I’ve been waiting for this drive for a long time. So long, in fact, that I’ve already bought a CT5-V Blackwing t-shirt and crowned the Caddy “king super sedan.” The coronation was premature, considering my complete lack of seat time.
In fact, I’m so late to drive the CT5-V Blackwing that Cadillac has already cancelled the model. 2026 is the final year of the car’s five-year run. (Thankfully, a replacement mega sedan is in the works.)
Finally getting to drive the CT5-V Blackwing after all these years is like getting a date with a high school crush, in middle age. But driving the 668-hp sports sedan in Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance traffic with a heavy police presence? At best, that’s a just-lunch date, at opposite ends of a 40” banquet table, blindfolded.
Oh, and today is cold and rainy. What the hell! Regardless, my excitement can’t be dampened. Give me the CT5-V Blackwing keys!
My pining over the 2026 CT5-V Blackwing comes from my love of do-it-all cars. I’ve purchased a few do-it-alls over the years, the latest being my 2014 Cadillac CTS-V wagon purchase. The wagon is still my favorite family flog ever, as it mixes excellent daily comfort with exciting rear-wheel-drive dynamics and gobs of analog feedback.
I’m assuming the CT5-V Blackwing will be fantastic because of its lineage. My wagon is a second-generation CTS-V, which was replaced by the 2015-2021 third-gen CTS-V, which was replaced today’s 2022-2026 CT5-V Blackwing.
(Why Cadillac decided to kink the CTS-V’s ‘S’ into a ‘5’ and add the Blackwing suffix is a mystery to me.)
Given its roots, there is little surprise that the CT5-V Blackwing is as multi-dimensional as road cars come. This car can luxuriate, cruise, haul, hoon, or race; you choose your own adventure.
Cadillac learned important lessons from the CTS-V that they applied to the CT5-V Blackwing. Specifically, the second-gen CTS-V had a flimsy, creaky interior, and the third-gen CTS-V cancelled the manual transmission and leaned into capacitive controls. The CT5-V Blackwing rights all those wrongs.
The six-speed stick shift is back, and real buttons and knobs adorn the dashboard, center console, and steering wheel. Cadillac has upped the quality of its materials and cabin construction, bringing the fight to Audi, BMW, and Mercedes.
From the 2026 CT5-V Blackwing’s driver’s seat, I quickly conclude that Cadillac has found the ideal balance between sport, luxury, physical controls, and modern tech.
Yes, the sport seat makes the first good impression. It is expertly contoured and oh-so comfortable! I could sit in it all day, yet still have the lateral bolstering I want for hard cornering.
While adjusting the seat’s position, I accidentally press the massage button and laugh out loud when rollers start kneading my back. One more trick for the do-it-all!
Front and back seats finely upholstered in plush leather. The CT5-V Blackwing has grown 3” in length and 1.5” in width since my 2014 CTS-V, and 6’-tall adults now have ample head and legroom in the second row. While the back bench has a center seatbelt for a fifth passenger, this position is best for baby seats because a hump in the floor steals this seat’s footroom.
Ahead of me, the gauge cluster and navigation panel are married on one long curving LCD screen. GM has integrated Google Maps, so high-resolution cartography glows on the glass. I slide my finger across the map, and it moves fluidly at my brush.
The digital instrument cluster has different gauge graphics for each drive mode. Flipping through the modes, I’m impressed by the prominent tire pressures and fluid temperatures on the Race mode screen. These readings are critical information for hot lapping; having the data front and center is as it should be!
One of Cadillac’s best tech features is Super Cruise, hands-free cruise control. The system steers, brakes, and accelerates on pre-mapped highways. I won’t have a chance to use Super Cruise today, but I loved the system in the 2018 Cadillac CT6, and I’m sure the technology has improved since then. (Super Cruise is only available on CT5-V Blackwings with automatic transmissions, as it can’t be paired with the manual transmission.)
The car’s features list is miles deep and includes many active safety systems, but I’m here to drive, not explore menus. At the prod of a button, the CT5-V Blackwing comes to life with a mild V8 roar, then settles into a subdued idle. The thick doors keep out the outside noises.
Pulling out of the parking lot and onto busy 17 Mile Drive, I can tell that the CT5-V Blackwing is a serious performance sedan. The chassis exudes hunkered-down confidence, and the moderately paced steering feels hefty in my hands. The brakes are firm and measured, and purported to offer world-stopping bite. I’m a little sad I don’t have the 6-speed manual to sample, but the 10-speed cog-swapper seamlessly slides through the gears, keeping the rpm at 1.5k as I follow traffic towards Carmel.
Even though the CT5-V Blackwing projects sportiness, its magnetic-ride suspension has us happily rolling along in comfort. On this glass-smooth road, there’s no road texture to feel through the steering wheel, but the slight hum of the tires slapping pavement and the rumble of the engine vaporizing gasoline can be felt through the floor.
I’m hungry to hear the 6.2L supercharged V8 roar and feel the CT5-V Blackwing bolt. At the first extended straightaway, I squeeze the gas, but hold well short of full throttle. The CT5-V Blackwing downshifts, growls like a Corvette, and starts picking up speed. As the revs approach 5k rpm, the surging power overwhelms the tire’s tenuous grip on the wet tarmac, and the car’s rear slithers sideways, pivoting me toward oncoming traffic. I feel a puckering in my pants as I countersteer and release the gas; thankfully, the CT5-V Blackwing rights itself without a disastrous incident.
I love powerful RWD cars, but 668 hp on cold, wet roads is no joke! No wonder the competition (BMW M5, M3 xDrive, and Mercedes-AMG E53) use AWD with their high-horsepower offerings. The rest of the drive will be a careful cruise rather than a comprehensive dynamic review!
While I won’t be tossing the CT5-V Blackwing into corners or planting the loud pedal, I can’t just slink along in silence! I put the car into Sport+ mode to open the exhaust baffles, then pluck the steering-wheel paddles like oboe strings. The automatic transmission promptly swaps gears, and the grunty V8 engine roars as it accelerates, then rumbles menacingly when I lift off the throttle. The overrun burbles roll like distant thunder.
My first date with the CT5-V Blackwing is going swimmingly, but it is time to wrap it up. The return route back is lined with spectators waiting for the Tour d’Elegance parade, so I click off downshifts for the crowd’s amusement. To my delight, a man waves a sign at me: “Can I buy your car?” Why, yes, you can! Hustle down to the Cadillac dealer and get one while the 2026s are still in stock. I might meet you there, too!
My 2014 CTS-V wagon is a great do-it-all, but the 2026 CT5-V Blackwing is undoubtedly superior. The new V8 engine has tighter response and a better-formed song, the new chassis is more rigid and hunkered down, the magnetic ride shocks provide an exceptional ride, and the whole car feels fit for track work. Next to the CT5-V Blackwing, my wagon feels pudgy and soft. And the CT5-V Blackwing is more luxurious and more tech-forward, too.
What is the cost for all this progress? $100k to $150k, depending on the options. In light of the CT5-V Blackwing’s vast improvements, it is worth the cost to be the boss.
