Underrated Sleeper: Cadillac CT5 Blackwing

The definition of a sleeper performance vehicle is one that flies under the radar. It doesn’t look particularly fast or it comes from a brand not known for making performance vehicles. Lately, Cadillac is mostly known for its line of luxury SUVs, but the Cadillac CT5 Blackwing fits the sleeper mode with its family-sized four-door layout. However, under the hood is a 6.2-liter supercharged V8, which is the same one in the C7 Corvette Z06. Let’s take a closer look.

Don’t Sleep On This Sedan

The focus of the American market has turned inexorably to SUVs, but four-door sedans are still great family vehicles and great vehicles in general. They boast roomy rear seats and cavernous trunks. If they’re like the Cadillac CT5 Blackwing, they can also be incredibly fun to drive. It’s hard not to have fun with 668 horsepower under the hood. The CT5 Blackwing is a Corvette heart wrapped in a staid family package. This sedan proves that you don’t have to give up your performance coupe for a boring family vehicle. You can have sharp handling and plenty of power while still having room for the fam and a trunk full of luggage. The Blackwing puts out a generous amount of torque as well at 659 pound-feet. All this torque is sent directly to the rear wheels–you won’t find an AWD system here.

DIY Gearbox Delivers the Thrills

The previous model in the CTS-V only offered an automatic transmission, but Cadillac fixed that with the CT5 Blackwing, and over 60% of buyers have chosen the manual transmission to deliver power to the wheels. Depending on the options you choose, the CT5 Blackwing is capable of going from zero to 60 in 3.6 to 3.7 seconds. It can do a quarter mile in 11.6 to 11.7 seconds. When you consider that this is a 4,200-pound four-door sedan that can seat five people, these are pretty incredible numbers. There’s no doubt that getting the most fun out of this car comes with the manual transmission where you can really feel in control of all that power.

Cadillac CT5 Blackwing Specs

The 2022 Cadillac CT5 Blackwing has an impressive spec sheet for what is ostensibly a family sedan. Sporting a four-door, five-passenger layout, the CT5 features RWD paired with a supercharged V8 engine. You can choose between an automatic or manual transmission, but as previously mentioned, well over half of all Blackwing buyers opt for the manual. There are a number of additional packages available for the Blackwing as well. The Carbon Fiber package is a popular option that adds a front splitter, front wheel-well deflectors, and a trunk spoiler for $4,100. For $1,600 you can add a sunroof, and for $1,400 you can add a parking package with a hands-free trunk release and rear camera mirror.

In a market increasingly focused on electric vehicles, the CT5 Blackwing is a refreshing throwback to the days of muscle.