Test drive: 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
The 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is the only car of its kind you can buy today, and Fox News Autos Editor Gary Gastelu says there may never be another one like it again.
Cadillac will be going for the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year with a new prototype racing coupe, which may seem a little odd since there aren’t any sport coupes in its lineup. But there are sport sedans, and one of them is a whopper.
The CT5-V Blackwing is the most powerful Cadillac ever. (Cadillac)
The 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is the most powerful vehicle the luxury brand has ever produced. The midsize four-door has a 668 hp 6.2-liter supercharged V8 based on the one in the last generation Corvette Z06 and hand assembled by a technician whose signature is on the cover.
The CT5-V Blackwing's V8 is hand assembled by a single technician. (Cadillac)
All the power goes to the rear wheels through, get this, a standard six-speed manual transmission. That makes it the only V8-powered sedan available with a stick in the U.S. And don’t expect to see another. Cadillac and pretty much everyone else is going electric, so if they don’t make something like this now, they likely never will again.
There are still a few V8 sedans with automatic transmissions out there, however, and the CT5VB is available with a 10-speed example, but the manual has been accounting for about half the sales so far, even though it technically makes the $84,940 car a worse performer.
An optional carbon fiber bodykit reduces lift at high speeds. (Cadillac)
With the auto, it can accelerate to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, but it needs 3.6 seconds with the stick. The fuel economy rating also drops from 16 mpg to 15 mpg in the do-it-yourself car. Dismal, in either case.
It hardly matters. The former is almost negligible and the latter irrelevant to anyone interested in this kind of vehicle, and it is very interesting.
Much more than a muscle car, the CT5VB is equipped with just the sort of tech you’d expect from a company competing in a prototype racing series.
The suspension features the latest version of GM’s Magnetic Ride Control dampers, which take 1,000 readings per second and adjust their stiffness to provide whatever blend of comfort and handling is required for the moment, or millisecond.
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It also has an electronic locking rear differential to get the power to where the most grip is, and a Performance Traction Management system that can be adjusted via a knob on the steering wheel to provide as much or little assistance as desired.
Michelin even created a unique version of its Pilot Sport 4S street and track tire for the CT5VB, and the 15.67-inch front/14.7-inch rear brake rotors inside of them are, in a word: huge.
Sport seats feature a carbon fiber shell and massage function. (Cadillac)
For better or worse, my February test car was fitted with a set of Pirelli Sottozero winter tires, which aren’t as sticky as the Michelins on warm, dry pavement, which is what I ended up with the entire time that I had it. Turning them into smoke is as easy as giving the gas pedal a stern look.
The car was also loaded with power carbon fiber-shelled sport seats with climate control and a massage function; a carbon fiber package consisting of a spoiler, front splitter, rear diffuser and rocker extensions that reduce lift by up to 75% as you approach the CT5VB’s top speed of 200+ mph; and carbon ceramic brake rotors that prevent fade under heavy use and cut a whopping 63.5 pounds of rotating mass for a mere $9,000. (A personal trainer might be cheaper.)
All in, I was looking at a $110,000 Caddy that didn’t even have adaptive cruise control, because it’s not available with the manual transmission. It is meant to be a driver’s car, after all.
The CT5-V Blackwing is the only sedan available with a V8 and manual transmission. (Cadillac)
On the road, the CT5VB is a surprisingly smooth cruiser, despite the firm ride setup and low-profile rubber. The interior is well-appointed with high-end leather, suede-like fabric and carbon fiber trim, but not quite as lavish as a typical $100,000 European sedan's. Cadillac put its money where the V8’s mouth is, and it’s a loudmouth.
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The CT5VB fortunately comes with a four-step variable exhaust system that allows you to turn down the volume, so your neighbors won’t hate you too much, but it idles like a bass baritone singing the blues and screams in a devilish duet with the whine of the supercharger when you crank it up and let it loose.
The cold weather tires may have actually been a bonus when I took a detour onto the road racing course at Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J., because their lower limits meant I could explore the CT5VB’s handling balance without driving too dangerously fast.
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It tips the scales at a relatively svelte 4123 pounds, is eager to turn and will gladly drift if asked. I’m generally of the mindset that buying a sedan as a track day car is silly, but a few laps in a CT5VB makes a convincing argument. (It's also too mean looking to disagree with.)
The CT5-V Blackwing's tires are 10.8 inches wide in the front and 12 inches wide in the rear. (Cadillac)
Cadillac can talk about the virtues of electricity all it wants, but it’s pretty clear what still gets the hearts beating in some of its folks. No one builds a car like this for a business case alone.
The CT5-V Blackwing is, without question, one of the best sports sedans that’s ever existed, and as fitting a tribute to the fury of the internal combustion engine as there will ever be.
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2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
Base price: $84,940
As tested: $109,765
Type: 5-passenger, 4-door, rear-wheel-drive sedan
Engine: 6.2-liter supercharged V8
Power: 668 hp, 659 lb-ft
Transmission: 6-speed manual
MPG: 13 city/21 hwy