Compare the2023 Cadillac CT4VS 2023 Mercedes CLA

Both the CT4 and CLA have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The CT4 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 CLA’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 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CLA doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport 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 CLA doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The CT4’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the CLA.

Both the CT4 and the CLA 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the CT4 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the CLA. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the CLA ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

There are over 46 percent more Cadillac dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the CT4’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 Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes 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 Mercedes 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, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Cadillac 7 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The CT4’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 16 more horsepower (237 vs. 221) than the CLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The CT4’s optional 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder produces 89 more horsepower (310 vs. 221) and 92 lbs.-ft. more torque (350 vs. 258) than the CLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Cadillac CT4 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Mercedes CLA:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CT4’s fuel efficiency. The CLA doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The CT4 has 3.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the CLA (17 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The CT4 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The CLA doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Cadillac CT4 higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Mercedes CLA (5). This means the CT4 produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CLA every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Cadillac CT4, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the CLA.

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

The CT4 stops shorter than the CLA:

For better traction, the CT4 Premium Luxury’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CLA (235/40R18 vs. 225/45R18).

The CT4’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CLA’s optional 40 series tires.

The CT4 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 CLA doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CT4’s wheelbase is 1.9 inches longer than on the CLA (109.3 inches vs. 107.4 inches).

The CT4’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (54% to 46%) than the CLA’s (60% to 40%). This gives the CT4 more stable handling and braking.

The front grille of the CT4 Premium Luxury uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The CLA doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The CT4 has .6 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room and .8 inches more rear headroom than the CLA.

The CT4 has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The CLA has no towing capacity.

The engine in the CT4 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the CLA. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 31% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

Consumer Reports rated the CT4’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the CLA’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the CT4 has standard extendable sun visors. The CLA doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

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

Insurance will cost less for the CT4 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the CT4 will cost $1785 to $5130 less than the CLA over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Cadillac CT4 will be $812 to $9043 less than for the Mercedes CLA.

The Cadillac CT4 outsold the Mercedes CLA by 6% during 2022.