Compare the2023 Audi A5 SportbackVS 2023 Cadillac CT4

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A5 Sportback have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Cadillac CT4 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The A5 Sportback’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The CT4 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi A5 Sportback are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Cadillac CT4 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The A5 Sportback has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CT4 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A5 Sportback. But it costs extra on the CT4.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A5 Sportback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The CT4 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the A5 Sportback and CT4 offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the A5 Sportback has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The CT4’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the A5 Sportback and the CT4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A5 Sportback the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CT4 has not been tested, yet.

The A5 Sportback’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the CT4’s (12 vs. 6 years).

The Audi A5 Sportback’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the CT4’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 11 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

The A5 Sportback 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 24 more horsepower (261 vs. 237) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 258) than the CT4’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the A5 Sportback gets better mileage than the CT4:

Regenerative brakes improve the A5 Sportback’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The CT4 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi A5 Sportback uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The CT4 with the 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The A5 Sportback has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver The fuel filler door is not lockable on the CT4. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The A5 Sportback offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The CT4 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A5 Sportback’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The CT4 doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the A5 Sportback’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the CT4:

For better traction, the A5 Sportback has larger standard tires than the CT4 (245/40R18 vs. 225/45R17). The A5 Sportback’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CT4 (255/35R19 vs. 235/40R18).

The A5 Sportback’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CT4 Luxury’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A5 Sportback has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the CT4 Luxury.

The A5 Sportback has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the CT4; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the CT4 don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The A5 Sportback offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The CT4’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A5 Sportback’s wheelbase is 1.9 inches longer than on the CT4 (111.2 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A5 Sportback is 2.2 inches wider in the front than on the CT4.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the A5 Sportback a Mid-size car, while the CT4 is rated a Compact.

The A5 Sportback has .5 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the CT4.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the A5 Sportback has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The CT4 doesn’t offer a power trunk.

The A5 Sportback uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The CT4 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The A5 Sportback’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The CT4’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the A5 Sportback the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the CT4 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The A5 Sportback’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The CT4’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A5 Sportback to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The CT4 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A5 Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The CT4 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The A5 Sportback has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the CT4. The A5 Sportback Prestige also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CT4.

The A5 Sportback Prestige’s Park Steering Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The CT4 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Audi A5 comes in coupe, convertible and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Cadillac CT4 isn’t available as a coupe or convertible.

The A5 Sportback will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the A5 Sportback will retain 44.35% to 44.55% of its original price after five years, while the CT4 only retains 39.41% to 41.44%.

The Audi A5/S5 outsold the Cadillac CT4 by almost two to one during 2022.