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Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Review
Car Reviews

Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Review

·
November 9,2022
·
8 min read

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blackwing

Introduction

 

All good things must come to an end. As we breach the barrier and foray into the world of sustainable mobility sponsored by electric vehicles, this could probably be the epilogue of the highly venerable and coveted Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars. In the recent past, we have already come across brands such as Dodge, Lamborghini, Maserati and others providing inkling to the masses about their plans of putting a shroud on combustion engines as they progress into a much sophisticated future where electric cars will be a new normal not just to preserve the exhaustible resources, but also to meet the most obstinate emission regulations that will be released by the senates.

cadillac

Before you proceed to peruse our review of the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, it’s essential to go through this humorous disclaimer: ‘We do not intend to, consciously or unconsciously, make the reader feel sentimental and lament.’ In case you’re wondering the reason behind this disclaimer, it’s because this pocket rocket is the last hurrah from Cadillac in the performance sleeper-class territory before they are smitten by the wake of electrification. Hence, American muscle cars and particularly, Cadillac aficionados might feel acrimonious seeing their brutally powerful engines bidding sayonara! However, one might also think that does the CT4-V Blackwing have enough character and substance to pay a deserving homage to the iconic lineage curated by its precursors? This review sorts that out.

cadillac blackwing

Visual drama

Our tester carried a unique and beautiful ‘Electric Blue’ livery with several carbon-fibre elements such as the splitter, canards, flared side skirts, the diffuser kit between the quad-exhausts and even the bulbous spoiler on the boot enlivening its sporty pretensions. 

cadillac side

Fun fact: The combined cost of all these carbon-fibre elements amounts to AED 33,000! The splitter alone is worth AED 5,000. Future owners, kindly take notice of this!

cadillac blackwing logo

Apart from this, what steals one’s heart in an instance is boomerang-shaped headlights with LEDs running across the border. This is also a new signature trait of the contemporary sedan lineup from Cadillac. It serves both, style and function in spates. The front fascia is replete with gloss-black air vents which are likely to fetch a lot of eyeballs and play an indispensable role in providing the car with aerodynamic advantage while keeping the engine placid even under hard-core turmoil on the race track. What we appreciate is the fact that there are no decoys flanking this portion of the car unlike the existing trend of using faux elements that are an all-show and no-go.

blackwing

The midriff section looks really elegant and minimalistic simultaneously as the car doesn’t sport a coupe-like roofline but carries curves that are synonymous with a typical sedan and appear sassy. The rest of the side profile is clean unlike its German contention but that doesn’t mean it’s any less succulent. The black rims on the front 255-section and rear 275-section rubber contrast very well with the blue hue to keep it in line with the in-your-face appeal of a sports car. A conspicuous bit is the ‘V’ emblem differentiating the car from the standard model and side vents to counter and dispel the air attacking from the front.

  cadillac 

 

Unlike the marque’s sedans of the yesteryears, the CT4-V Blackwing doesn’t have overly corpulent overhangs but a rear that is much more commensurate with the car’s profile. The slightly raked tail lamps are a good sight but what really adorns the car to add solid design splendour is the spoiler that deflects wind to optimise acceleration. Its macho characteristics are given by the quad exhaust layout and the diffuser kit. Notwithstanding the stubby boot, it can still accommodate a generous amount of cargo volume of around 500-litres.

blackwing wheels

 

The story under the skin

The ‘inside story’ is positive to report with a simplistic layout that is similar to what is found in its competition from Bavaria, Stuttgart and Ingolstadt. A fully digital instrument cluster welcomes as soon as a glance is laid inside the car. The centre console is home to a touchscreen interface which provides functions for audio, phone, navigation, WiFi, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In this day and age of digitisation where all functions are accessed through the infotainment system instead of physical buttons or knobs, we found it great that this car has buttons for the AC controls and ventilation which can come to rescue in the event of infotainment system malfunction. This compartment is also wrapped in carbon-fibre around the cup holders which shows the attention to detail put in by the brand. We also laid them for the high switchgear quality. The co-driver is greeted by splashes of soft leather making the car feel regal and a plush place to be seated.

cadillac

We also like the presence of some really convenient features such as wireless charging, seat ventilation, drive modes of Snow, Track, Ice and ‘My’ mode where steering, acceleration and gear settings can be altered to one’s preference, dual-zone climate control, navigation and rear parking camera. It also features a single-pane sunroof.

cadillac

However, our reviewer wasn’t very satiated from the experience at the back as he felt too hemmed in. Clearly, the CT4-V Blackwing loses brownie points in the rear space department. Anyone above 6-feet is going to struggle for head and leg room. Albeit rear AC vents play their part to make it a somewhat better experience on those occasions where you would/ would be compelled to be chauffeured around. During our experience, we also found that the grab handles on the front bucket seats felt stodgy in quality.

cadillac

Ready Steady Go

cadillac blackwing logo

We were delighted the moment the ignition was turned on and the accelerator pedal was floored. The car truly is a rocket because of the pace with which it takes off and the rasp being spouted from the exhaust being harnessed by the turbocharger was also music to the ears. The paddle shifters allow you to manually stick to a gear or upshift or downshift to maximise the experience every time behind the wheel. The paddle shifters seem to have been brilliantly tuned to upshift or downshift blisteringly quick.

Despite having tested the larger CT5 with its mighty 6.2-litre supercharged V8, we are happy to report that this car with a smaller 3.6-litre turbocharged engine beats it in smiles per hour as it corners even better than its larger brother which lifts up from an end under frantic serpentine movements along a camber. However, we do miss the throaty and indulging rasp of that V8. Its braking is also reassuring with Brembo callipers taming the beast in hardly any time.   

While turbocharged cars, especially performance cars such as this are very high on fuel consumption, we managed to achieve a respectable 6.8 Km/l in the city and 10.2 Km/l on the highway. This means under part-throttle inputs and routine driving factors, the car won’t burn a hole in the pocket. One can clock in a decent amount of miles on a single fill-up of petrol owing to its 64-litre fuel tank. 

Verdict

At AED 290,000 the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is expensive but considering it gets all the important bells and whistles with some dainty body kit specs, monstrous amount of power and practicality of a 4-door saloon, we feel it builds a marvellous business case for itself, regardless of how good its competition encompassing the Audi RS3, BMW M2 Competition and the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG may be. The fact that with the discontinuation of this American car, a whole era of scintillating and fast gasoline cars from Cadillac comes to an end should be enough for those enthusiasts hankering for outright performance and on a reasonable amount of budget to start their engines and rush to a dealership to own one.

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