In the past few months, almost everything we’ve heard about the car with a thermal block has been bad. The car, as we’ve known it for the past 100 years, has become the target of environmentalists everywhere in the past few years.
Most of the business world has decided to switch to electric power. At the moment, though, almost all of these announcements about the future of the industry are about the year 2030. If we believe all the press releases, this year could be a turning point in the history of the car.
But let’s get back to now. In the last three months of 2022, most cars still run mostly on gasoline. And we both agree that this Cadillac mid-size sedan is the most powerful of its kind. It needs some gas.
The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is a muscle car that looks like a moving living room. Or, as I liked to call it during my test week, a Corvette with four doors. But before I tell you whether or not to buy it, take a moment to read what’s below. It could tell you more about one of the last gasoline-powered sedans made by the brand.
Toned to perfection
Under the hood, General Motors’ hottest sedan should have the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that was in the old Corvette Z06. Nothing less. Remember that the engine is in the middle of the most recent Z06.
With a power output of 668 horsepower and a torque of 659 lb-ft, it’s safe to say that acceleration is anything but exciting. even more so because it’s not a fancy sedan with all-wheel drive. No, the CT5-V Blackwing plays the nostalgic card by having only rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission, which is becoming less common.
2022 CADILLAC CT5-V BLACKWING REVIEW:
Under this luxury sedan’s dress is a monster that could only have been made by an American company. The guttural sound of the supercharged V8; the vibrations of the body when stopped at intersections (which I love! ); and the ferocity of the skids (which are controlled, I promise) are all more like the Chevrolet Camaro than a comfortable midsize sedan.
In the past, none of these things would have been connected to a large Cadillac sedan. But for the past 20 years, the brand’s “wizards” have been hard at work making sedans that can compete with the best in the business.
Great handling, but...
The CT5-V Blackwing isn’t just a sedan with a big V8 engine that engineers managed to squeeze in. The mid-size chassis was already doing well on the CT5-V, which has the Empire’s corporate V6 engine. However, with more than double the horsepower, the CT5 skeleton needs to be strong in this “black-winged” application.
Even though there are vibrations at intersections, the CT5’s platform, which is called Alpha 2 inside the company, is as stiff as hell. It can also count on the MagneRide suspension, which uses electromagnets and a magnetorheological fluid inside the shock absorbers to change the damping rate up to 1000 times per second.
When you change the different driving settings, you can see how the CT5-V Blackwing can be anything from the perfect large sedan for the boulevards to a monster of acceleration that can protect itself on a winding closed circuit.
We settled down. When the suspension is set as sharply as it can go, the CT5-V Blackwing is a little stiff on the bumpy roads around Montreal. Around town or on a rough side road, I think the soft suspension is the best choice.
Even at its heaviest setting, the steering might be too much for everyday use, but it’s nice to know that this mode is there for when things get crazy! On the other hand, the gearbox is fun to use, especially when you can hear the rumble of each gear change under the hood.
This V8 with a supercharger on top may be “old school,” but that doesn’t stop it from luring you in every time you press harder on the right pedal.
During this trial week, I pressed the “V” button more often just to take advantage of the improved mechanics. I was also able to test the car’s traction in a straight line without using the traction control system. I did this by making some pretty hard starts from a stop. Let me tell you, even in third gear, the rear axle still slips. I could have kept going, but if I had, I would have gotten a pretty big ticket, so…
fiercer than the others.
I’ve been able to drive a BMW M5 Competition and a Mercedes-AMG E63 S in the last year. Even though they aren’t slow like a tortoise, their performance is smoother and easier to deal with. Also, keep in mind that these two cars only have automatic transmissions, while the Cadillac has a manual transmission with six speeds.
I’d also like to add that, while it’s clear that the version with the 10-speed automatic transmission is the faster of the two, I think that driving enthusiasts will prefer the version that requires them to press the left pedal every time they want to change the gearbox lever.
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