Compare the2025 Audi A5VS 2025 Cadillac CT4

The A5’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 A5 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 A5 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The CT4 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The A5 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 A5. But it costs extra on the CT4.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The A5 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The CT4 doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

Both the A5 and CT4 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the A5 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.

The A5’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The CT4 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the A5 and the CT4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 A5’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the CT4’s (12 vs. 6 years).

The Audi A5’s engine uses 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.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 14 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

The A5’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 31 more horsepower (268 vs. 237) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 258) than the CT4’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the A5 gets better mileage than the CT4:

Regenerative brakes improve the A5’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The CT4 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The A5 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 A5 offers an available 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 A5’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 A5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CT4:

The A5 stops shorter than the CT4:

For better traction, the A5 has larger standard tires than the CT4 (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R17). The A5’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CT4 (245/40R19 vs. 235/40R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A5 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the CT4 Luxury.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A5’s wheelbase is 4.5 inches longer than on the CT4 (113.8 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

The A5 handles at .84 G’s, while the CT4 Premium Luxury AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The A5 has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the CT4.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the A5’s power liftgate can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The CT4 doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

The A5 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 A5’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 A5 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 A5’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.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A5 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 A5 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The CT4 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Audi A5 and Cadillac CT4 offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The A5 features standard power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the CT4’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The A5 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the CT4. The A5 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 Audi A5 has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Homelink® is only available on the CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport.

The A5 Premium Plus/Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The CT4 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Audi A5/S5/RS 5 outsold the Cadillac CT4 by almost four to one during 2024.