Compare the2024 Cadillac CT4VS 2023 Nissan Maxima

Both the CT4 and Maxima 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 Maxima’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.

The CT4 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Maxima doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the CT4 and the Maxima have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The CT4 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car. The Maxima’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the CT4 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Maxima. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Maxima ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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

The battery on the CT4 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the CT4’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Maxima’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the CT4 second among compact premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Maxima isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is rated lower.

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 Nissan 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, Nissan is rated below average.

The CT4’s optional 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder produces 10 more horsepower (310 vs. 300) and 89 lbs.-ft. more torque (350 vs. 261) than the Maxima’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

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

On the EPA test cycle the CT4 gets better mileage than the Maxima:

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

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the CT4’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Maxima doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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 Maxima 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 Nissan Maxima (3). This means the CT4 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Maxima every 15,000 miles.

The CT4 stops shorter than the Maxima:

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 Maxima SR/Platinum’s 40 series tires.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the CT4 can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Maxima doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

The CT4’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (54% to 46%) than the Maxima’s (60.8% to 39.2%). This gives the CT4 more stable handling and braking.

The CT4 Premium Luxury AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Maxima Platinum pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CT4 Premium Luxury AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Maxima Platinum (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CT4’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Maxima’s (37.1 feet vs. 38.1 feet). The CT4 AWD’s turning circle is .1 feet tighter than the Maxima’s (38 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

The CT4 is 5.6 inches shorter than the Maxima, making the CT4 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 Maxima doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

The engine in the CT4 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Maxima. 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 Nissan. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 31% lower rating, Nissan is ranked 18th.

The CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning 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 Maxima doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CT4’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Maxima’s parking brake has to be released manually.

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

The CT4’s front and rear power windows all lower 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 Maxima’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Maxima doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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 Maxima.

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. The Maxima doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Cadillac CT4 outsold the Nissan Maxima by 30% during 2022.