2023 Cadillac CT4-V handles like a European, or not. It’s your choice.

2023 Cadillac CT4-V vs. Lexus ES 300h vs. BMW M340i: Small luxury sedan battle.

This week: Cadillac CT4-V.

Price: $57,790 as tested. Super Cruise 2 package added $8,100 for one of the best (and most highly monitored) driving assist systems out there, plus premium audio and lighting. All-wheel drive was a $500 option, an unusual arrangement.

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver says “handsome styling does a lot with a small package, larger engine provides real punch, proper rear-driver dynamics,” but on the down side, “cabin materials not as nice as we’d like, back seat still not welcoming to adults, [and] the best driver’s-car options get expensive quickly.”

Marketer’s pitch: “Exhilarating power.”

Reality: Some exhilaration, some power, some confusion.

What’s new: Launched in 2020, the small Cadillac sedan aims at small European offerings. New paint colors are the only updates for 2023, with similar minimalist changes for 2024.

Competition: This versus the M340 versus the ES 300h may not be the most traditional head-to-head, but Mr. Driver’s Seat is at the mercy of what the manufacturers provide. Still, the prices and sizes are close.

Other competitors include the Acura Integra, Genesis G70, Alfa Romeo Giulia, and Audi A4.

Choices: Vehicles that act like two cars in one seem to be a theme of Driver’s Seat in recent days. Some offer two fine renditions of automobiles, while others aren’t that well done. Still others seem to decide for you, offering surprise peel-outs among the slow starts.

Cadillac goes seemingly one better, because the CT4-V tested seemed like three different vehicles. One of them is awesome, one is pretty good, and one is almost not even worth having. But at least the driver gets the control, mostly — there is a learning curve.

Up to speed: The 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the test vehicle provides 310 horsepower. It gets the sedan to 60 mph in 5 seconds, according to Motor Trend. A 2.0 with just 237 horses is also available.

Shifty: The 10-speed transmission is a problem. Leave it in automatic mode and it does not know what to do with all the speed available.

Shifting is only from the paddle shifters, which doesn’t inspire me to shift. These days I’m accustomed to cars handling these functions all on their own, but I played the game and was rewarded handsomely for it.

On the road: The all-wheel-drive version of the CT4-V offers sharp handling. Sport mode is fun, but Track mode gets close to the best sporty sedans; I even got in a few controlled skids while cornering. (Rear-wheel drive is the default, so I’m betting that handles nicely as well.)

It really took until Day 6 for me to put all the pieces together and have a lot of fun; the country roads from central Chester County to Delaware offered a nice proving ground.

Touring mode works well if you’re simply out, well, touring. The CT4-V feels like it’s not in a hurry but it’s comfortable.

Driver’s Seat: The leather seats sported the official color designation “sangria with jet black accents” ($1,500), and they may be worth the price, as they were comfortable and highly adjustable.

Friends and stuff: Maybe don’t plan to bring passengers along for the ride. Entry-exit in the rear is difficult, and the rear seat provides spaciousness similar to a bargain airline economy ticket. Sure, Cadillac luxury abounds, but my head hits the ceiling, and leg and foot room are cramped, and I’m not that tall. The middle spot is pretty much swallowed by the front console and the floor hump.

The rear doors are also exceedingly pointy, and coupled with how wide they must be opened just to fit through, watch out for dings in the parking lot.

Cargo space is a tiny 10.7 cubic feet.

Play some tunes: The touchscreen is another small feature for a luxury model, just 8 inches measured diagonally. But at least it’s easy to use.

The Bose 14-speaker audio system produces sound that rates about an A-, maybe an A. I noticed some clear reproduction on a few songs, yet others didn’t seem to be so spot-on.

Keeping warm and cool: For all the complaining I do when the HVAC functions require using the touchscreen, two long rows of buttons and toggles handling all the air and seat functions wasn’t an improvement. I couldn’t figure out a grouping in a week, so it meant lots of time with my eyes off the road — maybe it comes together over more driving time.

Fuel economy: I averaged about 22 mpg in 120 miles of mostly country roads.

Where it’s built: Lansing, Mich.

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the CT4 reliability to be a 2 out of 5.

In the end: The CT4-V provides a fun ride when driven one very specific way. If you don’t have everything dialed in, it acts really classless, which is not where you want a Cadillac to be.

Next week: Lexus ES300h.