Last week, Cadillac Society was first to report that the Cadillac CT4 with the optional turbocharged 2.7L I-4 engine (production code L3B) will wear the 450T badge on its decklid. However, that wasn’t entirely correct, as models with the up-level engine actually wear the 500T badge instead. As it turns out, the source for the mixup involved about a thousand units of the CT4 that left the factory with the incorrect 450T badge.
Cadillac Society has learned that a total of 1,155 units of the 2020 Cadillac CT4 left the Lansing Grand River plant with 450T badges. It’s unclear why 450T badges were made or why they were present at the factory in the first place, since not a single Cadillac vehicle uses that designation (as of this writing).
Cadillac has now issued a service bulletin to address the issue. Dealers will remove the incorrect 450T badge and replace it with the correct 500T badge. This service will be performed free of charge to the owners.
Additionally, the service bulletin will expire at the end of the involved vehicle’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty period, which for the CT4 is four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Cadillac’s torque-based naming scheme utilizes the vehicle’s torque rating, in Newton Meters (Nm), which is then generously rounded to the nearest “50.” The torque number badges are followed by either a “T” to denote turbo-charging or “D” denoting a diesel engine. A number not followed by a letter, such as 400 or 600, designates a naturally-aspirated engine.
Cadillac began moving to its new torque-based nomenclature with 2020 model year vehicles, and the migration was completed with the 2021 Escalade, which was the final model to get the new naming treatment. The only Cadillacs that do not wear the torque-based badges are V-Series models; they feature the V badge instead.
The standard engine in the Cadillac CT4 is the turbocharged 2.0L I4 engine (production code LSY) rated at 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm) of torque. In that configuration, the CT4 wears the 350T badge on its decklid.
The CT4 Premium Luxury model can also be equipped with the optional turbocharged 2.7L I4 engine (production code L3B), which is the same engine used in the CT4-V. In the CT4 Premium Luxury, the 2.7L engine is rated at 310 horsepower and 350 pound-feet (474 Nm) of torque. In this configuration, CT4 wears the 500T badge on its decklid. By comparison, the same engine in the CT4-V is rated at 325 horses and 380 pound-feet (515 Nm) of torque.
| Model | Trim | Engine | Horsepower | Torque | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT4 | Luxury | Turbo 2.0L I4 LSY | 237 | 258 | 350T |
| CT4 | Premium Luxury | Turbo 2.0L I4 LSY | 237 | 258 | 350T |
| CT4 | Sport | Turbo 2.0L I4 LSY | 237 | 258 | 350T |
| CT4 | Premium Luxury | Turbo 2.7L I4 L3B | 310 | 350 | 500T |
| CT4 | V | Turbo 2.7L I4 L3B | 325 | 380 | V |
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2020 Cadillac CT4 Photos
Greg
It seems even the factory is a bit confused with it, too.
Paul Smith
And the folly of their asinine idea blossoms. lol
Caddy Fan
Another result of the most cockamamie naming convention to ever be conceived. Who the heck can keep track? Let’s see 2.0T is 258ft/lb torque, so multiply 258 by x, then round to the next hundred. It makes converting between Celsius and Fahrenheit look simple (9/5 times value of F plus 32). It’s wrong all over. Think about it- you buy a CT4 non-V and show it off to your neighbor, but you can’t be proud because of the awkward conversation to inevitably play out as a result of the “500T” emblazoned on the trunk lid:
Neighbor: Nice Caddy, what’s the 500T? 500 hp?
Owner: No
Neighbor: 500ft/lb torque?
Owner: No, it’s actually the torque output converted to newton-meters, rounded to the nearest hundred.
Neighbor: Huh? So, how about that upcoming vaccine?
Result: Neighbor unimpressed and owner embarrassed. How is that going to generate more sales?