Cadillac has covered new ground in the recent few years, bringing us some surprising vehicles that have appeased both mainstream luxury vehicle seekers and those who are looking for some unfound performance within certain segments that remain somewhat affordable. In the performance realm, Cadillac has managed to keep its V vehicles alive and thriving as the latest CT5 sedan gets a styling refresh that trickles into the performance-oriented CT5-V Blackwing that I had a chance to experience this week.
What is probably one of the best-kept secrets for a performance luxury sedan is the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, a vehicle that embodies some of the old-school benchmarks that the E39 BMW M5 or Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG set and somewhat carried through future successors. Today, the CT5-V Blackwing seems to find its performance footing in an undercover way until someone experiences such a vehicle, sees one drive by with its boisterous V8-growl from the active exhaust system, or gets eaten for lunch from the red light as the Caddy rumbles to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds.
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Cadillac went the distance to improve upon the CT5 in all its trim levels but paid special attention to the CT5-V Blackwing by offering up what the brand calls the Precision Package. Such a package, setting you back an additional $18,000 onto the already-near-six-figure price, is claimed to enhance the track-going abilities of the Blackwing Caddy. You still get the same supercharged 6.2-liter V8 LT4 powertrain touting 668 horsepower and 659 lb-ft of torque directed through either a 10-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual.
However, in experiencing the CT5-V Blackwing equipped with the Precision Package on public roads, where most of the life of such a vehicle will be spent, there’s some getting used to the much stiffer ride quality that doesn’t exactly exude that ‘Cadillac-ness’ that you would expect. I’m not going to go as far as to say the Precision Package does damage to the CT5-V Blackwing in the department of luxury, but it is more of an acquired taste as the ride quality, despite the re-tuned magnetic dampers, takes away from the overall enjoyment of such a vehicle on just about every road expect for the track. In a nutshell, the suspension quality is stiff, in any drive mode. In the ‘relaxed’ Tour mode, where you would expect a Cadillac – even of the high-performance caliber of the CT5-V Blackwing – to be more compliant and exhibit some ‘smooth’ qualities, it still feels more suited for the track. You would think just the Sport or Track settings are the ones that are reserved for track. Well, no, unfortunately Cadillac made all the drive modes with the optional Precision Package rather rough, which is ultimately a factor that stands out in such a vehicle.
Please don’t get me wrong in my summation of the new CT5-V Blackwing in pointing out the ride quality fault in detail as the Precision Package does something great, and that is to elevate the performance luxury sedan to have newfound abilities to round a track with better balance and, ‘precision.’ Such a characteristic was found to be missing in the CT5-V Blackwing of the previous few years, as it may have overstepped its Caddy-esq ways that most expect. Still, opting for the Precision Package may be something that you will want to experience first before paying the extra $18,000, which adds as a bonus the remarkably strong optional Carbon Ceramic brakes (which would otherwise cost $9,000 as a standalone option).
See Also: 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing 6-Speed Manual Review & Test Drive
My test vehicle is equipped with the Precision Package, snappy-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission, Carbon Fiber 1 Package, natural tan quilting, and carbon fiber front seats, and SuperCruise adds quite a bit to the pricing. Also, you’re going to pay a bit extra at the pump as you’ll often fall short of the EPA fuel consumption estimates of 13 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. On the highway, I managed to get as much as 21.4 mpg driving with SuperCruise at a steady 75 mph for about 80 miles, so there’s that.
To bring things home in the performance arena, the new CT5-V Blackwing is a vehicle that demands attention and is undeniably a leader among luxury performance sedans. There’s no getting around the fact that the CT5-V Blackwing offers up the most fun you can have in such a vehicle, especially by still offering a 6-speed manual transmission option. Still, I’m not convinced people buy the CT5-V Blackwing to spend most of their time on the track with such a vehicle – potentially diminishing the value of the Precision Package. I, for one, place the CT5-V Blackwing in my top 5 list of favorite vehicles in the past few years, but I would want the performance Caddy to be my daily driver, not my weekend track toy.
The interior of the 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing has been updated slightly with a new screen setup situation, which is a page taken from the large-and-in-charge Escalade. The screen is now a large OLED unit that seamlessly integrates the digital driver’s gauge cluster and the touchscreen infotainment unit, in addition to having a small left-side touchscreen area for quick vehicle information and controls, such as the trip computer, gauge setup, and the launch control that can automatically start a performance timer.
The new infotainment setup works wonderfully with only a short learning curve, while the wireless (or USB-connected) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration works seamlessly, as does the actively cooled wireless charging pad. The new integration of Google built-in offers up a better infotainment system for those times when you do not integrate your smartphone. Even when you do link up your smartphone, there are new additions to bring your mapping into the gauge cluster from something like Apple Maps or just utilize the traditional Google Maps. Also, having a full set of physical buttons for the climate controls is a welcoming part of the Cadillac experience instead of having everything integrated on the large touchscreen.
Seating areas remain the same as in previous years, offering up delightful bucket seats in my test vehicle, including heating, ventilation, and back-area massaging. Somehow Cadillac has managed to make the most comfortable performance buckets around that aren’t punishing despite their aggressive and thin look. The power-adjustable bolsters are also a nice treat to fundamentally mold to most body sizes and keep you in place without sitting in fatigue on long trips.
The interior remains luxurious with several soft-touch surfaces and accent stitching along with carbon fiber trim bits that are in the right places and not overdone. The back seats are somewhat accommodating, and having thin front bucket seats makes for decent legroom. Cargo room falls at the bottom of the class, being midsized vehicles with 11.9 cubic feet, but having 60/40-split folding rear seatbacks helps in those times you need extra cargo space.
Cadillac brings all the expected active safety goodies to the table in the new CT5, and having the optional SuperCruise semi-autonomous driving aid at your beckon only adds to the versatility and value of the CT5-V Blackwing. Untimely, the CT5-V Blackwing is the vehicle that seemingly does it all short of being anything utilitarian outside of using up its cargo space.
There’s an underlying value in the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing when you consider the collective of its parts and remarkable performance. Undoubtedly, the CT5-V Blackwing can be your track toy, daily driver, or car showpiece considering the new color palette starting with my test vehicle’s Drift Metallic paint that almost looks like a Gulf blue. Starting at a price of $96,990 for the Blackwing, there’s a lot to get excited about for a vehicle that can hang with some supercars, all while toting around your family in Caddy-style luxury.
My nearly loaded-up 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing test vehicle with the Precision Package comes to a price of $137,880, which includes a destination charge of $1,395 and a gas guzzler tax of $1,700.
