cadillac xt4 Cadillac XT4 Tech Talk - Is any of the items a concern?

[G. David Felt]

The 2019 Cadillac XT4 is in production, on their way to dealerships and out for test drives around North America. Reviews have been very positive and people have a variety of love / hate it for the design. Even here on Cheers and Gears various members have a passion on how plastic is being used on the front and rear of the car. 

With that it is time to take a closer look at some of the tech on this newest CUV from Cadillac. I found sandyblogs.com and the writers Tech Link. Here they do a pretty good job of pointing out the various tech on new auto's. I wanted to bring this into C&G for discussion and see what you all think.

Tech open for debate:

1. XT4 Electro-hydraulic brakes
2. Turbo Charged 2.0L engine
3. Plastic Engine Oil Pan
4. Multipoint Air filter sensors
5. 9 speed transmission with shift by wire
6. Active Twin Clutch AWD system
7. Active Sports Suspension
8. Next Generation Infotainment system
9. Rotary Controller
10. Driver Assistance systems
11. Hands Free power liftgate
12. 22 new specialty tools to work on the auto

The XT4 is the first GM auto to use their new brake control system that takes up considerably less room under the hood compared to a traditional Vacuum assisted power braking system. This new brake system is 13 lbs lighter than the old one it replaces. There are new braking sensors, brake pad sensors, wheel speed sensors and a new Power up self test. This makes the braking system a very self aware system for faster response with greater safety.

We then have the feature heavy 2.0L Turbo 4 motor with AFM (Active Fuel Management), SIDI (Spark ignited Direct Injection), DOHC (Dual Overhead Camshafts), VVT (Variable Valve Timing) with this being the first new engine built on CSS or cylinder set strategy. This engine also uses an electric water pump using a built in local interconnect Network to manage cooling.

Oil is the Gen 2 full synthetic SAE 0W-20 and uses a hardened plastic oil pan connected to the engine block. This oil pan helps to reduce the overall weight by a few pounds.

The DIC in the auto is able to manage the multiple air sensor points on when you need to change the air filter.

The 9 speed transmission is one of the smallest ever and uses electronics to shift gears via input from the EPS (Electronic Precision Shift). This does have a slightly different pattern over the XT5 as it is just a straight up and down  only.

The AWD twin clutch system is electronically controlled and allows a perfect 50/50 between front and back wheels and yet allows power up to 100% to be sent to the wheels with the best traction.

The active Sport Suspension adjusts to the road every 2 milliseconds and allows the driver to change between tour, sport or AWD mode at any time.

Cadillac is rolling out their next generation infotainment system. Higher quality graphics with a much faster more responsive system. faster to touch as well as voice. This system supports NFC (Near Field Communication) for easy pairing of your phone and the system.

Besides touching the screen or a button, there is a rotary controller now allowing ease in access among the menus and feature function.

Driver assistance systems is easiest to just post their long list of what this includes:

• Safety Alert Seat
• Rear Camera Mirror
  • Surround Vision 360-degree Camera
• Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• Front/Rear Park Assist
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Front Pedestrian Braking
• Forward Collision Alert
• Forward/Reverse Automatic Braking
• Head-Up Display
• Automatic Parking Assist with Braking

Final feature is one that Cadillac competitor has had for years, Hand Free power liftgate. When you are within 6 ft of the rear of the auto with the fob in your pocket, you can just swing your foot and it will open the rear liftgate.

The final listed item is all the new tools needed to work on the XT4. You can review the list on the Tech Link 1.

Tech Link 1

Tech Link 2

[Cmicasa the Great]

interesting enough... being a gear head for most of my life.. the Plastic Engine Oil Pan is the biggest concern I have . Not because I believe it will melt.. but that if it is not reinforced or protected by some sort of plate.. it could be cracked if it hit something hard enough on the road

[ccap41]

52 minutes ago, Cmicasa the Great said:

interesting enough... being a gear head for most of my life.. the Plastic Engine Oil Pan is the biggest concern I have . Not because I believe it will melt.. but that if it is not reinforced or protected by some sort of plate.. it could be cracked if it hit something hard enough on the road

I can almost guarantee there is a soft aero skid-plate under the vehicle that will protect it from most any contact. 

[ocnblu]

Except that is not a photo of an XT4 in the original post.

[Robert Hall]

19 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

Except that is not a photo of an XT4 in the original post.

Correct, that is an XT5 in the OP.  

