Cadillac has produced some amazing vehicles over its lengthy history, but the new CT4-V Blackwing is something special. Sedans are often known for being functional vehicles which perform alright but really aren’t that special. The CT4-V Blackwing challenges that belief. It is an extremely powerful sedan with race car-levels of performance, a luxurious interior, and a comfortable ride. Cadillac has really outdone itself, and you may want to stop by your local Cadillac dealer to see about a test drive.
The CT4-V was first produced in 2020. It was built to provide a high-powered, highly-tuned sports sedan that still encompasses the Cadillac ideals of luxury. These sedans are anything but boring. The Blackwing version especially stands out as an elite-level performance vehicle. It has a massively-powerful engine for its size and performs amazingly well on the track. Cadillac has also developed an incredibly unique suspension design that perfectly balances precision handling and the comfort of the ride.
A Sedan With Incredible Power
The Blackwing was first introduced for the 2022 model year as an even-more-powerful version of the CT4-V, and the 2023 model has continued the tradition. With a shockingly-powerful 3.6L Twin Turbo V6 engine, the Blackwing can produce 472 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque. We’ll talk more about what this power means for performance later but suffice it to say, it’s a lot of power. Even many trucks don’t have this much power. The Blackwing comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission and has an available 10-speed automatic transmission.
With this much power comes a great need for a worthy chassis. A super-solid chassis could become heavy and cumbersome, making the vehicle less responsive and sluggish. However, Cadillac managed to produce a car that is very rigid, strong, and durable while keeping it lightweight. This structure helps to maximize the fun of driving the CT4-V Blackwing by making it very responsive. It handles like a dream and sticks to the road like glue around the curves. This is truly a magnificent vehicle for those in search of a sedan that performs like a race car.
Track-Ready Performance
The performance of the 2023 CT4-V Blackwing is truly impressive. It has reached a top speed of 189 mph on the racetrack and can go from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. These are numbers more typical of race cars than sedans. However, this sedan is just as at home on the racetrack as it is on a regular street. Driving at high speeds and unleashing insane acceleration is an activity best left to the track, but this level of power still has meaning in everyday driving. The incredibly-powerful Blackwing responds eagerly to the driver, making it feel like an extension of your body.
Stiff suspension is the best type of suspension for precise handling, but it is not the most comfortable. On the other hand, a soft suspension is comfortable but lacks the sharp handling provided by a stiff suspension. Sick of trying to decide between stiff or soft suspension? The CT4-V Blackwing has a revolutionary Magnetic Ride Control suspension. This special suspension analyzes the road 1,000 times per second to provide the perfect balance of comfort and handling at all times. This is the world’s fastest-reacting suspension. Everyone knows Cadillac has luxury and a comfortable ride in its DNA, and this suspension proves the Blackwing is another win for them. A perfect blend of stiff and comfortable suspension makes the Blackwing one of the most comfortable and best-handling cars on the market today.
It Wouldn’t Be a Cadillac Without Luxury
Arguably the most common attribute among Cadillacs is their high level of luxury. Cadillac prides itself on incredible attention to detail in every aspect of its design and manufacturing, from the interior to the exterior. The interior of every Cadillac is pure luxury. The Blackwing features sports seats beautifully designed to give the interior a futuristic cockpit-like design that exudes a perfect combo of performance and luxury. The refined design uses bold colors, carbon fiber trim, sueded microfiber accents, and a performance steering wheel. Both the standard CT4-V and the Blackwing come with a premium 15-speaker sound system by AKG. The interior of the CT4-V feels like a five-star hotel. Every little detail makes the driving experience more pleasant and fun. Cadillac certainly put one of its best teams on the design of this car.
The Driver Mode Selector sounds like a simple feature, but it can actually make an incredible difference in your driving experience. Have you ever been driving around in your new car and thought you’d like the gas pedal to be more responsive, the steering to be a bit more precise, or the engine to be a bit louder? The CT4-V Blackwing’s Driver Mode Selector allows you to adjust these settings. It comes with several default driving modes and two custom modes. The default modes include Tour, Sport, Snow/Ice, and Track, while My Mode and V-Mode are customizable. The last two are similar, but V-Mode is exclusive to V-Series vehicles and is geared more toward performance than the standard custom mode. These custom modes allow personalized steering, transmission optimization, engine sound, and brake pedal feel.
A New Vehicle Steeped in History
While the CT4-V Blackwing is a very new vehicle for Cadillac, it has begun to prove that it is here to stay. It offers everything you could want in a luxury car with a sporty personality. The powerful engine, luxury interior, and high-tech features are all combined in a quintessentially Cadillac way. Cadillac has been making cars since 1902, longer than any living person has been alive. The brand knows how to make a luxury vehicle, how to make a mechanically-advanced vehicle, and how to implement the highest tech of the era into its cars. The CT4-V Blackwing, while new, is part of a long history of excellence and looks to be continuing a tradition of fantastic design.
Who Knew a Sedan Could Be This Powerful?
While many drivers see sedans as embodying function over form, Cadillac saw an opportunity. By making a compact performance sedan with almost 500 hp, the brand showed that sedans can be fun, powerful, luxurious, and stylish. The powerful engine, a lightweight but stiff and durable chassis, two excellent transmission options, and many interior design options make the CT4-V Blackwing a tempting option for a high-end luxury vehicle. It has enough seats for most families, making it practical, and more than enough power to make it feel impractical.
With an impressive 0-60 mph time and an incredible top speed, you’ll probably want to see how this car does on the track. Yet somehow, Cadillac can make this wild animal of a car feel like a domesticated beast with the right driving mode. Too much power can be hard to handle, but Cadillac has made the CT4-V Batwing the perfect blend of power and handling. For someone who has been looking for a sedan with the power of a muscle car, the luxury of a Cadillac, and the handling of a sports car, I’d have to recommend taking a close look at the 2023 CT4-V Blackwing. I think you’ll be pretty impressed.
