Compare the2024 Cadillac CT4VS 2022 Acura ILX

Both the CT4 and ILX 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 ILX’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 ILX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Cadillac CT4 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The ILX doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 ILX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

The CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers an optional HD Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The ILX only offers a rear monitor.

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

Both the CT4 and the ILX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 and rearview cameras.

The CT4’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the ILX’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’s warranty.

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 ILX’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 ILX 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 Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 37 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’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 36 more horsepower (237 vs. 201) and 78 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 180) than the ILX’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CT4’s optional 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder produces 109 more horsepower (310 vs. 201) and 170 lbs.-ft. more torque (350 vs. 180) than the ILX’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CT4’s fuel efficiency. The ILX 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 ILX doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The CT4 has 3.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the ILX (17 vs. 13.2 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 ILX 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 Acura ILX (3). This means the CT4 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the ILX every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Cadillac CT4 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the ILX.

For better stopping power the CT4 Sport’s brake rotors are larger than those on the ILX:

	CT4 Sport	ILX
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	12.3 inches
Rear Rotors	12.4 inches	11.1 inches

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 ILX are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the CT4 has larger standard tires than the ILX (225/45R17 vs. 215/45R17). The CT4 Premium Luxury’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ILX (235/40R18 vs. 225/40R18).

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 ILX A-SPEC’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CT4 offers optional 19-inch wheels. The ILX’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

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 ILX doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

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 ILX doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CT4’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the ILX (109.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CT4 is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than on the ILX.

The CT4’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (54% to 46%) than the ILX’s (63% to 37%). 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 ILX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The CT4 has .3 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the ILX.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the CT4’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the ILX’s useful trunk space.

The CT4’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The ILX’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

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

The engine in the CT4 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the ILX. 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 Acura. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 9% lower rating, Acura is ranked 6th.

The CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The ILX doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 ILX 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 ILX has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The power windows standard on both the CT4 and the ILX 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 ILX 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 ILX’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

The CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The ILX’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the CT4 detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The ILX doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

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 ILX doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport/V-Series’ 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 ILX offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The ILX doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the CT4’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The ILX doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

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 ILX.

Both the CT4 and the ILX offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the CT4 has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The ILX doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 ILX doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Cadillac CT4 outsold the Acura ILX by 47% during 2022.