Compare the2024 Audi A4VS 2024 Cadillac CT4

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A4 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 A4’s 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 Audi A4 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 A4 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A4. But it costs extra on the CT4.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A4’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The CT4 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the A4 and CT4 offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the A4 with Rear Cross-Traffic Assist also has Automatic Brake Activation (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 A4 and the CT4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

The A4’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the CT4’s (12 vs. 6 years).

The Audi A4’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the CT4’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

The A4 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 24 more horsepower (261 vs. 237) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 258) than the CT4’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the A4 45 TFSI is faster than the Cadillac CT4 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the A4 gets better mileage than the CT4:

Regenerative brakes improve the A4’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The CT4 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi A4 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The CT4 with the 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The A4 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.

The A4 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The CT4 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A4’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 CT4 doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the A4’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the CT4:

The A4 stops much shorter than the CT4:

For better traction, the A4’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CT4 (245/40R18 vs. 235/40R18).

The A4 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A4’s wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than on the CT4 (111 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A4 is 1.6 inches wider in the front than on the CT4.

The A4 Premium Plus handles at .97 G’s, while the CT4 Premium Luxury pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A4 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the CT4 Premium Luxury AWD (25.3 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

The A4 has .7 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the CT4.

The A4 has a much larger trunk than the CT4 (12 vs. 10.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the A4 easier. The A4’s trunk lift-over height is 26.9 inches, while the CT4’s liftover is 30 inches.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the A4 offers cargo security. The CT4’s non-lockable folding seat defeats cargo security.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the A4’s available trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The CT4 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The A4’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the CT4’s (3968 vs. 1000 pounds).

The A4 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.

The A4’s 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 A4 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the CT4 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The A4’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 CT4’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A4 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The CT4 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A4 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The CT4 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the A4 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The CT4 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The A4 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the CT4. The A4 Prestige also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CT4.

The A4 Prestige’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The CT4 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi A4, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Cadillac CT4 isn't recommended.

The Audi A4/S4 outsold the Cadillac CT4 by 48% during 2023.