2025 Cadillac CT5-V First Drive: The Blackwing Is the Best Sport Sedan Money Can Buy

• The Cadillac CT5-V's subtle restyling includes new headlights, grille and exhaust pipes.
• Powertrains are unchanged, and you can still get the Blackwing with a six-speed manual.
• The Blackwing's Precision package steps up handling performance for hardcore enthusiasts.
• Cadillac's 33-inch Google-powered curved display is now standard.

Tech-forward

The biggest and best changes can be found inside. In its previous iteration, the CT5-V looked to be in the midst of a tech transition, using a separate instrument panel and a somewhat tacked-on-looking infotainment screen. Both worked well enough, but the overall design looked dated and allowed for ample amounts of disappointing plastic to be placed in plain sight. 

For 2025, Cadillac installed its impressive 33-inch digital display in the CT5-V with dramatic results. This slightly curved display keeps a driver-oriented feel to the cockpit but manages to project a lot of information for all occupants. The new layout allows for the rest of the interior to be updated, and although minor, the many changes add up to make the CT5-V look and feel more dressed up and appropriate for a modern luxury sedan. Backed up by Google, the interface features the tech firm's built-in suite, Google Maps and Assistant, systems we've praised in other GM vehicles.

Another upgrade comes in the form of the CT5-V Blackwing's performance data recorder (PDR). Fun fact: This system was originally developed by Cosworth (yes, of Formula One engine building fame) and made its first production car appearance in the C7 Corvette. Thanks to additional programming, the PDR now features improved lap timing with best, previous and current lap displays, as well as the ability to analyze your laps individually or by comparing them, with throttle, brake, speed traces and even video overlays. You can even break a circuit down corner by corner and get coaching techniques from the software that uses your best lap as a guide to help make you more consistent. Even better, all of these features can be operated from the comfort of your driver's seat, so there's no need to bring a laptop to your track day or autocross event. As an added bonus, the new PDR system comes with an app that allows you to transfer your results to your phone. You know, to share (not gloat) with your friends.

Under the hood and on the road

Both the CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing receive no changes to their respective engines for 2025. The CT5-V's twin-turbo V6 remains at a stout 360 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque. That engine is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and the CT5-V can be had with all-wheel drive. On the road, the 3.0-liter twin-turbo feels strong enough, offering good midrange response and a wide powerband. The CT5-V utilizes active noise cancellation as well as sound enhancement (boo) but the twin-turbo V6 never sounds particularly good, especially at higher rpm. Where the CT5-V does its best work is on a fast-moving interstate. The ride is well damped, and when you're able, you can activate the Cadillac's standard Super Cruise. It's one of the best hands-free driving systems available today.

The Blackwing, thankfully, remains powered by a heroic 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine. On premium fuel it cranks out 668 hp and 659 lb-ft of torque. It can also be had with a world-class six-speed manual or the 10-speed automatic available in the base CT5-V. It had been a few years since I'd been behind the wheel of a Blackwing and I'd forgotten just how good this engine is. The whole powertrain is arguably more involving and more enjoyable than anything you can get in a German sedan.

New found precision

The Blackwing is available in two flavors: standard or with the Precision package. Both are equipped with the newest version of MagneRide (GM's name for its adaptive suspension), the always well-calibrated Performance Traction Management system, Brembo brakes, and a host of chassis and other upgrades to handle the very extra performance increases over the CT5-V. But where the standard Blackwing is crisp and adept, adding the Precision package sharpens the Blackwing experience up considerably. 

The upgrades are significant and transformative enough that you should really ask yourself if you're going actually put these upgrades to good use before shelling out the extra coin. Predictably, the Precision package includes stiffer front and rear spring rates, larger sway bars, and a new calibration for the adaptive shocks. On top of that are far stiffer bushings, carbon-ceramic brakes, and a retuned electronic limited-slip differential as well as new steering knuckles and rear toe links made from billet. The latter two upgrades are directly related to track days and allow for increased camber to the tune of 0.75 degrees up front and a full 1.0 degree extra in the rear. That's not a crazy amount, but it has significant effects on how the tires will cope while you pound around on a racetrack.

