Cadillac is on the verge of having a very big 2024. (That’s why it’s one of our “24 Brands to Watch in 2024,” which, if you haven’t read it yet, you should go check out after finishing this article. I’ll leave a link down there for you.) The next 12 months should see not one but three electric Caddys hit the streets: the compact Optiq crossover, the house-priced Celestiq sedan and the house-sized Escalade IQ. All three will be important touchstones on the brand’s planned journey to going all-electric by the end of the decade.
But the new Cadillac that’s giving me the most hope for the brand’s future isn’t any of those models. The one that has me most excited for Caddy’s next phase, in fact, isn’t even an electric car.
It’s the 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.
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Yes, you could argue that the Blackwing is anachronistic, outdated and even selfish, if you wanted to go full Greta Thunberg. And yes, it does drink gasoline the way Jason Kelce puts back beers, and yes, its tires can produce a Quebec wildfire’s worth of smoke at the drop of a hat. But it’s so much more than that, too. The CT5-V Blackwing is proof that Cadillac still knows what buyers want … and demonstrates that it’s happy to give it to them.
The CT5-V Blackwing hasn’t changed much, and that’s very much a good thing
Don’t mess with success has long been one of the world’s great product planning maxims, and the CT5 has indeed been a success. It was Cadillac’s best-selling model globally last year — sure, a lot of that was due to China, but hey, money is money — while the Blackwing version saw around half its buyers opt for the stick shift, in what has to count as a notable victory for the borderline-Quixotic #SaveTheManuals campaign.
And Cadillac clearly understood that people are happy with the CT5-V Blackwing, based on the changes for the 2025 model year. All the features that made it the best sport sedan you can buy new from a dealership these days — sorry, M5, but you know it’s true — are sticking around for the new model year.
First and foremost, of course, is the stick: the six-speed manual gearbox remains the standard choice for the Blackwing. The supercharged 6.2-liter V8 makes exactly the same 668 horsepower and 659 lb-ft of torque, all sent to the rear wheels and harnessed via an electronic limited-slip differential and GM’s excellent Performance Traction Management software. The suspension and magnetic ride dampers also remain unchanged.
All of which is great to see, because none of it needed to be changed.
Instead, Cadillac fine-tuned the CT5-V Blackwing around the edges to keep it spiffy. The car has received a literal facelift, but like the best facelifts, it’s subtle; the grille and front fascia have been tweaked for a more aggressive appearance, with dark tear-path lines like those of a cheetah rolling down from the angrier headlights and more prominent, bladed “cheekbones” to give the front end a leaner look.
Inside, the big news is a 33-inch LED instrument panel / infotainment screen like the one found in the Escalade. Here, though, it comes with a host of performance-related apps that enable you to chart your progress on tracks and can even offer guidance on how to go faster, like a virtual Reese Bobby. There’s also integrated Google Maps navigation and other Google features. (Sadly, it appears the physical volume knob may have been a casualty of the changes on manual cars, as we can’t spot it in the image below. At least the driver’s volume buttons remain on the steering wheel.)
And the non-Blackwing CT5-V remains an underrated choice
It’s worth mentioning that the regular CT5-V is also being updated, and remains an excellent car in its own right. As with its V8 sibling, there are no changes to the goodies beneath the skin: there’s still a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 making 360 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque, connected to a 10-speed automatic with power then flowing to a buyer’s choice of the rear axle or all four wheels. PTM, eLSD and all the other mechanical and electronic wizardry that GM can muster all stick around, too.
And while it may not boast any electric motors apart from the sorts that make the seats and windows move, that’s not to say these Caddys don’t have technological wizardry.For 2025, GM’s marvelous highway driving assistant Super Cruise — which we’ve extolled on multiple occasions —comes standard on the CT5-V and slushbox-equipped CT5-V Blackwings.
All of which suggests Cadillac is listening to what people want
Obviously (and tragically), the gas-powered CT5-V Blackwing will eventually be axed. But both its existence and thoughtfully planned evolution point to the fact that its legacy — long established by decades of CTS-V predecessors — should endure.
Gasoline power may go away, but the V-Series cars will go on; Cadillac has already confirmed that. The CT5 shows that Cadillac has good reason to continue investing in sedans, and the CT5-V Blackwing proves buyers want ones that can battle the best sport sedans on the planet and come out victorious. No matter what form the next generation of V-cars come in, we can be sure Cadillac will do its best to give us gearheads what we love: power, handling, balance and above all else driving pleasure. At least, that’s my hope.
