2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing First Drive Review: Old School Is Just Better

I thought the CT5-V Blackwing was the perfect luxury sports sedan, and there was no way for Cadillac to make it any better. It’s a good thing I don’t run GM’s luxury brand, because the 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing has somehow taken a perfect formula and enhanced it even more. In a world where sedans and manual transmissions feel more antiquated than a paper map or a VHS tape, the Blackwing stands as the last bastion of pure driving enjoyment with four doors.

If I could build my dream sports sedan from scratch, it wouldn’t be far off from what Cadillac has created. A 6.2-liter supercharged V8 drives the rear wheels (no heavy all-wheel-drive system is available), mated to either an excellent 10-speed automatic or a segment-exclusive six-speed manual delivered from the heavens. What more could a driving enthusiast crave? For 2025, Cadillac has improved the CT5’s luxury credentials with a new 33-inch display, and beefed up its track performance with a new Precision Package. To find out if these improvements could make the CT5-V Blackwing even more perfect, DrivingOnRoad traveled to Georgia to lap around Atlanta Motorsports Park.

First Drive events provide our initial impressions of a vehicle in a restricted environment under certain time constraints. Keep an eye on DrivingOnRoad for our comprehensive Test Drive review which will follow soon.

What’s New For 2025?

The Cadillac CT5 is a mid-size luxury sedan that straddles the line between a traditional mid-size, like a BMW 5 Series, and a smaller compact, like the 3 Series. The ‘regular’ CT5-V acts as a mid-level version akin to the M Performance (M340i) or AMG Line (C43), while the Blackwing targets fully fledged M and AMG models like the M5 and E63. It’s an odd strategy, but it sets the CT5-V Blackwing apart from its rivals.

Cadillac updated the CT5 lineup both inside and outside, adding new features that will improve the car on the road and on the racetrack. Super Cruise is now standard on automatic-equipped models, meaning the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing will be an even better road trip vehicle than before. An available Precision Package delivers more controlled performance, which should dramatically improve lap times. Buyers can also opt for more aggressive Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and carbon ceramic brakes to further take seconds off their track sessions.

Exterior & Interior: A Better Daily

All CT5 models, including the CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing, receive bolder front end styling that looks more inline with the rest of Cadillac’s lineup. Stacked vertical headlights feel slightly reminiscent of the now-discontinued CT6, and they play a nice animation when you walk up or away from the car with the key fob. Other exterior changes include a new grille, rockers, and rear spoiler that complete the elegant yet aggressive look. Cadillac still offers some bold colors, including our tester’s Cyber Yellow Metallic, as well as three new hues: Drift Metallic, Deep Space Metallic, Typhoon Metallic. 19-inch wheels are the only option (in two patterns and three colors), shunning the trend of overly large wheels that spoil the ride comfort. As before, customers can select blue, red, or bronze brake calipers with a key fob to match.

The interior changes feel more extensive with a new 9K 33-inch diagonal LED screen that combines the gauge cluster and infotainment system. This is the same screen found in the XT4 crossover, but it gets special features like a Performance Data Recorder that can analyze your lap times, give speed tips on how to go faster, and more. Visually, the new screen is far more impressive than the outgoing 10-inch one, and it is now powered by Google with built-in Google Assistant, Maps, and more. Unlike BMW, Cadillac left plenty of physical controls for the climate and shortcut buttons for the infotainment, meaning you don’t have to fully rely on the touchscreen. Cadillac only had test vehicles with the optional carbon fiber-backed high-performance bucket seats, but they are still reasonably comfortable and offer heating, ventilation, and massage.

Performance: All In The Details

Cadillac didn’t add any more power for 2025, and that’s just fine with us. 668 horsepower and 659 lb-ft of torque from a 6.2-liter LT4 supercharged V8 may not be class-leading in a world of twin-turbo hybrid-assisted German V8s, but higher numbers don’t necessarily make a car more fun to drive. Power is sent to the rear wheels only, though most of its rivals have four driven wheels, going out through a standard six-speed manual or an optional 10-speed automatic. This car is still plenty quick; 0-60 is dealt with in just 3.4 seconds, but meeting that estimate will require a prepped track and some skill. I clocked a 3.86-second run with the manual, and was slightly quicker with the automatic at 3.80 seconds.

