2025 Cadillac CT4 V Blackwing

How does the CT4-V Blackwing drive? It's a joy to drive the CT4-V Blackwing. The car is quick, aggressive and engaging, and it's a whole lot of fun on the road. Our manual-equipped test car hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds in our testing. That's unremarkable for a modern performance car — the automatic transmission would undoubtedly make it quicker — but the sensation that stays with you is the consistent surge ahead with each toss of the gear shifter. You'll miss driving when you park it for the night.

It feels buttoned-up in other aspects too. The brakes are strong, with a smooth and stable feeling that didn't fade over several laps around our test track. The steering is quick and responsive, with easy operation when you're cruising around town. Best of all is the handling capability. The Blackwing posted an impressive 1.09 g on our skidpad and handled our test track and back roads with a natural balance, tons of grip and drama-free stability control. A truly enjoyable drive.

How comfortable is the CT4-V Blackwing? It's leaps and bounds better than standard CT4 models, which suffer greatly when it comes to comfort. Instead, the CT4-V Blackwing has additional soft surfaces, excellent seats and dual-pane windows to keep outside noise outside. Most crucially of all, Cadillac includes the superb MagneRide suspension as standard. It does a fantastic job of absorbing impacts on the highway and hunkering down during aggressive canyon carving.

Our test vehicle came with the Climate package, which earns a hearty recommendation. It includes front seats with both ventilation and a massaging function, elevating the CT4-V Blackwing's luxury experience to another level.

How’s the interior? The layout of the CT4-V interior is quite unremarkable. It has sufficient interior space and outward visibility that's effective but slightly compromised by bulky rear roof pillars and a low roofline. The driving position is excellent, though Cadillac instituted a sloping footwell that is a bit strange — you might feel your feet slip on the carpeted mats from time to time because of the angle. Try it before you buy.

Choosing the manual transmission removes the rotating dial controller for the screen, which felt counterintuitive anyway. Reaching to press the touchscreen doesn't take much effort, but the tiny, inconvenient dials just below the screen can be challenging to use.

How’s the storage? The CT4-V Blackwing offers less overall cargo space than rival sedans. Don't expect a ton of room to stash small items inside the cabin, and while the trunk is well shaped and wide enough to fit loads of groceries or travel bags, it only offers 10.7 cubic feet of maximum capacity, which is low for the class. Many rivals include levers in the trunk to fold down the second row of seats, but Cadillac does not.

You can install two child's seats into the back row thanks to covered anchors in the seat cushions, and there are three overhead latches so you can choose between two seats side by side or one in the middle. Keep in mind that rear seat space is limited, so bulky rear-facing infant seats may be a challenge.

Is the CT4-V Blackwing a good value? For the class, the CT4-V Blackwing packs a lot of value. It has an attractive starting price, and loaded versions check in around the starting price of a base BMW M3. That's a big advantage for the Cadillac, especially with the CT4-V Blackwing showing impressive refinement and polish, both in its cabin materials and ride quality.

Unfortunately the warranty coverage does little to stand out, as Cadillac offers four years/50,000 miles of powertrain and six years/70,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage. These numbers are merely adequate for the class, and many rivals offer much more enticing terms.

This is no false performance badge — the CT4-V Blackwing sets itself distinctively apart from more pedestrian CT4 models, as well as from other compact sport sedans. It nails the basics such as competent horsepower and an engaging manual transmission, but it also adds desirable features including automatic rev matching, which makes nearly every turn behind the wheel a fun experience. There are also subtle but impactful V-Series badges, unique digital animations, and even an optional performance data recorder that separate the Blackwing from anything else out there.