By Len Ingrassia
Automotive columnist

There was a time when the Cadillac emblem out front was viewed as a land barge with a soft ride. No more.

Enter the CT5-V Blackwing to dispel any semblance to that era. For starters, its 6.2-liter V8 supercharged engine is hand built by a single technician at a Kentucky GM plant alongside Corvettes.

The result is a sport sedan with awesome power – a track car that uses its 668 horsepower and 559 lb.ft of torque to seriously challenge European stalwarts’ BMW M5 and Mercedes AMG 63 for a lot less c¬oin.

It comes with a standard six-speed manual transmission that catapults it to 60 miles-per-hour from a dead stop in 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 200 mph. An optional 10-speed automatic reaches the mark in 3.2 seconds.

The Blackwing shows up in several limited production Cadillac sedans including the CT4-V, CT5-V and CT6 V all of which were sold out quickly. All are track ready and are shoed with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 19-inch paws for extra grip on and off track.

Base price is $99,090 and can be optioned to around $120,000 – a bargain price compared with European rivals.

New this year is a track focused Precision Package that greatly enhances chassis behavior in road and track conditions in straightaway and cornering maneuvers. It includes a carbon ceramic brake package, revised suspension bushings, MagneRide dampers and electronic limited slip differential.

The new Blackwing has a wider grille and front fascia with aero ground effects, side fender vents and quad-tip performance exhaust. Approaching the Caddy, the keyed driver is greeted with an animated front LED light show that will bring a smile.

If you want to awaken your neighbors, the Blackwing’s exhaust rumble will let them know you have started your day’s journey. A slight tap on the pedal brings this highly tuned engine to life.

We found it best to stay at idle till reaching a nearby divided highway.

Last year’s 10-inch touchscreen is replaced with an enormous 33-inch curved display that integrates instrument gauges and Google-based infotainment interface. While impressive to look at, we found the new display contains a lot of drill down features which can be distractive while driving this beast.

Audiophiles will marvel at the 16-speaker AKG sound system made specifically for the Blackwing while delivering studio-quality sound throughout the cabin.

Power shifting the Blackwing requires superior seating comfort and Cadillac delivers with an 18-way power adjustable driver and passenger seat with separate massage settings. Suede microfiber seatbacks add to its futuristic look.

Regrettably, we stayed away from the track but found the Blackwing to be ferocious on backroads where it howled along straightaways and hugged corners with ease. Cadillac’s supercar is everything you want on four wheels – luxurious cabin seating four adults comfortably with more power than you will need but nice to have.

The thirsty Blackwing takes premium fuel for best results. Typical range with its 17-gallon tank in 225 miles. Combined mileage during our 250-mile test run was 15 mpg.

(Contact independent automotive columnist Len Ingrassia at editor@ptd.net)

What was reviewed:

2025 Cadillac CT5 V Blackwing RWD

Engine: 6.2-liter supercharged V8. 668 horsepower, 554 lb.ft torque

MSRP/ as tested: $99.090 / $120,000 est.

EPA mileage: 13 city, 20 highway, 15 combined

Assembled: The CT5 V Blackwing is assembled at General Motors Lansing Grand River Assembly in Michigan. Parts content for the Blackwing is global.

Crash test ratings: Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had evaluated the CT5-V Blackwing as of this writing.

Warranty: 4-year/50,000-mile bumper to bumper; 6-year/70,000-mile powertrain; first maintenance visit.