It takes driving only a few meters, but it quickly dawns on you that the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is a Very Special Car. Never before has the customary time frame of a one-week loan period felt so short. We’re going to try not to gush too hard here, but it will become clear that this car had a profound impact on us. It is easily the best and most thrilling car we have driven all year, and regulars to this space know we have had some very desirable sheet metal in the Carpages Garage over the last trip around the sun.
This Blackwing is so intensely brilliant that when we sat down at the keyboard to get started on its review we found ourselves struggling to string together coherent sentences without spinning breathlessly out of control- look no further than our inability to come up with a working title.
Before we delve into what life is like living with a Blackwing, it bears mentioning that it’s kind of amazing this car even exists. Cadillac’s V-series cars have gotten steadily better over the years, but this is the performance brand’s crescendo- it is the best of the best. And with electrification across the brand coming in a few short years, The Blackwing represents the end of the line not just for hotter versions of Caddy models but also for the brand’s overall distancing away from internal combustion engines.
Cadillac really wanted to make a statement with this car, an unforgettable mile marker on the highway of automotive history that will be talked about for many, many years. They did not mess around. Starting with the Alpha platform which underpins dynamic sweethearts like the Chevy Camaro, they lengthen it for sedan duty and install a 6.2 litre V8, but not without plopping a big ol’ supercharger on top of it first. It would be a mistake to label it a knuckle dragging pushrod lump- packing exotica like a titanium valvetrain, this hand-built masterpiece is built alongside the Corvette at GM’s Bowling Green factory. The recipe further calls for massive brakes, the most cutting-edge version of MagneRide 4.0 suspension technology followed by a generous sprinkle of carbon fibre. Everything is then tied together with a tremendous Tremec six-speed manual gearbox. If you find yourself salivating, well, you are not alone.
All the go-fast bits are nice, but the Blackwing cannot abandon its duty to provide all the luxury and refinement you expect of a Cadillac. Yet as we’ll see, it also has a ferociously toothsome side that you just won’t find in any of its competitors- maybe anywhere. The BMW M5, Mercedes E63 and Audi RS7 are the Caddy’s chief rivals and represent some of the best performance luxury cars on sale today. They are all excellent cars, but we have driven all of them and can look you square in the eye while telling you they are not in the same league as the Blackwing in terms of fun and driver involvement.
Let us start by telling you about the interior because while it is a very nice place to be, it is the least exciting component of the Blackwing experience. Some are quick to point out the touchpoints and materials Cadillac specified as well as the overall fit and finish are subpar for a vehicle wearing a price tag such as the CT5-V does, and there is a small element of truth to that. You won’t care one bit because you’ll be having way too much fun driving the thing. And honestly, Cadillac interiors are not exactly holding cells and there’s lots to like here; you won’t mind spending many hours within it whatsoever. This seems like a good time to remind you that our nearly fully loaded tester’s sticker price is vastly cheaper than the starting prices of the aforementioned German speed fiends.
We appreciated the Blackwing’s infotainment system for its straightforward nature and user friendliness. The carbon fibre bucket seats look as good as they are at holding you in place navigating the forces that your body will be subjected to while exploring the Blackwing’s limits. The AKG stereo was a very pleasant surprise, reproducing our favourite tunes with crystal clarity all the way up to volume levels rivalling the front row at a Pearl Jam concert. If you never prod the beast lurking under the hood, the cockpit will feel just like any other CT5, although one turned out with small, special touches over its more pedestrian brethren. But you don’t buy a car like this to play the role of airport livery service, do you?
That’s certainly not what drew us to the Blackwing, and yet we felt a bit apprehensive as we fired it up for the first time. Driving a car that you don’t own sending its nearly 700 horsepower to the rear wheels alone might cause a gulp or two, and solemn respect is a good idea to have when you take one of these out on the road. The thing is, it is the farthest thing from a handful and actually feels quite approachable. It can be docile as a pussycat, but when you wake the 6.2 litre blown beast, it’ll bear its fangs.
It really does not matter if the tachometer needle is lazing around idle or approaching the redline- there is immense power at any engine speed, in any gear. The midrange is particularly ferocious, and the throttle response is astonishing for something artificially aspirated, a feat Cadilac is particularly proud of. It is ravenously, savagely fast. The Blackwing will keep pulling strongly until just over 320 km/h before aerodynamics get the better of the V8.
