Compare the2023 Cadillac XT4VS 2023 Tesla Model Y

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the XT4 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model Y doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model Y only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the XT4’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The XT4 has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model Y doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the XT4 and the Model Y have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Cadillac XT4 is safer than the Tesla Model Y:

	XT4	Model Y
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Compression	43 lbs.	68 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	181/231 lbs.	298/427 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Cadillac XT4 is safer than the Tesla Model Y:

	XT4	Model Y
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	169	358
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	204	283
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	522 lbs.	682 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

There are almost 4 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the XT4’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 63 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Cadillac 2 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

The XT4 has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Model Y doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The XT4 offers an optional 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 Model Y; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The XT4 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the XT4 flat and controlled during cornering. The Model Y’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The XT4 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 or off-road. The Model Y’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The XT4 Sport AWD handles at .89 G’s, while the Model Y Long Range pulls only .88 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the XT4’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Model Y’s (38 feet vs. 39.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XT4 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (6.7 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the XT4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Cadillac XT4 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 700 pounds less than the Tesla Model Y.

The XT4 is 5.9 inches shorter than the Model Y, making the XT4 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The XT4 uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Model Y doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the XT4 Sport AWD is quieter than the Model Y Long Range (67 vs. 68 dB).

The XT4 has 2.3 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more front shoulder room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model Y.

The XT4 has a much larger cargo volume than the Model Y with its rear seat up (22.5 vs. 16.9 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model Y doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the XT4 uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Model Y doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

An Oil Life Monitor is standard on the XT4 to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes and air filter replacement based on actual driving conditions. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model Y.

The XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model Y doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XT4 has a standard rear wiper. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Consumer Reports rated the XT4’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Model Y’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XT4 (except Luxury) offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Model Y doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The XT4’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model Y doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the XT4 has standard extendable sun visors. The Model Y doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Model Y doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model Y.

The XT4 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Model Y doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the XT4 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the XT4 will cost $3560 to $4465 less than the Model Y over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Cadillac XT4 will be $7385 to $11936 less than for the Tesla Model Y.