2023 Cadillac CT5-V Performance

It's a little harsh to dismiss the CT5-V's performance as 'not credible', I'll admit, but Cadillac set the bar too high when they affixed the '-V' to the back end of the CT5 moniker. This is not a V car in the way the ATS-V and CTS-V were, and it's not going to be hunting down M3s on twisty back roads - that's what the new Blackwing is for. Think of it as a lowercase v car, one to rival the AMG-lites and semi-Ms of the world, like the C43 and M340i. In that company, the CT5-V holds its head high, and with 360 twin-turbocharged horsepower on demand, the rear- or all-wheel-drive V-car will manage the obligatory 0-60 mph sprint in under five seconds, matching its rivals from Germany. Like those, there's no choice of a manual gearbox, but unlike those, the CT5-V rides with pliancy and composure that doesn't make every shoddy backroad feel like a bad dentist's appointment. With tech employed from the Chevrolet Corvette in the form of an advanced Performance Traction Management system and a limited-slip differential at the rear, the CT5-V is precise, poised, and a more than capable rival. The genuine M3 rival is the new CT5-V Blackwing, with the V nomenclature now reserved for semi-performance Cadillacs.

Fans of the CT5 that are yearning for a V8 can turn to the CT5-V Blackwing with its 668-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V8 under the hood. Instead, the CT5-V gets a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine developing 360 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque, paired exclusively with a ten-speed automatic gearbox. It's down on displacement and power compared to the old 3.6-liter unit, but it still performs well, getting up to speed and exhibiting an urgency befitting of the V badge. There's very little turbo lag, and the short ratios of the ten-speed keep the motor in its sweet spot brilliantly on the road. It also responds well to inputs from the steering-mounted paddles, with little delay between input and response.

But under duress, the gearbox falls short. Try to manhandle the V for all it's worth, and the shorter ratios become problematic, running out of steam quicker than the computers can decide which is the next appropriate gear. In manual mode, it's too easy to forget where you are and bang the rev limiter, ruining the smoothness required for proper performance. We'd love to have seen a modern iteration of the ATS-V's manual to counter this, but the world is moving away from manuals, and so too is Cadillac.

You don't purchase a performance-oriented sedan with illusions of frugality, and in the case of the CT5-V, you'll need to buy one knowing that it's the weakest in this regard among all rivals. The EPA estimates 18/27/21 mpg city/highway/combined for RWD models, while AWD models achieve estimates of 18/26/21 mpg. BMW's RWD M340i performs the best of all at 23/31/26 mpg, while Mercedes-AMG's new hybridized C43 turbocharged 2.0-liter AWD will sip a combined 22 mpg. A 17-gallon fuel tank sees the RWD CT5-V achieve a range of 357 miles in mixed conditions.