[G. David Felt]

@dwightlooi

What are your thoughts Dwight on plastic oil pans and the tech changes that motors are undergoing?

[G. David Felt]

@ocnblu @Cubical-aka-Moltar I admit I am only Human. I grabbed the picture from the media section where they had XT4 and did not look close enough. Now the pic is from the XT4 section on the cadillac web site.  Happy?  

[Robert Hall]

2 minutes ago, dfelt said:

@ocnblu @Cubical-aka-Moltar I admit I am only Human. I grabbed the picture from the media section where they had XT4 and did not look close enough. Now the pic is from the XT4 section on the cadillac web site.  Happy?  

From certain angles, they do look very similar...it was the c-pillar that gave it away to me. 

[G. David Felt]

10 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

From certain angles, they do look very similar...it was the c-pillar that gave it away to me. 

Totally agree with you as they do look very similar and I think unless you have them side by side to see the size difference, many will confuse if it is an XT4 or XT5. Even with the subtle differences in the plastic lower valance in the front they are allot alike. True family resemblance. 

[ccap41]

I don't see any reason to be concerned about a plastic oil pan. It isn't like it will be made of the same plastic of a water bottle. Composites have made such great advances that they should be used more where they can. 

[G. David Felt]

38 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I don't see any reason to be concerned about a plastic oil pan. It isn't like it will be made of the same plastic of a water bottle. Composites have made such great advances that they should be used more where they can. 

Very true, there are composite plastic that is stronger than steel equals. I just hope that for an AWD CUV, there is some sort of protection shield underneath.

Much like how tesla needed to add a shield to protect better their plastic battery case on the Tesla S. Just make sure the lite material choices are protected as there is no history of plastic oil pans before. I hope the heat does not warp it and make them leak.

[ccap41]

5 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Very true, there are composite plastic that is stronger than steel equals. I just hope that for an AWD CUV, there is some sort of protection shield underneath.

Much like how tesla needed to add a shield to protect better their plastic battery case on the Tesla S. Just make sure the lite material choices are protected as there is no history of plastic oil pans before. I hope the heat does not warp it and make them leak.

My Escape had a little plastic skidplate(I presume it was for less aerodynamic drag) that would have been plenty to keep a plastic oil pan covered from most anything you drive over. 

This can't be the first plastic oil pan, is it? 

[ccap41]

I just did a little googling and they've been around for a long time and apparently the 2015+ F150 has had them. 

[ccap41]

I wouldn't worry about it. 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

My Escape had a little plastic skidplate(I presume it was for less aerodynamic drag) that would have been plenty to keep a plastic oil pan covered from most anything you drive over. 

This can't be the first plastic oil pan, is it? 

Do not know, but it is the first one I have heard of.

Edit:

@balthazar Yoda of auto history, Question restated since @ccap41 found history of recent use of plastic oil pans. So question to you, are these the actual first use or did they try them before in the last 50 years but like GM diesel conversion V8's of the 70's they were a disaster?

[Robert Hall]

Interesting...didn't realize plastic oil pans were a thing.   

[G. David Felt]

28 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Interesting...didn't realize plastic oil pans were a thing.   

Right!, I am surprised by this and with the heat I would think it would affect it but clearly not.

[ccap41]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

Do not know, but it is the first one I have heard of.

Edit:

@balthazar Yoda of auto history, Question restated since @ccap41 found history of recent use of plastic oil pans. So question to you, are these the actual first use or did they try them before in the last 50 years but like GM diesel conversion V8's of the 70's they were a disaster?

Seeming how you're asking...  the MK7 GTI has had a plastic oil pan sense 2015. The 6.7L Powrestroke Ford has been a composite since 2010. 

Or are you asking like pre-2000? 

[G. David Felt]

5 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Seeming how you're asking...  the MK7 GTI has had a plastic oil pan sense 2015. The 6.7L Powrestroke Ford has been a composite since 2010. 

Or are you asking like pre-2000? 

Yes, before those you posted and thank you for finding the info and posting, I am wondering if in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's if this was done before and failed?

[balthazar]

I've never heard of a 'plastic' pan in 'Ye Olden Days of Yore', or prior to this century, but I'm not surprised there's already a number of examples already. Plastics encompass far more composition variants than steel or aluminum, and as for heat- if OEMs have worked out plastic intakes years ago on TOP of an IC engine, I have no worries about a plastic oil pan on the bottom end.