In fact, the colossal horsepower the Blackwing boasts becomes a double-edged sword. Sure, it’s great to revel in the relentless speed it effortlessly makes, but because it’s so fast we could hardly make trips to the redline because the speedometer would flash heady numbers with alarming speed. You will never, ever approach the limits of what this car can do without a racetrack, at least not jeopardizing anyone’s safety or with the very imminent threat of a night spent in jail.
Luckily, Cadillac installs manhole cover sized brake rotors up front to scrub off all that kinetic energy. Carbon ceramics are available but only those who plan on extreme lapping at their local race circuit should apply. Helping you stay on the road with the shiny side up is GM’s Performance Traction Management (PTM) which offers various settings depending on your situation (inclement weather) or your desire for hooning (empty parking lot for burnouts and donuts.) This system is in another league compared to any other you care to name, insofar as it cuts spark in the engine room instead of applying the brakes to various wheels. Anyone who has experienced the strong smell of Eau de Brakes in the pit lane after some hot laps using other stability control technology will attest to PTM’s superiority.
The only fruits left hanging on the CT5-V’s dynamic tree worth exploring is the Tremec 6-speed manual gearbox and the 4th generation of GM’s Magnetic Ride Control suspension technology. The former delights the driver with meaty yet precise throws and a clutch pedal that while firm tells you exactly where its friction point resides. You will find yourself shifting gears just for the heck of it, although with the monumental power in tap, you could just leave it in one, even two gears higher than necessary while you go about your commute and let the 6.2’s torque do its thing. The latter feels like black magic, because in Tour Mode it rides, well, like a Cadillac but without the float and nautical body roll. When you call up more aggressive settings, the Blackwing digs in and serves up incredible grip, but never at the expense of comfort. The aforementioned Germans could learn a thing or two because on anything other than billiard smooth tarmac, they can feel skittish or bounce around unbecomingly. Cadillac also be applauded for resisting the temptation to put oversized wheels shod with tires offering almost no sidewall which further helps in providing the velvety ride quality.
When it came time to looking at the Blackwing with our critical eye so we could trot out the old mantra ‘that this is not a perfect car because…’ we had to look very hard to find things that bothered us. We found one thing that drew our ire, and that was the video fed rear-view mirror. We never quite got used it and it always seemed like the car behind was tailgating as if they were practicing drafting at a superspeedway. Our excitement waned when we discovered it could be turned off. One staffer remarked that they noticed the trunk lacks a power closing feature, which at this price point is a valid beef. So, really, there’s nothing much to complain about at all.
When it was time to make the heart wrenching journey to return the Blackwing, we were left pondering some questions along the way. The first was where are the Blackwing badges? As far as we can tell, the only nods to this car’s identity are small wings on the inner lip of the rims and discreet tags sewn into the sides of the two front seats. Cadillac certainly nailed the sleeper quotient, but it seems like a missed opportunity to flex on fellow motorists.
The other question we kept asking was more of the rhetorical sort, and that was this: Did this car really come from General Motors? You know, the company that has brought us such turds as the Chevy Corsica, Pontiac Sunfire and Cadillac’s own Cimarron, and where those passionate about cars are perpetually overruled by the bean counters? Yeah, we’re just as surprised as you are.
The fact is that it’s hard to talk about this car without spiralling into a breathless tirade or dropping multiple F-Bombs when attempting to convey how sensational the CT5-V Blackwing really is. It will not be within reach of many people but those with the financial means that have gasoline coursing through tier veins will need to realize that this is a once in a generation kind of car, and they best get their orders in, like, yesterday if they want a faint hope of putting one of these in their garage. In 5, 10, even 25 years the consensus will not change: The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is a Very. Special. Car. You may even lack the ability to put it into words for a title as we have.
2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing– Specifications
- Price as tested: $112,753
- Body Type: 4-door, 5 passenger Sedan
- Powertrain Layout: Front engine/rear-wheel drive
- Transmission: 6-speed manual
- Engine: 6.2 litre supercharged V8, OHV, 16 valves
- Horsepower: 668 @ 6,500 rpm
- Torque (lbs-ft.): 659 @ 3,600 rpm
- Curb weight: 1,870 kg (4,123 lbs)
- Observed Fuel Consumption: 13.2L/100km (18 mpg)