When someone says the words “sports sedan,” what’s the first vehicle that immediately comes to mind?I’ll tell you where my head is going and I don’t think I’m alone: the BMW M3. Far from it. I was asked to speak on behalf of our friends at General Motors, but I think they would be offended. And now that I’ve driven the 2024 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, I can say with certainty that they have any and all rights to do so.
The CT4-V is the Blackwing baby compared only to the CT5-V Blackwing, with its 6. 2-liter supercharged V8. But like its big brother, it offers an available manual transmission and plenty of motivation: 472 horsepower and 445 lbs. -feet of torque thanks to a 3. 6-liter twin-turbo V6. I think if we narrow down the sports sedan to its purest form: centrifugally extracted contrast stitching, LEDs and other frivolous elements that mean nothing to driving pleasure. in – you’d get this. And you’d be very pleased with that.
Here’s what I liked about the CT5-V Blackwing: pretty much everything. Since a former colleague of mine was driving the six-speed edition of this sedan some time ago, I opted for the 10-speed car. And while I’m sure I would have enjoyed the lever more, the slushbox is quite competent and a smart choice. It allows you to enjoy the more comfortable and livable look of the CT4-V, which is also a very pleasant position to live in thanks to its MagneRide suspension. I’ve never had the privilege of trying MagneRide before, but now I need it in everything, like a clever hot sauce. His ability to reshape the Blackwing from a cloud cruise to setting it up and into one position is almost magical.
In fact, the CT4-V can be deceptively comfortable, keeping its true character below the surface until you switch to Sport or Track mode, or press the “V” button on the steering wheel. The twin-turbo V6 is rarely the loudest. or the most memorable engine in the world, but in terms of capability and smoothness, it leaves nothing to be desired. With 400 horsepower and torque, there’s enough hustle and bustle here to laugh at without wasting power and never using it.
GM’s Alpha platform gives the CT4-V Blackwing an athletic soul, with cornering reaction only mitigated by the Michelin X-Ice winter tires my check style used. But that brings me to another point: the CT4-V comes out of Lansing. mounted on very moderate 18-inch wheels, “the widest and tallest tire” Caddy can offer to maximise suspension travel, as Mirza Grebovic, Cadillac’s head of functional variants, told us some time ago. I love it, because I’m a company that believes that large diameter wheels are the enemy of durability and ride comfort, to hell with sidewall flex.
That said, I wouldn’t mind if the wheels looked a little more flashy, and that’s where the CT4-V misses some issues for me. In fact, it’s not ugly, and I’ve actually noticed more mundane sports sedans in the Design Department. But anything about its design, especially the interior, just didn’t sit well with me. You wouldn’t possibly find any flaws in the build quality or glaring usability errors. It simply lacks the drama, elegance and sense of opportunity that a $70,000 dollar deserves almost a 500hp rear-wheel-drive missile from one of the world’s most reputable luxury brands.
Again, I warned you when I jumped. Also, $70,000 can be a huge amount of change: mine came in at $75,710 and those that were turned in started at $61,595. But you can’t ride an M3 for less than $77,000. Our aim is to offer good value for money, but strictly in terms of performance. That’s why you’re here, right?
I only have two other complaints. Second-row legroom is ridiculous, especially for a sedan that doesn’t feel as compact, even though it’s the smaller of the two Cadillacs sold. Also, it’s very nice with the driving modes. You have the typical possible comfort options. (“Tour” in Cadillac parlance), Sport, Track and Snow/Ice, but there’s also a transfer on the steering wheel dedicated solely to the functionality of the car’s traction control system, comprising many more profiles that disturb the car’s traction and electronic stability. Setups, as well as the aforementioned V Yetton. PTM, are destined for the track as is, so some of them probably deserve to have been consolidated.
What I love about the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is that it never loses its plot. Here the focus is on power, a chassis that inspires confidence, as well as a point of luxury and driving flexibility that will keep you cool and warm in the corners. and wrap yourself up in long journeys. There is technology, but it is not achieved at the expense of physical elements or common sense; It has heavy steering, corporate brakes, and loves to change direction, but it also won’t break a tire in a bumpy junction. And most productive of all, it’s the uncompromising sports sedan with a six-speed transmission. gearbox or the off-road car.
They look like cars designed and manufactured by those who drive them, not by an archetype of customer imagined by marketers. In the case of the CT4-V, this doesn’t equate to perfection, but it is. resulting in a car that has its priorities under control.
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