2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Review: Luxury Muscle in an American Sedan

Cadillac reserves the Blackwing name for its most powerful and sporty vehicles. Above the V-Series, the Blackwing badge now resides only on the CT4 and CT5, after debuting on the short lived but large-wheelbase CT6. In that sedan it was the name for the also short-lived twin-turbo V8 engine.

The 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is the pinnacle of the company's performance with an engine to match, straight from the engine bay of the Chevrolet Corvette. The full-size, rear-drive sedan is one of the two Cadillacs to still offer a manual transmission, making it the well-heeled enthusiasts' choice. And one does need to be well-heeled. The 2023 CT5-V Blackwing starts at $91,995.

It's the American answer to the big fast sedans from Germany including the BMW M5 ($110,895), the Mercedes-AMG E63 ($112,800) and the Audi RS7 Sportback ($125,995) and in that light, it looks like a bargain.

The CT5-V Blackwing comes with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 delivering 668 horsepower (hp) and 659 pound-feet of torque. That overpowers the BMW M5 with a 600-hp V8, the 603-hp V8 in the Mercedes and the 591-hp V8 in the Audi RS7. The five-passenger Cadillac features a design that makes it look lower and wider than the stock CT5.

1 of 8

The CT5-V Blackwing features two-tone seats with accent stitching, suede trim on the wheel and ceiling and brushed metal in addition the center consoles useful and redundant buttons. There's also carbon fiber accents, leading to a busy combination of competing colors and patterns. The seats hug smaller passengers to keep them in place and have plenty of adjustments, including under knee support, to comfort bigger drivers.

The touchscreen measures 10 inches diagonally and includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also offers a booming sound system from AKG with 16 speakers. The touchscreen is almost flush mounted on the dashboard and easy to reach with a small shelf to balance your hand underneath. It's tilted back so it does catch reflections from the sun at certain times of the day.

The back seat is huge with honest space for three adults or two large car seats. The seatbelts are hard to get for young children but the seats were easy to install. Even with two car seats there is plenty of storage between the seats, on the floor and in the trunk.

But the star of this sedan is obviously the engine. The monstrous V8 barks loudly on startup and if you press the V mode button, stays loud. The CT5-V Blackwing has drive modes that control the suspension, throttle, transmission, steering, brakes and exhaust noise. It can be customized to whatever parameters a buyer wishes.

The clutch pedal is stiff and springy and takes some getting used to make smooth shifts. The action of the shifter is excellent, as are the brakes in their most aggressive mode. Even with the traction control engaged the CT5-V will chirp the tires. Like the Chevrolet Corvette, the Cadillac has a dial for traction settings from snow to normal, sport and off. In the sport traction mode, the tires will spin enough to send the tail sideways, especially on wet pavement.

It's best when hauling down the highway, though on divided surface streets the lane following function sometimes will follow the wrong line into the turnaround lane. Most of the time it just stays between the lines undeterred, but it will try to hold the car if the driver changes lanes without signaling.

It features a button for rev matching, meaning it'll blip the throttle on downshifts for smoother and faster changes. It also sounds cool when approaching a red light. The Blackwing is faster than almost everything on the road, at any rev range, in almost any gear. However, any car that can spin the tires in first, second and third gear needs to be respected at any speed.

Safety features on the Blackwing include automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, safety alert seat, rear park assist, rear vision camera, vehicle diagnostics, engine air filter monitoring, Teen Driver and rear seat reminder.

The 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing deserves a look from anyone looking for a big sedan. The name doesn't carry as much social weight as a BMW or Mercedes, but with the undercutting price and extra power it should be high on any enthusiast list, in fact, it should be their first test drive.