The 200 MPH Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Soars

The Cadillac CT5 was set to be the brand’s last sedan with an internal combustion engine, and it might still be. Just not anytime soon. Cadillac began this decade intending to become an all-electric automaker by the end of it, but things have changed.When the EV market cooled and government pressure to build them was relieved, it decided to keep internal combustion vehicles around for the foreseeable future and extended CT5’s life longer than initially expected through the 2026 model year as it prepares an all-new car to replace it. The CT5 has been on sale since 2020, so it was due for a redesign.The CT5 lineup starts around $50,000 and is available in several trims and a range of engine options, with the CT5-V Blackwing sitting far atop the rest at $102,795. The rear-wheel-drive model is powered by a 668-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V8, comes with a six-speed manual transmission and is a more direct tie to Cadillac’s efforts in Formula 1 and endurance racing than the hulking Escalade SUV could ever dream of being. The CT5-V Blackwing is a true sport sedan that is available with a wide array of performance enhancement options. CadillacIt is also offered with a 10-speed automatic transmission, leather-trimmed bucket seats with carbon fiber shells and an $18,000 Precision Package that improves its suspension and adds track-capable tires and lightweight carbon-ceramic brakes. I recently tested one with all of the above that had a bottom-line price of $150,365. For an extra $56,000, Cadillac will even hand-build one with bespoke paint colors and upholstery. It is a no-compromise luxury sport sedan that aims to compete with the likes of the BMW M5 and Porsche Panamera and succeeds on all counts.The CT5-V Blackwing is the antithesis of an electric car. It is rated at 15 mpg combined and 20 mpg on the highway, but I found you can get close to 25 mph if you take it easy on the highway. A gas guzzler tax applies, but its customers choose it for speed, not economy. Even at today’s fuel prices.The midsize four-door accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, can reach a top speed of more than 200 mph and is very much at home on a race track or a curvy mountain road. Quick steering and sharp responses help to make it feel light on its feet. I picked it up for testing immediately after spending a day at a race track with a 1,064 hp Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and it did not feel like a big step down in performance, all things considered.That said, it is still a Cadillac and an excellent daily driver. I put more than 500 miles on it across all kinds of roads and enjoyed every one of them. The deeply bolstered seats are far more comfortable than they look, and switching from Track or Sport to Tour mode takes the edge off the ride by softening the standard computer-controlled shock absorbers.The CT5-V Blackwing comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission. CadillacCT5-V Blackwings equipped with the automatic also get Cadillac’s Super Cruise highway driving assistance system, which is not compatible with the stick-shift. The semi-autonomous feature provides hands-free adaptive cruise control on more than 700,000 miles of American and Canadian roads and does an incredibly good job of it. I covered nearly the entire length of the New Jersey Turnpike — in both directions — and did not once have to touch the steering wheel or take back control.Cadillac hasn’t divulged anything about the next-generation CT5 beyond that it will be powered by internal combustion engines. If it asked me what to change, I’d honestly be hard-pressed to come up with a good answer. The current one leaves little to be desired but remains very desirable.

The 200 MPH Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Soars

The 200 MPH Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Soars

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