Compare the2025 Cadillac XT4VS 2025 Acura RDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages

Safety

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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 XT4 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The RDX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The XT4’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The RDX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XT4 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 RDX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the XT4 and RDX have rear cross-traffic warning, but the XT4 has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The RDX’s Rear Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the XT4 and the RDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Cadillac XT4 is safer than the Acura RDX:

	XT4	RDX
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	190	300
Neck Stress	218 lbs.	262 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	181/231 lbs.	328/464 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	350	353
Neck Compression	77 lbs.	84 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	73/175 lbs.	362/441 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Cadillac XT4 is safer than the Acura RDX:

	XT4	RDX
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	51 G’s	52 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	204	486
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	522 lbs.	704 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The XT4’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the RDX’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 XT4’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 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 With 20 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Cadillac higher than Acura.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XT4 gets better mileage than the RDX:

			MPG
XT4
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy
RDX
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the XT4’s fuel efficiency. The RDX doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XT4’s brake rotors are larger than those on the RDX:

	XT4	RDX
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.4 inches	12.2 inches

The XT4’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the RDX are solid, not vented.

The XT4 stops much shorter than the RDX:

	XT4	RDX
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	109 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XT4’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the RDX (109.4 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The XT4 Sport AWD handles at .89 G’s, while the RDX A-Spec pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XT4 Sport AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the RDX (26.3 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XT4’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the RDX’s (38 feet vs. 38.9 feet).

Chassis

The Cadillac XT4 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 300 pounds less than the Acura RDX.

The XT4 is 6.5 inches shorter than the RDX, making the XT4 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the XT4 (except with towing package) uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The RDX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The XT4 has 2.5 inches more front legroom and 1.1 inches more rear legroom than the RDX.

Towing

The XT4’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RDX’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Acura RDX is only 1500 pounds. The XT4 offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the XT4 uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The RDX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Acura. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 13% lower rating, Acura is ranked 9th.

Ergonomics

The XT4’s 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 RDX does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The XT4’s standard Keyless Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Smart Entry standard on the RDX doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The XT4’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 RDX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XT4 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The RDX doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The XT4’s 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 RDX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Cadillac XT4 has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors are only offered on the RDX Advance.

The XT4 offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the RDX.

Model Availability

The XT4 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The RDX doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the XT4 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the XT4 with a number “8” insurance rate while the RDX is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XT4 is less expensive to operate than the RDX because typical repairs cost much less on the XT4 than the RDX, including $209 less for front brake pads, $139 less for a starter, $175 less for a fuel pump, $101 less for front struts and $416 less for a power steering pump.