48,595 msrp. The same motors offered in the XT5 are offered in the XT6, as well as a choice of front or all wheel drive. The most compelling reason to choose the XT6 is its ability to seat as many as the Escalade without the price — but also without the panache.
CT Range
The most American of luxury sedans, the CT6, was recently discontinued, so if you wanted a floating luxury barge with a V8, you are out of luck; the only V8 American sedan left is the performance-oriented CT5-V Blackwing. If you still want a traditional luxury sedan, however, Cadillac is the only American luxury brand left offering them. The CT4 and CT5 small sedans share similar design language, but are distinct vehicles.
The larger CT5 sedan starts at $38,195 msrp for 2023 with a four-cylinder turbo, making it the most affordable mid-size luxury sedan on the market, and giving potential buyers of loaded sedans from the likes of Honda or Nissan cause for doubt. An upgrade to the twin turbo V6 with 335 horsepower will run about $8,000 more than the base model if you feel like a four-cylinder Cadillac is unbecoming. The CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing meanwhile are the spiritual successors to the formidable BMW M5-killing Cadillac CTS-V, and offer the CT5’s twin turbo V6 ($52,900 msrp) with more power, or a 6.2L V8 with 668 horsepower and a manual transmission ($94,890 msrp or $98,065 for automatic).
The compact CT4 is the cheapest new Cadillac for the luxury-minded on a budget, starting at just $34,395 for 2023. The standard four cylinder is the same as the CT5’s with 237-hp, however, the upgraded optional engine for the CT4 is a bigger 2.7L turbo-4 with 310hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. Right now Cadillac is leasing the 2023 CT4 Premium Luxury for $349 a month for 36 months with $4,000 due at signing for qualified lessees.