 

Just take the propaganda in with a critical eye; the Daimler pan posted above isn't 30% larger capacity because it's plastic- if anything the plastic versions are obviously much thicker-walled. The shape is different.

[ccap41]

20 hours ago, balthazar said:

Just take the propaganda in with a critical eye; the Daimler pan posted above isn't 30% larger capacity because it's plastic- if anything the plastic versions are obviously much thicker-walled. The shape is different

I think the key phrase in the description is, "held 30% more oil in the same package space". So yes it's a different shape but that's probably because the aluminum can only be stamped in such a shape whereas plastics can be molded into basically anything. 

[balthazar]

Just noting the attempted correlation of plastic to more volume, when clearly it's a matter of design, not material. 'Package space' is gobblygook; it cannot offer more volume in the same physical space.

Sometimes the hyperbole gets tiresome.

[ccap41]

I understand what you're saying but because of plastic they're allowed to make something that can hold 30% more while taking up the same area on the vehicle. 

[Drew Dowdell]

I wonder when we're going to start seeing things like carbon fiber valvetrains. 

[G. David Felt]

15 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I wonder when we're going to start seeing things like carbon fiber valvetrains. 

Lets add more than just Ceramic brakes to that list too.

[dwightlooi]

On 10/8/2018 at 5:24 PM, dfelt said:

@dwightlooi

What are your thoughts Dwight on plastic oil pans and the tech changes that motors are undergoing?

True plastics are rarely used in today's oil pans and intake manifolds anymore. Most, are molded composites with about 30~40% fiber content. The last 20 years seems to have worked out the wrapping and degradation problems. Molded composites are a lot easier to make smooth on the insides and integrate fine features like baffles or vanes. The inherent elasticity accommodates the differences in thermal expansion.

The main disadvantage of these Molded Composites is that, unlike aluminum, they cannot be load bearing structural members of the engine. My personal opinion is that they contributed negatively to the aural quality of engines that use them. A rigid manifold or structural oil pan increases the rigidity of the engine and raises the harmonic frequencies of the entire engine. Despite GM's claims, I find the aural quality of the LF and LG series V6es to be decided inferior to overhead cam engines of the 1990s such as the Mazda/Ford K-series, the Toyota JZA or the VW/Audi VR6es. The biggest step backwards in engine refinement I attribute to Direct Injection and the diesel like clatter its high pressure injectors make. But another factor is the use of composite manifolds and oil pans. Mid-frequency noise are the least associated with fine machinery.

[dwightlooi]

The LSY engine in the XT4 (and presumably many GM vehicles to come) is decidedly underwhelming.

The long stroke 83 x 92.3 mm design seems to want to mimic VW/Audi's 2.0T (82.5 x 92.8 mm). A reduced bore to stroke ratio is good for energy recovery but effects a lethargically revving engine with high piston speeds (hence reduced vibrational refinement).

237hp puts it at the back of the class and is quite unforgivable given the its variable valve lift system and other expenses. More important than peak numbers is the fact that it's 258 lb-ft is delivered at 1,500 rpm and fades above 4,000 rpm. An engine that comes on strong then spends the entire half of the tachometer running out of breath is decidedly uninspiring to drive. Simply using a larger turbo with modern aerodynamics running moderate boost (~14.7 psi), slightly higher compression (~10.5:1), an air-to-water aftercooler and an appropriate high lift cam grind would have allowed a torque curve 250~260 lb-ft @ 1800~5800 rpm with 280~300 hp @ 6000~6200 rpm. Such an engine would feel much livelier and more pleasing to drive -- if not anything because it comes on below 2000 rpm and is linear across most of the tach until it kisses the rev limiter. It'll drive and feel like an Acura 3.5L V6 (280hp / 254 lb-ft) which is not a bad thing!

[balthazar]

On 10/10/2018 at 9:45 AM, ccap41 said:

I understand what you're saying but because of plastic they're allowed to make something that can hold 30% more while taking up the same area on the vehicle. 

I'm not arguing that plastics don't allow a greater variation in shape at potentially less cost, but to wit; steel, 2 more quarts than original :

Cost & weight may well be another matter, but there's not going to be a thinner wall (=more capacity) in the same envelope than steel.

Edited November 29, 2018 by balthazar

[G. David Felt]

@dwightlooi Thank you, always enjoyable to read and think about your insight on engines.