Many automakers have challenged the M3 over the years, but few newcomers have actually managed to give Bavaria's sporty sedan a run for its money. Cadillac went down this route with the ATS-V a few years ago, and the GM brand is doing it again with the CT4-V Blackwing.
Described as “the pinnacle of Cadillac performance,” the compact executive sedan can be considered an evolution of the ATS-V over two well-founded reasons. On the one hand, we have the Alpha 2 vehicle architecture for rear- and all-wheel-drive applications. Secondly, the twin-turbo V6 with 3.6 liters of displacement bears the same codename as the engine in the ATS-V.
“Geared towards the truly driven,” the CT4-V Blackwing comes with a six-speed manual as standard, while a 10-speed automatic transmission is optionally available with paddle shifters. Suck-squeeze-bang-blow is channeled exclusively to the super-sticky rubber shoes out back to the tune of 472 horsepower and 445 pound-feet (603 Nm) of torque. More than adequate for a car in this segment and of this weight, don’t you think?
"Our love for racing inspired us to obsess over the details and realize every advantage for performance and sophistication," said executive chief engineer Brandon Vivian. Considering the 3.8-second acceleration to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) with the torque-converter automatic transmission and 189-mph (304 kph) top speed, I find it hard to doubt that claim.
“Blackwing stands for the very highest level of execution from Cadillac and offers a distinctly American vision of performance: incredible power and luxurious craftsmanship, with absolutely zero compromise,” added Vivian.
Late summer is when the order books will open, but until then, 250 units can be reserved with a $1,000 refundable deposit. These cars differ from regular production models through the high-performance steering wheel that features a plaque etched with a five-digit portion of the VIN sequence.
At $59,990 excluding destination charge, the most exciting compact executive sedan Cadillac has ever produced is considerably more affordable than the ATS-V, which used to start at $67,795 for the 2019 model year.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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