2025 sees the introduction of a new Precision Package, which costs $9,000 and requires the selection of carbon ceramic brakes for an additional $9,000. This package comes with stuff you can not see, but it greatly improves the handling. These upgrades include: increased spring rates, revised bushings, a larger front stabilizer bar, new steering knuckles and rear suspension, new toe links, a more aggressive track wheel alignment, and retuned MagneRide suspension and limited-slip differential. Combined with stickier Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires that replace the Pilot Sport S5 ones, track performance is massively improved from last year’s model.

Driving Impressions: Floats Like A Butterfly…

What impresses most about the CT5-V Blackwing is not its tremendous power, which is thoroughly jaw-dropping; it’s the comfort. Thanks to reasonably-sized wheels and Cadillac’s excellent MagneRide dampers, the Blackwing floats like a… well, you know the saying. It’s amazing what a well-sorted chassis, some excellent suspension, and a smart engineering philosophy can do for a car’s ride. Hey, Germany, cars don’t have to break your spine to handle well!

The surprising softness is complemented by talkative steering that feels natural and not overly assisted. It gives feedback to the driver, which is more than could be said for the steering in most modern cars. Then there’s the manual transmission, which delivers a satisfying feeling every time you change gear. Unfortunately, you don’t have to change gears very frequently because there’s simply so much torque, it’s nearly impossible to stall or be in the wrong gear for an overtaking maneuver. The clutch pedal is long with a decent heft to it, but it’s far from tiresome. At full throttle, you can even change gears without letting off the throttle thanks to Cadillac’s No-Lift-Shift feature.

This event was my first chance to sample a CT5-V Blackwing with the optional 10-speed automatic transmission. While it’s not the option I’d choose, it is an excellent one. It blends into the background in normal driving, but rips off razor fast shifts at full throttle. Each gear change is accompanied by a thwack from the exhaust, as the supercharged V8 takes a brief break from shouting out its lungs. Passing on the manual transmission feels like missing out on what could be the last of its breed, but in a vacuum, the automatic looses almost nothing in terms of excitement.

Track Impressions: …Stings Like A Bee

Cadillac set up the Performance Data Recorder for Atlanta Motorsports Park, giving us the ability to analyze our lap times. My first laps were done in an automatic-equipped CT5-V Blackwing without the Precision Package. It was blisteringly quick, but the PSS5 tires didn’t have enough grip leaving corners, meaning I had to wait longer to get on the throttle. The Blackwing also felt less confident under braking, and I couldn’t confidently carry as much speed through the long carousel section. My quickest lap in this car was 1:41.53.

I hopped out of that car into a manual one with the Precision Package. Immediately, I was struck by how much sooner I could get on the power without worrying about wheel spin and how much more speed I could carry. The PDR told me that I could stay on-throttle longer and showed me better lines to take through various corners, resulting in a 1:34.09 lap time – a huge improvement. The automatic with the Precision Package was slightly quicker, 1:33.71, but there isn’t a massive delta between the two transmissions. You likely won’t notice the Precision upgrades during normal street driving, but if you plan to track your car, it’s a must-have option that turns the Blackwing into a precision instrument.

Pricing & Verdict: Worth Every Penny And More

A full configurator is not yet available for the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing, but pricing starts at $95,595. That’s a lot of money for a car, but it’s practically a bargain compared to the Audi RS7 at $128,600 and BMW M5 at $119,500. Even with $18,000 tacked on for the Precision Package and carbon ceramic brakes (totaling $113 595), the Blackwing stands as a value in the luxury performance sedan segment.

The German competitors may boast quicker 0-60 times thanks to their all-wheel-drive systems and hybridization, but those features cause them to feel heavy compared to the Blackwing. Hopping into the Cadillac feels like a time capsule, a reminder of a time when weight and complexity were the enemies of performance. The CT5-V Blackwing feels like the ultimate mid-2000s luxury sedan, built in 2024 with modern technology and power. It’s everything car enthusiasts say they want from a performance sedan, and proof that Cadillac can still set the standard – and that improving on perfection is possible.