2022 Cadillac CT5-V

The 2022 Cadillac CT5-V is rooted in performance and coming to supercharge your emotions in ways you never expected – but always dreamed of. The standard 6-speed manual transmission strengthens your connection to the road and includes a unique shifter with a jewel-like, 3D-printed emblem. You’re also free to leave the shifting to the lighting fast, unsurpassed speeds with the available 10-speed automatic transmission.

ENGINE AND IMPLEMENTATION

Even though Cadillac is calling it the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, it isn’t powered by the newly developed twin-turbo Blackwing V-8 from the now discontinued CT6-V. Instead, an updated version of the CTS-V’s supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 makes a whopping 668 horsepower pairs to either a six-speed manual or an optional 10-speed automatic. The CT5-V Blackwing is a sharp-handling sedan that also can be set to ride quite comfortably despite its sporting intentions.

Standard magnetorheological dampers sense the road surface and your driving intention and adjust accordingly. Acceleration is explosive and in our testing, the CT5-V Blackwing with the six-speed manual hit 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds; we estimate it will be capable of hitting 60 mph in as little as 3.4 seconds when equipped with the optional automatic transmission.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND REAL-WORLD MPG

With the optional automatic transmission, the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing earned EPA fuel economy ratings of 13 mpg city and 22 mpg highway; going with the six-speed manual drops the car’s highway fuel economy estimate to 21 mpg. On our 75-mph highway, fuel economy route our manual transmission test vehicle managed an impressive 24 mpg result. For more information about the CT5-V Blackwing’s fuel economy, visit the EPA’s website.

INTERIOR, CONVENIENCE, AND BOOTH

The 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing shares its cabin with the standard CT5, which gives the performance sedan a reasonably spacious interior with plenty of features and niceties. We’ve found the regular CT5’s cabin to be a mix of materials—some fine, some decidedly down-market—but Cadillac dresses the CT5-V Blackwing to better match its much higher entry price. All models come with genuine leather upholstery with heated and ventilated front seats and 18-way power adjustments.

High-performance sport seats with leather and microfiber upholstery are optional and come bundled with matching door panel inserts. The Blackwing’s trunk is the same size and shape as the regular CT5’s, into which we fit five carry-on cases during our testing. The gauge display includes a lap timer feature; a performance data recorder is an optional extra.