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The 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will get refreshed with the remainder of the CT5 lineup
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A brand new $18,000 Precision Bundle upgrades the CT5-V Blackwing’s dealing with
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The 2025 CT5-V Blackwing arrives by the tip of the yr, Precision Bundle vehicles arrive in 2025
“I’m going to make a CT5-V Blackwing drive like a CT4-V Blackwing.” That was the gross sales pitch Cadillac’s govt chief engineer Brandon Vivian gave GM administration.
Given Cadillac’s unique aim of turning into an all-electric model by 2030, we must always presume Vivian’s one heck of a salesman to get GM’s administration to inexperienced gentle even a small engineering funds for this challenge.
However Vivian did. The results of that engineering effort is a brand new $18,000 Precision Bundle out there on the refreshed 2025 CT5-V Blackwing. Whereas the Blackwing will likely be out there earlier than the tip of this yr, the brand new package deal will arrive in early 2025.
The query I sought to reply on the twisting roads in northern Georgia and at Atlanta Motorsports Park is whether or not it’s price spending $18,000 to tick the Precision Bundle choice field. The reply isn’t easy, and comes all the way down to sure, no, and perhaps.
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
What’s the CT5-V Blackwing Precision Bundle
In brief, the Precision Bundle is a dealing with improve that consists of stickier tires paired with suspension and chassis tweaks together with software program updates to make the most of the additional grip.
Nevertheless it’s much more than that.
The premise is a set of 275/35ZR19 entrance and 305/30ZR19 rear Michelin Cup 2 R tires, that are mainly street-legal slicks. They’re summer-only tires that shouldn’t be pushed in chilly temps under 40 levels, and so they aren’t going to deal with rain, particularly standing water, properly.
Cadillac’s Chief Engineer Alex MacDonald mentioned house owners may skip the $18,000 Precision Bundle and easily slap a set of the Cup 2s on a CT5-V Blackwing, however they may attain the bounds of the automotive’s chassis earlier than they attain the restrict of the tires.
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
To unravel that challenge Precision Bundle vehicles get entrance springs which might be 70% stiffer, new entrance dampers with revised cartridges and rod lengths with 2 mm much less journey, an 11% stiffer entrance sway bar, new entrance knuckles that introduce 2.8 levels of adverse camper with a monitor alignment up from the earlier 2.5 levels with a monitor alignment, new high mounts for the higher spring seats, new spring isolators which might be 79% stiffer. That’s simply up entrance.
The rear springs are 57% stiffer, the dampers have a 20.5 mm shorter rod size, the rear J57 knuckles and trailing hyperlink bushings are all up to date with an elevated radial fee of 63%, the brand new rear toe hyperlinks are machined in-house, and the brand new entrance bushing within the rear cradle is 1,000% stiffer but not stable.
All that is mixed with revised magnetic damper tuning together with up to date stability management and traction management calibrations to make the most of the brand new grip.
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
How does the CT5-V Blackwing Precision Bundle drive on the road?
The updates all translate to minimal if any change to how the CT5-V Blackwing performs on the road. Taking a pointy neglected of the Atlanta Motorsports Park car parking zone after which a fast left onto the primary roadway exterior the monitor, the Blackwing had sharp flip in response and fast strikes.
Hustling by way of roundabouts and winding backroads proved how livable and adept the CT5-V Blackwing is on the road.
Again-to-back seat time within the CT5-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing geared up with the Precision Bundle proved that it’s tough to discern any variations on the road. When pushed onerous, the Precision Bundle automotive may be ever so barely sharper close to the restrict. Nonetheless, the Precision Bundle automotive I used to be in had a monitor alignment with extra camber and that might’ve accounted for this ever so slight distinction. Each rode on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, that are a no-cost choice for Precision Bundle consumers who wish to make their vehicles extra streetable.
Taut driving but snug with tight dealing with, the CT5-V Blackwing Precision Bundle is no much less livable, except you go for the Cup 2 R tires, than a non Precision Bundle automotive.
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
How does the CT5-V Blackwing Precision Bundle drive on the monitor?
Faster. By a number of seconds.
It took solely a handful of laps within the CT5-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing Precision Bundle (with the Cup 2 Rs) vehicles to instantly discover the distinction in dynamics and lap occasions.
Cadillac had us operating in Observe mode with the Efficiency Traction Administration system set to Sport 1, which enabled extra sideways motion and tire slip. I kicked out the CT5-V Blackwing’s rear finish a number of occasions and by no means noticed a flash of the traction or stability management methods within the digital instrument cluster. The system realized I used to be in management and didn’t have to intervene to avoid wasting my butt.
The Precision Bundle vehicles had been in a position to stick and rip by way of the esses of turns 2 and three simpler whereas carrying extra pace. I didn’t must dig into the carbon-ceramic brakes onerous till heading up into the flip 4 tight lefthand carousel. However to Vivian’s level concerning the Precision Bundle turning the CT5-V Blackwing right into a CT4-V Blackwing, the CT5-V Blackwing continues to be a bigger, heavier automotive. The CT4-V Blackwing would possible be as agile naturally by way of these turns with out the ultra-grippy tires, however the larger automotive did impersonation of its little brother because of the Precision Bundle.
Non Precision Bundle vehicles had extra energy than grip and I needed to again off the ability extra going round flip 4, whereas Precision Bundle vehicles entered the nook quicker, carried extra pace by way of the nook, and had been greater than prepared to let the rear finish slide a bit in a managed method. The entrance finish caught as Cup 2 R tires dug into the pavement for sharper flip in. And whereas the entrance finish caught higher with the revised suspension bits and sticker tires, a CT4-V Blackwing reveals sharper prove the gate than a regular CT5-V Blackwing and its lighter weight would assist the entrance finish keep planted by way of the sharp nook. With out back-to-backing the vehicles it’s onerous to understand how shut Vivan got here to his aim.
The Flip 6 righthander actually types out what a automotive’s fabricated from with an off-camber dip on the apex and an uphill exit. Right here, it was simpler to stay and launch out of the nook with the Cup 2 R tires and up to date suspension. Non Precision Bundle vehicles merely couldn’t put down the ability on nook exit and took longer to get better because the physique sorted itself out. A CT4-V Blackwing carries 263 much less kilos than a CT5-V Blackwing, which might make a distinction as Flip 6 unsettles all the things in a automotive. The Precision Bundle makes up for that with immense grip.
Nevertheless it was the Turns 13-16 complicated, which includes a blind uphill lefthander, a protracted and quick bend to the left, and a high-speed proper onto the entrance straight, the place the Precision Bundle actually shined. Aiming left by way of Flip 13 the Blackwing with out the Precision Bundle struggled to maintain the rubber planted because the automotive understeered a bit on the downhill exit. This led to decrease speeds heading into the Turns 14 and 15 carousel, which made it tough to hold as a lot pace into Flip 16 heading into the straight. I may solely hit about 116 mph going into the Flip 1 left hander on this state of affairs.
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
Hopping right into a Precision Bundle automotive I instantly seen the Blackwing struggled much less when exiting Flip 13, was in a position to see carry 84-85 mph persistently on the Flip 14 apex, and would exceed 100 mph by way of the Flip 16 transition heading onto the straight. That entrance straight? I hit as much as 126 mph earlier than digging deep into the carbon-ceramic brakes to sluggish for Flip 1. Cadillac had IMSA professional driver Jordan Taylor readily available, and he hit 130 mph heading down the straight.
The additional pace by way of all these turns translated to significant lap-time enhancements. The quickest lap I ran within the Blackwing with the Precision Bundle was a 1:34.19, which was 2-3 seconds faster than my finest laps in a Blackwing with out the Precision Bundle. Jordan Taylor hit a 1:29.
