Cadillac was General Motors' premier luxury brand around the world for the majority of the twentieth century. Yes, there was a time when heads of state and other important people preferred Cadillacs to Mercedes-Benz, Audi, or BMWs. Old Cadillac models had a lot of presence, a lot of luxury, and they were just cool to be seen in. Unfortunately, Cadillac has a reputation for producing vehicles that are only appealing to the elderly. Cadillac eventually realised this, and in the 2000s, they took significant steps to change that.
Cadillac decided to stick it to the Germans with the launch of the surprisingly youthful CTS in 2002, and launch a performance version of the CTS to compete with the Audi RS6, Mercedes-Benz E55 and E63 AMG, and BMW M5. The original CTS-V debuted in 2004, and it quickly established itself as a worthy rival to the German performance sedans of the time.
In the present day, the V brand has dissolved into a trim package, similar to M Sport or AMG Line for the Germans. Cadillac, on the other hand, has revived a short-lived moniker that only ever appeared on the full-size CT6, preparing two high-performance sedans to take on the Germans one last time before their transition to full electric. The CT4-V Blackwing is the smaller of the two, and it's well worth a look.
Overview of the 2022 CT4-V Blackwing
The mid-size Cadillac CT4 sedan serves as the foundation for the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing. The CT4 resembles the larger CT5, but it is slightly smaller.
The CT4-V Blackwing doesn't exactly hide the fact that it's the high performance model; if the wild paint schemes aren't enough of a giveaway, the CT4-V Blackwing gets noticeable aero upgrades, unique alloy wheel designs, a rear spoiler, and a slew of other goodies.
The CT4 is the smaller and less powerful of the two Blackwing models, competing against the BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C63, and Audi RS5 Sportback (since the RS4 is Avant only and not available in North America).
The CT4-V Blackwing is the top model and trim level in the CT4 family, and unlike Chevy's Corvette or Camaro, there is only one Blackwing to choose from, with only a couple of Carbon Fiber Packages that include the enhanced aero components.
Pricing and availability for the CT4-V Blackwing in 2022
The Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing 2022 will be available for order in November 2021. The manual-equipped model starts at $59,990. The 10-speed automatic version is slightly more expensive, starting at $63,165. Both undercut the BMW M3 and M4 by around $10,000, which is quite impressive. But be warned: once you start adding options to the Caddy, the price could easily exceed $90,000.
It's a good thing Cadillac jumped back into the performance sedan pool one more time. These will be the brand's final performance models before the company's transition to EVs, which has already begun. Is the CT4-V Blackwing a proper sendoff for the V badge as well as a fantastic compact performance sedan? Without a doubt.
2022 CT4-V Blackwing Quality And Comfort
On the inside, the CT4-V Blackwing is largely identical to the regular CT4, which is in turn very similar to the larger CT5. The fully digital instrument cluster is new for 2022 across the entire model range, and the Blackwing gets it as well, with its own unique displays depending on the drive mode you're currently in. The CT4-V Blackwing also gets unique trim options, a 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel, and a special V button on the steering wheel for the different driving modes.
Cars with manual transmissions have a jewel-inspired 3D-printed gear pattern atop the shifter. All Blackwings come standard with a 14-speaker AKG sound system with lightweight components, as well as special grippy seats (with the option of having them ventilated), Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a slew of track telemetry features.
As expected, the safety features are excellent: adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert, and so on. Unfortunately, Super Cruise is not available in this country. The CT4-V Blackwing seats five people and has 11 cubic feet of trunk space, which is among the smallest in the class.
2022 CT4-V Blackwing Drivetrain
Whereas the CT5-V Blackwing has a supercharged V8, the CT4-V Blackwing has a slightly different powertrain formula. The engine is a 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with 472 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque. The horsepower figure is one less than that of the new BMW M3, but the CT4-V has more torque.
All of that power is routed solely to the rear wheels (no AWD here) via a six-speed manual or a ten-speed automatic transmission. Believe it or not, the stick shift is the standard transmission.
The CT4-V Blackwing accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds with launch control engaged, on its way to a top speed of more than 189 mph. There are no electronic limiters to be found. The revised chassis tuning, an electronic LSD, and adaptive damping help the CT4-V Blackwing put power down on the road.
There's also carbon fibre throughout, and all of the aerodynamics and additional cooling and venting you see on the car are fully functional. All of this adds up to a truly fantastic track day sedan that can definitely scare the Germans away in the corners.
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Cadillac CT5