Yahoo Autos 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing First Drive Review | Peak oil
We may have embraced the coming of electrification. We may love a good, high-performance hybrid or EV. We could quite frankly not care less how a car makes power, so long as the end result is satisfactory. But man, nothing suits a big, square-shouldered American sedan quite like a V8. Question our commitment to Mother Gaia if you must, but the blat of a small block is the bass line in the song of American speed.
And now onstage for the V8's farewell tour is the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, a midsize, manual-transmission luxury sedan that comes out swinging with a hand-built, supercharged 6.2-liter V8 making 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque. The CT4-V Blackwing may be great in its own right, but it's still down a pair of cylinders.
The old Cadillac CTS-V (S not 5) was never the slimmest, sharpest or most luxurious sport sedan money could buy, but it always offered excellent performance for its price. It was also one of the few midsize manual transmission holdouts, at least until the third-generation V model debuted in 2016; for its brief run, it was offered only with the eight-speed automatic. Its spirit lives on in the CT5-V Blackwing, but Cadillac refined the formula significantly for its transition to the updated Alpha platform. The manual is back, it gained 28 horsepower and 29 pound-feet of torque, and the aerodynamics and braking were completely overhauled for this, the final iteration of the V8-powered Cadillac sport sedan.
Apart from the larger footprint and all that comes with it, most of the Blackwing formula carries over almost unchanged to the CT5-V from its smaller CT4-V sibling. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard with a 10-speed auto available as an upgrade (which it truly is, in some ways). The electronically controlled mechanical limited slip differential, fourth-generation Magnetic Ride Control and various other tweaks made their way here too, but there are a few noteworthy deviations.
Let’s start where the CT5-V stops: the brakes. Since the larger, heavier CT5 needs more braking capacity, its wheels grew an inch in diameter to accommodate a bigger set of stoppers. The wheels are wider too, the better to fit its Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires in 275/35ZR19 (front) and 305/30ZR19 (rear) – 20 mm wider up front and 30 mm wider out back than the 18-inch tires on the smaller CT4-V Blackwing.
Exclusive to the CT5 is a carbon-ceramic brake package that reduces unsprung mass by 53 pounds and rotating mass by 62 pounds. The carbon ceramics are also harder-wearing than the standard iron setup, but quite a bit more costly both upfront ($9,595 for the stand-alone option) and to maintain.
Altogether, GM claims the CT5-V Blackwing is good for a 0-60 time of 3.4 seconds (3.6 with the manual), a top speed north of 200 mph and 1.01 g of maximum lateral acceleration on the skidpad. Fuel economy checks in at 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway with the auto and 13/21 with the manual. But really, if you care about frugality, the CT5-V Blackwing is simply not going to be your cup of tea.
As with the CT4, the CT5 runs large for its purported size class. Cadillac prices it against the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but its 116-inch wheelbase and 195-inch overall length lean heavily toward the midsize luxury segment (not so much its trunk). The Blackwing’s 668 horsepower also suggests we look toward the BMW M5, Audi RS 6 and Mercedes-AMG E 63, rather than their compact siblings.
Fortunately, the CT5-V Blackwing fits neatly into its suit. Caddy lists the curb weight for the six-speed at 4,123 pounds and the automatic at 4,142. The BMW M5? Nearly 4,300 pounds. Mercedes-AMG E 63? Closer to 4,500. Panamera Turbo S? 4,700. Audi RS 6? Well, that’s one you buy for the looks and wagon body style; corners aren’t really its thing, but since you’re going to Google it anyway: 4,980 pounds. And none of the above are offered with a manual gearbox.
Surprised by a Cadillac being the lightweight entry? You probably shouldn’t be. After all, the CT4 and CT5 ride on GM’s Alpha platform, which replaced the Zeta platform (Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8/Chevrolet SS) for smaller vehicles, such as these, and the current Chevy Camaro. The Chevy SS 6MT checked in at just under 4,000 pounds with a naturally aspirated V8. This platform has good bones, and Cadillac built on them well. Contrast this with a 5.7-liter 380-horsepower Dodge Charger, which tips the scales at nearly 4,300 pounds; don’t even ask about the Scat Pack or Hellcat variants.
After spending the prior day driving the CT4-V Blackwing, the 5’s wider stance and longer wheelbase were immediately apparent. On the road, the CT5-V Blackwing feels every bit its size, strutting confidently but a bit claustrophobically down narrow country two-lanes riddled with wandering pickups. It's hard to blame the half-ton drivers for hanging out over the center line so often given the frequency with which I felt myself in danger of encroaching on it myself. And it’s no more the Cadillac’s fault that we’re in a part of the country where plenty of routes were established long before anybody within miles had purchased a horseless carriage.
