For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Avalon 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 the rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Avalon 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 Avalon has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, 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.

The Avalon's standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the CT4 and is only available on CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport.

The Avalon has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle's blind spots where the side view mirrors don't reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the CT4's blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Avalon has a standard cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the CT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers a cross-path warning system and it costs extra.

Both the Avalon 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, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight's “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Avalon its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 103 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CT4 has not been tested, yet.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Avalon for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Cadillac only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the CT4.

There are over 41 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Cadillac dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Avalon's warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it's being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Avalon's reliability 30 points higher than the CT4.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is ranked fifth.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports' January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Cadillac is ranked 21st.

The Avalon's 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 64 more horsepower (301 vs. 237) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 258) than the CT4's standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Avalon uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CT4 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Avalon stops shorter than the CT4:

The Avalon 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.

The Avalon offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The CT4's suspension doesn't offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Avalon's wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than on the CT4 (113 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Avalon is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the CT4.

The Avalon Touring uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The CT4 doesn't offer active noise cancellation.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Avalon a Mid-size car, while the CT4 is rated a Compact.

The Avalon has 14.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CT4 (104.3 vs. 90).

The Avalon has 2.8 inches more front hip room, 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 6.9 inches more rear legroom, 2.3 inches more rear hip room and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the CT4.

The Avalon has a much larger trunk than the CT4 (16.1 vs. 10.7 cubic feet).

The Avalon 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 Avalon'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 Avalon the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the CT4 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Avalon has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The CT4 doesn't offer a locking fuel door.

The Avalon's speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn't have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The CT4's standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Avalon has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the CT4. The Avalon Limited/Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren't available in the CT4.

Insurance will cost less for the Avalon owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Avalon will cost $115 to $2070 less than the CT4 over a five-year period.

The Avalon will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Avalon will retain 41.63% to 42.3% of its original price after five years, while the CT4 only retains 37.94% to 39.96%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Avalon will be $3273 to $5745 less than for the Cadillac CT4.

The Toyota Avalon has won recognition from these important consumer publications: