Photo: Cadillac
The smallest crossover ever from Cadillac – which rides on the GM E2XX platform for passenger cars – is set to receive an off-road driving mode for 2020. This will join AWD, Snow and Ice, Tour for comfortable driving on the long haul, and Sport for go-faster action in the twisties.
Cadillac Society understands that Off-Road Mode “modifies accelerator pedal response, AWD torque, and the Traction Control System.” As you’d expect, the software also engages all-wheel drive for maximum traction and grip when the going gets rough. The instrument cluster is also supposed to illuminate “a specialized icon” when Off-Road Mode is active.
The question is, does it even matter? The XT4 was never developed to hit the trails or bash the sand dunes, let alone climb over rocks or ford streams. The low ground clearance and generous front overhand don’t help with off-roading either, defeating the purpose of Off-Road Mode altogether.
On the other hand, try to think about this addition from the point of view of a marketer. Off-Road Mode is easy to sell as a concept to most customers in the market for the XT4, the type of people who rarely venture off the beaten path but feel secure for having such a system in their vehicle.
What else can you expect from the compact crossover that Cadillac manufactures in Kansas City and Shanghai? A few additional color options for the exterior are in the pipeline, and knowing General Motors, we’re expecting a rearrangement of the standard equipment for every trim level of the XT4.
Scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2019, the 2020 Cadillac XT4 also happens to cost more than the outgoing model. Make that $35,695 excluding destination as opposed to $34,795, which is a lot for a compact crossover that’s premium at best instead of luxurious.
The FWD Luxury is the most affordable trim level of them all, packing LED headlamps and taillamps, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and rear parking assistance.
The question is, does it even matter? The XT4 was never developed to hit the trails or bash the sand dunes, let alone climb over rocks or ford streams. The low ground clearance and generous front overhand don’t help with off-roading either, defeating the purpose of Off-Road Mode altogether.
On the other hand, try to think about this addition from the point of view of a marketer. Off-Road Mode is easy to sell as a concept to most customers in the market for the XT4, the type of people who rarely venture off the beaten path but feel secure for having such a system in their vehicle.
What else can you expect from the compact crossover that Cadillac manufactures in Kansas City and Shanghai? A few additional color options for the exterior are in the pipeline, and knowing General Motors, we’re expecting a rearrangement of the standard equipment for every trim level of the XT4.
Scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2019, the 2020 Cadillac XT4 also happens to cost more than the outgoing model. Make that $35,695 excluding destination as opposed to $34,795, which is a lot for a compact crossover that’s premium at best instead of luxurious.
The FWD Luxury is the most affordable trim level of them all, packing LED headlamps and taillamps, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and rear parking assistance.
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