Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing | Driven

5 December 2022 Redazione News, Tested

Words Christian Parodi / Photos Cadillac Media

I am taking off, literally. Today I allow myself a quick but necessary leap into the future, given that I have the opportunity to sit at the wheel of the new Cadillac CT5-V, finally available with the Blackwing variant, that is the one pushed by an eight-cylinder capable of renaming the image of fear in my eyes while coming out of the orbits at the first acceleration. In fact, the CT5 mid-size sedan welcomes the true heir to the CTS-V that made us fall in love so much even in the old continent, thrusting a gigantic 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that unloads to the ground the beauty of 668 horses and 893 Nm of torque, all on the rear axle only and with the possibility of equipping it with a manual or automatic transmission.

Luck sees very well and makes me find an example with a third pedal and a traditional lever. While I violently engage one gear after another, the hiss of the supercharger manages to enter the passenger compartment, struggling with the loud noise emitted by the tailpipes. There is a very strong smell of burnt rubber, the surrounding landscape moves too fast and I am comfortably seated on seats with a carbon fiber shell, yet equipped with heating, cooling and massage systems. Absurd, but fantastic. The CT5-V Blackwing is way muscular and does not hide its warlike intentions, showing off a lot of carbon fiber and a pronounced spoiler at the rear, but honestly I’m too focused on keeping the steering wheel steady in my hands, kidnapped by a power capable of launching it from 0 to 100 per hour in just 3.5 seconds and exceed 320 kph while flat-out.

Managing to maintain the qualities of a comfortable sedan with four doors and lots of on-board technology, in addition to the manual gearbox, the CT5-V Blackwing introduces a whole series of solutions that amplify driving involvement, such as the V button on the left portion of the steering wheel, or the small lever useful for adjusting the traction control intervention, on the right. I took out a whole tank of petrol in a few hours, but it was worth it. The petrol indicator doesn’t like to joke and is already admonishing me as I leave the fuel station, slowly drawing the silhouette of the Blackwing out of a cloud of smoke. This car should be driven with a knife between your teeth and even if the comfort offered is top notch, the desire to press the “V” button is too strong. The beast wakes up immediately and with a jolt that rises from the soles of your feet up to your brain, you can feel all of its 668 horsepower rattling your bones at each gear change, which lose a few fractions of a second by giving up the 10-speed automatic in favor of the 6-speed manual, but they gain in terms of explosiveness, roughness and driving pleasure.

The behavior is surprising even when cornering, with a precision that I would not have thought possible and that constant desire to widen the rear, a certain situation with a slightly more decisive pressure on the gas pedal. While the hiss of the supercharger accompanies the push beyond the limits of speed and common sense, I think back to the world, how it is inexorably moving towards an electric panorama and I thank Cadillac for having wanted to grant us, at least for the moment, one more chapter worth dreaming about. A gigantic 6.2-litre engine, 668-hp thirsty for petrol and a torque of almost 900 Nm that has no qualms about shaking the earth’s axis, just to remind us what it really takes to excite driving enthusiasts like us. As usual for Made in USA cars, the price tag is a further point in favor of the Blackwing, thus ranging between $84,990 and a maximum of around $110,150, much, much less than a European counterpart in most cases with two cylinders less and solutions more uniform to the competitors. Yes, the Blackwing is the car that brings everyone together, which accentuates that desire to go out on the road and terrorize the whole town. If there is a V it is impossible to go wrong.