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
Refreshed CT5-V Blackwing injects tech and lighting updates
One look on the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing and it’s simple to identify the updates in and out.
The entrance finish has been up to date with new headlights. I’m not bought that they give the impression of being higher up shut as they appear so as to add visible vertical heft, however from afar they give the impression of being cool. The total-length vertical gentle pipes give the CT5-V Blackwing a menacing and extra distinctive look. The CT5-V Blackwing’s outgoing headlights had poor efficiency in moist and misty situations as the sunshine would scatter with an unfocused sample. MacDonald instructed me the brand new headlights with their projector lenses are extra targeted to offer higher efficiency. We did not drive the vehicles at night time and I stay up for testing this sooner or later.
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
Inside, the dashboard is revised like it’s in the remainder of the CT5 lineup. The digital gauge cluster and touchscreen have been wrapped into one curved 33.0-inch 8K show that feels much less like a pill rising from the dashboard. It’s properly built-in and continues to be augmented with buttons, knobs, and toggles for the local weather controls and infotainment system. Blackwings geared up with an automated transmission additionally achieve the Tremendous Cruise hands-free driver-assist system as commonplace tools, which implies they get a special steering wheel that doesn’t have the Efficiency Traction Administration (PTM) system dial. That buries the PTM settings in a convoluted sequence that requires hitting the V Mode button twice to deliver up a menu, then transferring up and down the menu through the drive mode toggle change on the middle console. The remainder of the inside is carryover, and the highback Recaro entrance bucket seats hit in all the suitable locations of my common 5-foot-10 body, however the leather-based and cabin supplies are a full step behind what’s discovered within the way more costly BMW M5.
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
2025 CT5-V Blackwing heralds next-gen PDR
Cadillac took benefit of the CT5-V’s up to date display screen and software program know-how for the out there Cosworth-supplied Efficiency Information Recorder system.
What as soon as required a pc or smartphone app can now be accomplished on the touchscreen in actual time. After ending a lap on the monitor, the system can now present lap-by-lap comparisons, driver teaching, and extra driver information wrapped in a brand new interface.
There’s additionally a brand new lap timer and lap-time delta timer. The display screen will glow inexperienced for those who’re beating your earlier lap occasions or crimson for those who’re transferring slower. It’s a bit addictive, and it’s a lot simpler to look at a shade than a lap time quantity whereas flying down the monitor at 100-plus mph.
On paper it’s nice. In actuality the system’s responses are somewhat laggy. It’s unclear if it’s a processor challenge or a software program programming challenge. A number of cases had me tapping the display screen too many occasions to execute a command. The system would lag, then catch up. Worse, heading out for a sizzling lap I tapped the file button and it didn’t register. I didn’t notice this till midway by way of the lap, which wasn’t being recorded.
At $96,990 together with a $1,395 vacation spot cost the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is a relative discount in comparison with the heavier, extra difficult BMW M5. It’s uncooked, unapologetic, and an all-American assault on what a world-class luxurious sport sedan could be.
Including $18,000, which notably consists of the $9,000 carbon-ceramic brake choice is a steep ask.
Is it well worth the cash? The reply is straightforward. For consumers seeking to really hit the monitor the package deal is the true deal and can meaningfully shave lap occasions. For everybody else, for those who should tick each choice field be happy. This package deal gained’t detract from the Blackwing’s streetability, except you go for the Cup 2 R tires, nevertheless it gained’t really feel like $18,000 of distinction and nobody at Starbucks will notice you spent the additional cash.
The Precision Bundle does make the CT5-V Blackwing drive extra just like the CT4-V Blackwing, although with the benefit of a 662-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 somewhat than a 472-hp twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V-6. It’s completely faster round a racetrack and now drives smaller than its dimension. It will not be fairly as nimble as its little brother, however that is one automotive that benefited from salesman.
Cadillac paid for journey and lodging to deliver you this first-hand evaluation of the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing.
