Compare the2024 Lexus ISVS 2024 Cadillac CT4

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus IS have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Cadillac CT4 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The IS’ optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The CT4 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Lexus IS are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Cadillac CT4 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The IS has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CT4 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the IS and CT4 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the IS offers optional Rear Cross-Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The CT4’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the IS its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CT4 has not been tested, yet.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the IS’ reliability 40 points higher than the CT4.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the IS first among compact premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The CT4 was rated second.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in long-term dependability. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Cadillac is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus second in overall reliability. Cadillac is ranked 17th.

The IS has more powerful engines than the CT4:

As tested in Consumer Reports the IS 300 AWD 3.5 DOHC V6 is faster than the Cadillac CT4 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

The IS has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the CT4. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

For better stopping power the IS’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the CT4:

The IS stops much shorter than the CT4:

For better traction, the IS has larger standard tires than the CT4 (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the IS 300 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the CT4 Luxury.

The IS has a standard 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 CT4; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the CT4 don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The IS 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. The CT4’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the IS is 1.9 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the CT4.

The IS 350 F Sport handles at .93 G’s, while the CT4 Premium Luxury AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The IS 500 Performance executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the CT4 Premium Luxury AWD (25.2 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the IS’ turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the CT4’s (34.2 feet vs. 37.1 feet). The IS AWD’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the CT4 AWD’s (35.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

The IS has 2.4 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom and 1.5 inches more rear hip room than the CT4.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the IS offers cargo security. The CT4’s non-lockable folding seat defeats cargo security.

The IS uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The CT4 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Cadillac. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 17% lower rating, Cadillac is ranked second.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport, the IS offers an optional driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The IS’ 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 CT4 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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

If the windows are left open on the IS the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Lexus service department.) The driver of the CT4 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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

The CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The IS’ optional adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

A power rear sunshade is optional in the IS to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The CT4 doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Lexus IS, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Cadillac CT4 isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the IS first among compact premium cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The CT4 isn’t in the top three.

The Lexus IS outsold the Cadillac CT4 by over two to one during 2022.