The fourth generation of Magnetic Ride Control sharpens the driving performance of the Cadillac CT4-V, CT5-V, CT5 Sport and Escalade, with up to 45-percent faster damping response. The system is the world’s fastest reacting suspension technology, which allows for greater responsiveness and enhanced isolation from road imperfections.

The changes represent the most comprehensive updates since Cadillac introduced the suspension technology nearly 20 years ago on the 2002 Cadillac Seville STS. They include all-new wheel accelerometers, improved magnetic flux control and an inertial measurement unit that increases sensitivity to body motion, enabling even quicker changes as the suspension reads the road.

“With MagneRide 4.0, the world’s fastest reacting suspension system is now even faster,” said Thomas Schinderle, Cadillac vehicle performance engineer. “When paired with our sedans’ award-winning rear-wheel-drive architecture, the result is two of the most responsive sport sedans on the market, with reflexes that elevate the already high threshold of the V-Series legacy.” 

How it works

Magnetic Ride Control is an active damping system that uses electromagnets paired with magnetorheological fluid within the shock absorbers to continually vary their damping rate. Wheel accelerometers read the road up to 1,000 times per second, triggering changes in the magnetic charge within the fluid that can alter the damping rates of the shocks almost instantly.

By adjusting the damping rate, the car can better respond to varying road surfaces or sharp turns by maximizing tire contact on the road for greater driving precision.

What’s new

Debuting on the 2020 CT5-V and CT4-V, and expanding to the 2021 CT5 Sport and all-new Escalade, nearly every aspect of the previous system was reevaluated for the development of MagneRide 4.0. This includes the sensors, controller hardware, dampers and vehicle tuning methods.

Highlights include:

• New wheel hub accelerometers and an inertial measurement unit transmit and process changes in road conditions four times faster than the previous system, for more fluid and natural-feeling damping changes.
• The inertial measurement unit provides more precise measurements of body motion, relative to the wheel, for more accurate readings under heavy braking, hard cornering and other driving conditions.
• New secondary temperature maps enable engineers to compensate for changes in damper fluid temperature, which contributes to more consistent performance, especially during performance driving.
• New magnetic flux control creates a more consistent and more accurate transition between rebound and compression in the dampers, improving the system’s ability to sense and control vehicle body movement.
• A significant reduction in damper friction produces a near “no damping” effect that enables engineers to tune for more pronounced differences between drive modes.
• Upgrades to hardware and software improve transient body control to allow the vehicle to remain more level as it transitions between corners.
• A new magnetorheological fluid formula reduces friction within the damper that contributes to smoother overall damping.

Cadillac’s 2021 CT4-V (rear-wheel drive) and CT5-V come standard with MagneRide 4.0 and start at $45,890¹ and $48,790¹, respectively. The 2021 CT5 Sport starts at $42,790¹ and MagneRide 4.0 is available as part of the new optional V Performance package, which also includes additional suspension performance upgrades and a mechanical limited-slip differential.

For the 2021 Escalade, MagneRide 4.0 is standard on the Sport and Platinum models, which start at $86,890¹ and $101,290¹, respectively, and is available on the Premium Luxury trim as part of the optional Performance Package.