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I tested a $52,000 Cadillac XT4 crossover SUV that used an old-school navigation system instead of digital maps - here's what it was like

I tested a $52,000 Cadillac XT4 crossover SUV that used an old-school navigation system instead of digital maps - here's what it was like

GPS mapping has become quite sophisticated in the digital age. Here we have Audi's MMI with Virtual Cockpit, a Google Maps-powered system that can render landscapes and destinations in great detail.

And of course, everyone is familiar with GPS mapping software and displays from smartphones.

The Cadillac XT4 is a new crossover from the luxury brand.

The mapping software available for Caddy's is among the best in the business. Here we have the system on a CT6 sedan that, using the brand's Super Cruise technology, can drive itself hands-free on highways.

My XT4 test car lacked that option package. But it did have navigation, delivered through a "Turn-by-Turn" system.

As with a digitally mapped route, the driver can ask for the point A-to-B by pushing the blue OnStar button and requesting navigation from a human operator, who will send the directions to the vehicle.

In my XT4, the directions are then displayed "turn by turn" in two places: on the central touchscreen and via the head-up display that can be projected in front on the driver. Directions are also "spoken" by the vehicles voice system.

And if none of this is to your liking, you can always access Apple CarPlay and use the mapping software on an iPhone or Android phone.

So what's the verdict?

I put a few more miles than usual on the XT4, taking it into the wilds of a journey to Queens, NY, near LaGuardia airport, as well as up and down the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey a few times.

Turn-by-Turn didn't simply perform flawlessly, acting as a digital co-pilot — it outdid the GPS mapping systems we're more accustomed to, from my perspective as a driver.

Of course, the directions are still GPS-derived. There's just no visual map to follow on the central, eight-inch touchscreen.

Or be distracted by. Simplifying a route to visual indicators of which way to turn, while continuing to receive voice prompts similar to what you'd get with a more full-blown GPS nav system, was frankly better, in my opinion.

I've got nothing against state-of-the-art GPS navigation. It's nice to never get lost, and on complicated routes, having a visual guideline onscreen can be quite useful. But it does compel a driver to take his or her eyes off the road.

Turn-by-Turn makes you use your ears and, should you need a visual, projects it via the head-up display.

Ultimately, that was good enough for me.

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