2024 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Pros and Cons: The Honest Sports Sedan

The CT4-V is the baby Blackwing compared only to the CT5-V Blackwing, with its supercharged 6.2-liter V8. But like its big brother, it offers an available manual and lots of motivation: 472 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque by way of a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6. I reckon if you distilled the sports sedan down to its purest form—centrifugally extracted contrast stitching, LEDs, and other frivolous things that mean nothing to the driving experience—you’d get this. And you’d be damn pleased with it.

Here’s what I liked about the CT5-V Blackwing: Almost everything. Because one of my old colleagues drove the six-speed version of this sedan some time ago, I opted for the 10-speed auto. And although I’m sure I’d have enjoyed the stick more, the slushbox is totally competent and a fine choice. It allows you to tap into the CT4-V’s more comfortable, livable side, which is also a very nice place to be thanks to its MagneRide suspension. I’ve never had the privilege of sampling MagneRide before, but now I want it on everything, like really good hot sauce. Its ability to transform the Blackwing from cloud cruiser to primed and poised is almost magical.

In fact, the CT4-V can be deceptively cushy, keeping its real character under the surface until you switch into Sport or Track mode, or press the “V” button on the steering wheel. The twin-turbo V6 isn't the shoutiest or the most memorable power plant in the world, but in terms of capability and smoothness, it leaves nothing to be desired. With power and torque both in the mid-400s, there’s enough hustle here to have fun without wasting output you’ll never use.

GM’s Alpha platform lends the CT4-V Blackwing an athletic soul, with turn-in response only dampened by the Michelin X-Ice winter tires my tester was riding on. But that brings me to another point: the CT4-V rolls out of Lansing assembly on very reasonable 18-inch wheels, “the widest and largest tire” Caddy could to maximize suspension travel, as Mirza Grebovic, Cadillac's performance variant manager, told us some time ago. I love that, because I firmly believe that massive diameter wheels are the enemy of daily durability and ride comfort, to hell with sidewall flex.

All that said, I wouldn’t mind if the wheels they contained looked a little more striking, and here’s where the CT4-V loses some points for me. It certainly isn’t ugly, and I’ve definitely seen more humdrum sports sedans in the design department. But something about its design, especially inside, just hasn't clicked with me. You won’t find any faults with the build quality, or glaring usability gaffes. It’s just missing the drama, elegance, and sense of occasion that a $70,000 rear-wheel-drive missile with almost 500 hp from one of the world’s most storied luxury marques deserves.

Then again, I warned you about that at the jump. Besides, $70K might be a hefty chunk of change—mine came in at $75,710 and these typically start at $61,595 delivered. But you can’t get into an M3 for less than $77K. We’re looking at a good value here, but strictly in performance. That’s what you came for, right?

I have but two other complaints. The second-row legroom is laughable, particularly for a sedan that doesn’t feel all that compact, even if it’s the smaller of the two Cadillac sells. Also, it’s too cute with the driving modes. You have your typical choices of Comfort (“Tour” in Cadillac speak), Sport, Track, and Snow/Ice, but then there’s also a switch on the wheel dedicated purely to the car’s Performance Traction Management system, which packs a bunch more profiles that mess with the car’s traction and electronic stability control settings, plus the aforementioned V button. PTM is meant for the track as it is, so some of these probably can and should’ve been consolidated.

What I like about the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is that it never loses the plot. The focus here is power, a confidence-inspiring chassis, and a level of luxury and ride flexibility that’ll hold you snug in the corners and swaddle you on long journeys. It’s got tech, but it doesn’t come at the expense of physical buttons and common-sense operation; it’s got weighty steering, firm brakes, and loves to change direction, but it also won’t crack a rim on a pothole-ridden railroad crossing. And best of all, it can be the zero-compromise sports sedan with a six-speed, or the jack-of-all-trades with the auto.

There’s an honesty to these Blackwing sedans. They come across like cars designed and engineered by the people who’d drive them, not for some consumer archetype dreamed up by marketers. In the CT4-V’s case, that doesn’t equal perfection, but it does result in a car that certainly has its priorities in check.