Compare the2023 Cadillac CT4-VVS 2023 Acura TLX

Both the CT4-V and TLX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The CT4-V has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The TLX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 CT4-V are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The TLX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The CT4-V’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The TLX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CT4-V Auto has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The TLX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The CT4-V has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the TLX’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CT4-V has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Acura charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Monitor on the TLX.

Both the CT4-V and the TLX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The CT4-V’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the TLX’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 2 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CT4-V’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the CT4-V’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the TLX’s camshafts. If the TLX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

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 Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in long-term dependability. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Acura is rated below average.

The CT4-V’s standard 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder produces 53 more horsepower (325 vs. 272) and 100 lbs.-ft. more torque (380 vs. 280) than the TLX’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The CT4-V’s 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder produces 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (380 vs. 354) than the TLX Type S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6. The CT4-V Blackwing’s standard 3.6 turbo V6 produces 117 more horsepower (472 vs. 355) and 91 lbs.-ft. more torque (445 vs. 354) than the TLX Type S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Cadillac CT4-V turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Acura TLX (automatics tested):

In a Car and Driver race course test, the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing was clocked 11.1 seconds faster than the Acura TLX Type S (175.6 sec. vs. 186.7 sec.).

On the EPA test cycle the CT4-V gets better mileage than the TLX:

The CT4-V has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the TLX (17 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The CT4-V offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The TLX doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The CT4-V’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 TLX doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the CT4-V Blackwing’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the TLX:

The CT4-V’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the TLX are solid, not vented.

The CT4-V stops much shorter than the TLX:

The CT4-V’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 TLX’s standard 50 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the CT4-V can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The TLX doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The CT4-V’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52.3% to 47.7%) than the TLX’s (57% to 43%). This gives the CT4-V more stable handling and braking.

The CT4-V Blackwing handles at 1.01 G’s, while the TLX A-Spec SH-AWD pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CT4-V executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the TLX A-Spec SH-AWD (25.4 seconds @ .73 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CT4-V’s turning circle is tighter than the TLX’s:

The CT4-V is 7.4 inches shorter than the TLX, making the CT4-V easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The CT4-V has 1.1 inches more front headroom and .2 inches more rear headroom than the TLX.

The CT4-V has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The TLX has no towing capacity.

The engine in the CT4-V is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the TLX. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Acura. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 9% lower rating, Acura is ranked 6th.

The CT4-V’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The TLX does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows standard on both the CT4-V and the TLX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the CT4-V is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The TLX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The CT4-V’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 TLX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the CT4-V offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The TLX doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CT4-V’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The TLX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The CT4-V offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the TLX.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Cadillac CT4-V has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the TLX.

The CT4-V Blackwing was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 2022. The TLX has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.