The differences offered by the Precision package are most easily felt on the road. There are very few weak points in the standard Blackwing, so the Precision package doesn't really fix anything per se. Instead, it amplifies the experience. Immediately noticeable is the increase in steering feel. It's more alive and communicates nuances that just aren't felt in the standard Blackwing. The retuned differential is apparent even at moderate speeds, helping to get the Blackwing into a corner so much better that it almost feels like the Precision package comes with a quicker steering rack. The stiffer bushings are another sharp differentiator for the package. Considerably more vibrations are transmitted into the cabin, even on smooth surfaces. Where once there was good isolation, there's now a constant fizz. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, but a buyer looking for more of a luxury sport sedan, and not a track weapon, would be well to avoid this package and save a bit of money in the process. Don't worry, no one will be able to tell you didn't get the Precision package on looks alone. 

Track day, you say?

A romp around in a CT5-V Blackwing wouldn't be complete without some track time, and after driving around the rolling hills north of Atlanta, Cadillac gave me some time at Atlanta Motorsports Park to more fully (and safely, and legally) explore the Blackwing's considerable limits. I had a few sessions in both the standard car and ones equipped with the Precision package, and my time was equally split between cars equipped with the 10-speed automatic and the six-speed manual.

Atlanta Motorsports Park is a short yet scenic undulating circuit filled with a fair few blind crests, blind entries and corners that require, ahem, commitment. In other words, it's not a circuit where I'd rush to drive a nearly full-size luxury sedan. But Cadillac knew what it was doing because, within the first few laps, the standard Blackwing displayed excellent manners, superb body control, and just a ton of raw speed. 

As a car enthusiast, I'm contractually obligated to recommend the six-speed manual option. It's a total gem, but it requires effort — physical, not mental — to serve up the next gear. Everything about it is intuitive and good (even the no-lift shift feature becomes second nature), but on the track, the huge power interruption with every shift can really upset what delicate balance you might have left in the Blackwing's chassis. A short shift (when you shift up to the next gear well before redline) was the better option after exiting a few of the track's turns just to stabilize the big Cadillac before the next corner. 

By contrast, the 10-speed automatic is all too happy to bang gears without upsetting the chassis and could do so intuitively without so much as a pull of its shift paddles. From either the grandstands or the driver's seat, each shift was accompanied by a satisfying rip from the exhaust. I do love a good manual gearbox, but for serious track work, it's hard to argue against the 10-speed.

Swapping into the Blackwings equipped with the Precision package also brought about a change in rubber. Previous laps had been turned on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, a fine high-performance road tire with easily discernable limits. Now, the Blackwing was sporting one of the most extreme road-legal tires you can get: the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R. As if things weren't already serious enough. With the Precision package, every reflex of the Blackwing has been enhanced. Rocking a serious track alignment afforded by the upgraded suspension bits, the Blackwing was even more eager to turn into and address the apex of every turn. Stability was even more impressive, and the compromises made by this package on the street were simply forgotten. The carbon-ceramic brakes allowed me to brake later, while the retuned suspension encouraged me to drive over more of the curbing. Grip from the Cup 2 R tires was just supernatural. Even though it weighs over 4,100 pounds (that's still 1,200 pounds less than the new M5), the Blackwing was able to cling on to even the longest and fastest sweeping corners on the circuit like it had wings. In fact, driving with these tires takes a similar amount of trust and understanding that drivers who race cars with significant downforce (wings and things) utilize. Just keep pushing; there's more speed to be had. It's ridiculous.

Driving this hard, even though the Blackwing makes it relatively easy, is tiring. A car this capable demands focus and ability, especially if you start to explore the outer reaches of the Performance Traction Management system. If you can do it, the Cadillac can, too. Oh, and remember the PDR and its lap timer? If you remember to activate it before your session, you can watch your lap times click off and then study them before your next session. 

I really didn't want to stop driving the Blackwing, not on the road, and definitely not on the track. It's an amazing piece of engineering and proof of the passion and technology that Cadillac still pours into this platform. Sure, you can get the same looks and a good deal of performance from the more sedate CT5-V, but the Blackwing is definitely where it's at. It might want for more trunk space and a bit more rear seat headroom, but from the standpoint of a luxury sport sedan, and a serious one at that, I'm hard-pressed to think of a more well-rounded, fast, great-sounding and seriously fun sedan as this one.