Not long ago, the founder of a new car-making force raised the question of "completely not understanding why some people still buy oil cars", which caused great controversy, and such questions seem to put fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles in a black and white position. But in fact, whether it is a pure electric vehicle or a fuel vehicle, it is learning from each other's strengths, so there will be a solution of "range increase" or "48V light mix". The new Cadillac XT4, which was recently launched, is equipped with a 2.0T+48V mixing system, which also marks that the Cadillac SUV family has fully entered the era of light mixing. So, what kind of improvement does the new Cadillac XT4 with the light mix system have? Can its driving pleasure be further enhanced?
As an annual redesign model, the new Cadillac XT4 has been optimized for configuration, canceling the old four-wheel drive leading model, the number of models has been reduced from 5 to 4, and the price has also been raised, with a price range of 26.17-354,700 yuan. Of course, the biggest change in the new car is that the whole series has upgraded the 2.0T+48V light hybrid power system.
■ The 48V light mixing system mainly provides auxiliary power
The 2.0T+48V mixing system equipped with the new Cadillac XT4 is actually not unfamiliar, and it has been applied to many models of SAIC-GM before. Among them, the maximum power and peak torque of the 2.0T engine are 237 horsepower and 350 Nm, respectively, and the book data is consistent with the old model. The transmission that matches the powertrain is still a 9-speed manual transmission, and the gearshift paddles are equipped as standard.
From the perspective of actual driving, the 2.0T engine is still more than enough for a compact SUV such as the XT4, as long as it is willing to give oil, it feels that the power reserve is still relatively sufficient. At the same time, the 48V light mix system can also provide a certain auxiliary ability when starting and accelerating, with the throttle that is more sensitive to the initial performance, as long as the pedal can get a rapid response feedback, so the whole vehicle is also strong and powerful when starting to accelerate, and then speeding up and overtaking at high speed is still not a problem.
As for the 9AT gearbox on the new XT4, it is very active in its daily state of upshift, and the city loop gearbox is quickly upgraded to 6 or 7 gears. At the same time, the auxiliary power from the 48V light mix system can also maintain the power output uninterrupted when the transmission shifts gears, which also improves the overall smoothness and the acceleration process is more linear.
After the optimization of the model configuration, the new XT4 Platinum model, as the top model, is the only model with a four-wheel drive system, which can provide four driving modes of comfort, AWD, sport and off-road (the two-wheel drive model is comfortable/sport/anti-skid), of which only the comfort mode is two-wheel drive, and the other three modes are in a timely four-wheel drive state. Such a setup can basically cope with most of the weather or road conditions encountered during daily travel. Of course, please don't let it make more hardcore attempts, after all, the main application scenario of XT4 is still in the city.
The suspension tuning and steering feel of the new XT4 have a traditional American tightness. Among them, the front and rear suspension is still a combination of the front McPherson independent suspension + the rear five-link independent suspension, the overall adjustment mode is biased towards toughness, combined with the heavy steering feel, it can still provide good driving confidence when cruising at high speed. However, when such a tuning method encounters a big bump such as a speed bump, the impact on the body is not sufficiently resolved.
■ There is no change in shape, and localization interaction and application have been added
Although the new Cadillac XT4 adds a 48V light hybrid system, it is still essentially an annual remodel, so there is no obvious change in the styling design, and more improvements come from the interior configuration and intelligent system. Compared with the positioning of other Cadillac models focusing on luxury and comfort, the XT4 has a stronger sporty attribute in terms of styling, and the design elements such as short and lean body size, straight and sharp body lines give people the visual experience of the American "muscle guy".
Specifically, the style of the entire front face of the Cadillac XT4 is similar to that of the XT5, the chrome-plated middle mesh pays more attention to luxury, and the iconic shield logo is designed in the middle of the net. In addition, the new XT4 is also available in a sporty model with a black honeycomb mid-mesh. As for the tear-eyed headlights, they also attract the attention of consumers, not only have a high degree of recognition, but also the visual effect after the daytime running lights are lit. As for the headlight configuration, all XT4 models are LED light sources, and in high-end models, they also have adaptive far and near light functions.
The side shape of the Cadillac XT4 is full and stocky, and the short tail design is smart and powerful. In addition, the new car also uses a large number of chrome parts to surround the windows, and the black skid plate at the bottom also increases the visual height. As for the body size, the new car has a certain advantage in the same class of vehicles with a length, width and height of 4600/1881/1627 (1634) mm and a wheelbase of 2779 mm. It is worth mentioning that the top model of the new XT4 is also equipped with 20-inch wheels, and the huge silver wheels have a strong visual impact. The entry-level model is equipped with an 18-inch rim.
The more angular lines create a rich layering of the rear of the XT4, while the dual L-type taillights are more recognizable when lit, and the sport version uses a transparent lampshade with black elements inside the light cavity, while the regular version uses a conventional red lampshade.
The interior of the new XT4 is also unchanged, the center console is covered with a large area of leather fabric, and the details are silver aluminum trim to enhance the sense of technology, still maintaining the usual standard of Cadillac models. At the same time, the combination of steering wheel shape and dual hands + 8-inch color LCD screen is also consistent with the old model. The HUD head-up display is still only available at the top.
The upgrade of Internet technology is one of the biggest changes in the new XT4, although the 8-inch touch central control screen (still controlled by buttons and knobs) is indeed not a large size today, but the internal system has been equipped with a new Cadillac Mobile Internet Experience (CUE), the new system not only introduces Baidu voice assistant and Baidu online navigation, but also many third-party applications from the Baidu ecosystem can further enhance the convenience of users when traveling.
As the top version of the platinum seat function is also extremely rich, both the main driver and the co-driver provide 8-way electric adjustment + 4-way waist adjustment function, the two front seats also have ventilation, heating, massage three functions, the main driver's seat is also equipped with additional position memory function, convenience and comfort are in place.
The rear seat padding is softer and comfort can be satisfied. The front of the rear row also provides air conditioning outlets and charging interfaces, and the convenience needs can also be met, but because the middle floor uplift amplitude is relatively large, the somatosensory comfort of the middle passengers in the full state is slightly affected.
From the official announcement of the parameters, the XT4 conventional state of the trunk volume from the original 447L to 441L, although there is a slight gap in the parameters, but the trunk space in the visual has not changed in the slightest. At the same time, the volume behind the second row of chairs has also been reduced from the original 1334L to 1328L, but the expanded space has not changed, and the loading capacity and storage flexibility are still good in the compact SUV.
■ Say at the end
The biggest feature of the new Cadillac XT4 is the use of a new 2.0T+48V light mix system, although the system will not completely replace the status of the engine like the plug-in hybrid model, but it can also provide a certain auxiliary power when starting and accelerating, which also alleviates the ups and downs of the previous old model to a certain extent, thereby improving the driving experience. In addition to the power system, the new CUE vehicle connection system equipped with the new XT4 further meets the needs of users when traveling. However, as an annual redesign model, the new XT4 will continue its existing product positioning, focusing on the entry-level market and selling low-end models. After all, with Cadillac's current market offers, more than 200,000 can buy luxury brand SUVs, or it can make some young consumers move.