Review & Photos by: Len Ingrassia
Automotive columnist
What to do when your race car is nearing its end and you want to spice it up?
Cadillac was faced with this dilemma and answered with major upgrades to its supercharged track car. We spent a week with the new CT5 Series Blackwing, its 668 horsepower V8 with 659 lb-ft of torque.
It’s more than any street car can handle and is unwieldy at times, fishtailing with pedal pressure requiring evasive action to keep it under control.
The engine is hand built by a specially-trained technician at a Kentucky assembly plant alongside Corvettes. Engineers came up with an $18,000 Precision Package that adds new paws, stiffer springs and bushings, thicker front anti-roll bar and carbon-ceramic brakes.
Specifically, there are super-grip 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires replacing standard Pilot Sport 4S rubber, thicker springs and bushings that enhance chassis behavior in road and track conditions, new steering knuckles and rear toe links adding more rear camber for improved track cornering performance.
All these enhancements give the Cadillac an edge over pricey German imports including BMW and Mercedes-Benz. From a base of around $95,000, our optioned test car stickered at near $140,000.
At our independent test track, the Blackwing optioned with a 10-speed automatic transmission reached 60 miles per hour form a dead stop in 3.2 seconds, quicker than the car’s standard six-speed manual due to electronic enhancements that shift faster than a human can.
Our four-door sedan was painted in Drift Metallic – a pale blue with a hint of light gray designed by Cadillac to resemble tire smoke – spot on.
We question the need for this much power but sometimes just knowing you have one of the fastest cars on pavement is comforting even if you don’t push the envelope. Truth be told, we did experiment on a few occasions.
For the serious enthusiast there is a performance data recorder that can simply be used as a dashcam or a track tool that will display your efforts around the track, measuring cornering, speed, braking and display side by side videos showing comparison laps – the best and lesser ones – on a giant 33-inch screen at center console.
The curved screen incorporates instrument gauges and infotainment apps with a Google-based interface. While impressive to look at, we found the new display contains a lot of drill down features which can be distractive while driving.
Audiophiles will marvel at the 16-speaker AKG sound system made specifically for the Blackwing while delivering studio-quality sound throughout the cabin.
Once you lower yourself into contoured front buckets with full semi-aniline leather, custom quilted and carbon fiber seatbacks you feel locked into fully bolstered seats – 18-way power adjusters, with lumbar and massage – just as comfy as your favorite home lounger.
For travel on specified interstate roadway, SuperCruise uses cameras, sensors and GPS data to position the Caddy hands free in travel lanes, pass when safe to do so and maintain a safe distance from traffic ahead. A three-year subscription is included for the optional gear.
Contact independent automotive columnist Len Ingrassia at editor@ptd.net
What was reviewed:
2025 Cadillac CT5 V Series Blackwing
Engine: 6.2-liter supercharged V8. 668 horsepower, 554 lb.ft torque
MSRP/ as tested: $99,595 / $137,880.
EPA mileage: 13 city, 20 highway, 15 combined
Assembled: The CT5 V Blackwing is assembled at General Motors Lansing Grand River Assembly in Michigan. US/Canadian parts content is 37 percent; major source of foreign parts content Mexico – 21 percent and China – 15 percent.
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.
