2023 Cadillac CT5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Across much of Canada, Asian and German luxury cars rule. You hardly ever see a Cadillac CT5 on the road. Our test car generated many double-takes, long looks, and outright stares. All men, by the way.

Cadillac dipped our 2023 CT5-V test vehicle in a unique light grey metallic colour called Rift. It rode on 19-inch aluminum wheels with a Pearl Nickel finish that glinted in the sun, another styling rarity in a modern world where everyone wants black wheels you can’t see. The remaining trim elements are black, body colour, chrome, or a finish similar to the wheels, and Cadillac gets every proportion, line, and detail exactly right.

The 2023 Cadillac CT5-V is the sporty version of the midsize luxury sedan, tucked between the standard CT5 and the performance-tuned Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing with its supercharged V8. Prices for the 2023 CT5-V start at $58,429, including the $2,300 destination charge and other fees. That’s much higher than the standard model’s $46,929 starting price tag and significantly lower than the Blackwing’s $105,507 window sticker (or $100,995 if you choose the manual transmission).

In addition to the extra-cost Rift paint job, our rear-wheel-drive (RWD) test car came with the Climate Package and the Super Cruise 1 Package, bringing the Canadian manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) to a reasonable $66,044, including destination.

The Cadillac CT5-V competes with the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class in size and power. However, in price, its rivals are the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Unfortunately, no matter which A-list German sports sedan you compare this Cadillac to, its interior quality explains why you can get a roomy interior, a twin-turbocharged V6, and a hands-free Super Cruise driving assistance system for less than 70 grand.

Our test car displayed an odd mix of high-quality materials and inexpensive details. The leather, matte-finish buttons, stainless steel speaker grilles, and polished metallic accents reflect buyer expectations in the segment. In addition, the two-tone cabin and simulated carbon fibre trim looked upscale. However, hard plastic panels, unlined storage areas, coating where padding should be, and plastic trim instead of wood or metal offset positive impressions.

Nevertheless, the CT5-V comes with standard ambient lighting, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and in our test car, an available 12-inch digital instrumentation display. Cadillac lays out the controls logically, excels at making the CT5-V’s technology approachable, and favours simple display graphics to convey information quickly.

A twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 engine lives underneath the Cadillac CT5-V’s hood, producing power specs of 360 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque. That’s more than you get from the base engines in the A6, 5 Series, and E-Class but less than you’ll find in a BMW M340i or Mercedes-AMG C 43.

Cadillac says the 1,803-kilogram (3,974-pound) CT5-V can accelerate to 100 kilometres per hour in approximately five seconds. The car sounds faster than it feels, so perhaps with it in Track mode, using Launch Control and the paddle shifters, it would hit that number.

On the other end of the performance scale, the engine features Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation and a Natural Resources Canada fuel economy rating of 11.2 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving (11.3 L/100 km if you opt for all-wheel drive (AWD), which was not equipped on our test unit). We got 12.1 L/100 km on our mountainous evaluation loop.

A 10-speed automatic transmission powers the car’s rear wheels through an electronic limited-slip differential unless you choose the available AWD system, which in Canada is optional on all trims except the CT5-V Blackwing. Cadillac makes this promise about the transmission: “Right gear, right time, guaranteed.” When driving with enthusiasm in the mountains, that wasn’t our experience, so we’re thankful for the CT5-V’s paddle shifters. In other driving conditions the 10-speed automatic proved nearly faultless.

You can choose between several different driving modes. They include Tour, Sport, Track, My Mode, and V-Mode. There’s also a Snow/Ice mode for traveling in winter weather. Depending on the setting, they calibrate the Cadillac’s steering, suspension, brake feel, engine sound, engine and shift characteristics, and traction and stability control systems. Owners can configure My Mode and V-Mode to personal preferences.

A performance-tuned Magnetic Ride Control adaptive damping suspension is standard on the CT5-V, and Brembo front brakes with four-piston fixed calipers help to haul the Cadillac down from speed. The CT5-V comes standard with the 19-inch wheels seen on the test car, wrapped in 245/40ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer performance tires. All-season run-flats are available.

People seem to like the CT5-V’s resonant exhaust note. One neighbour even came by to ask what engine was in the car. However, even in Tour mode, it is too apparent and adds to an already loud travelling experience, so we adjusted it to operate on Stealth mode.

The Cadillac CT5-V is not a quiet car. There is more road noise than expected, and the plastic spats under the bumper in front of the wheels scrape on almost every driveway apron and drainage dip. In addition, the suspension regularly makes racket on pavement bumps, humps, cracks, and holes. The lack of isolation on imperfect surfaces is surprising, considering the company that makes it is based in Michigan, a Winter Wonderland of potholes and frost heaves.

Besides the car’s overall lack of refinement, the Cadillac CT5-V is enjoyable to drive in typical situations. Take it for a romp on a favourite back road, and the car’s balance, body control, grip, and brakes are outstanding. With some finessing, you can also derive joy from the powertrain. Unfortunately, the steering lacks feel and feedback, even if it is agreeably quick to respond and precise.

In Sport mode, the steering weights up and feels artificially heavy, and the transmission’s Performance Algorithm Shifting (PAS) starts holding engine revs too high and too long. That’s when we started using the paddle shifters to take manual control over the drivetrain, which smoothed power delivery and added some distraction to the driving.

Next, we tried Track mode, which elevates the CT5-V’s responsiveness and firms up the suspension. But it also adds an obnoxiously juvenile snap, crackle, and pop from the exhaust as you snake your way down a canyon, disturbing everything and everyone within earshot. So embarrassing.

Then we switched to My Mode, continued to shift manually, and found the CT5-V quite satisfying to drive. It’s a shame the steering isn’t better, and the car needs several extra layers of refinement. Nevertheless, the 2023 Cadillac CT5 represents a pinnacle of American luxury sports sedan engineering and driving dynamics, especially in its Blackwing specification.

Though Cadillac builds the CT5 on the same platform that serves as the foundation for the smaller Cadillac CT4 and Chevrolet Camaro, this sedan is much roomier and more comfortable inside than either.

In the CT5-V, standard artificial leather wraps the standard 18-way power-adjustable front performance seats. Genuine leather is optional, as are ventilated front seats. In Canada, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are standard on all CT5s. Cadillac delivered the test vehicle with deflated seat bolsters, so the seats felt flat and featureless. However, when you inflate the bolsters, adjust the lumbar, extend the thigh support, and move the power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel into a proper position, the CT5-V provides good comfort for cruising and adequate support for enthusiastic driving.

Entering and exiting the front seats is easy. The back seats are trickier due to the cut of the door frame and the inboard seating position. In addition, Cadillac provides rear-seat passengers with proper outboard side bolsters, which can contribute to an inelegant exit.

Once settled in, the CT5-V’s rear seat is reminiscent of a BMW 3 Series. You enjoy a slightly reclined backrest position paired with an angled lower cushion that provides excellent thigh support. Knee clearance is decent, and the Cadillac offers good foot room. But the BMW likeness ends with the CT5-V’s cheap-looking plastic front seatback panels, which scuff too easily.

The driver and front passenger have access to functional storage areas in the front, and the CT5-V includes two smartphone-friendly locations to stash your devices. One is the wireless smartphone charging pad, and the other is a slot that holds the phone even when tossing the car through S curves. A decent-sized storage bin is under the centre armrest, lined with a felt material just like the glove compartment.

Around the back, the CT5-V offers an optional hands-free power trunk lid. Open it, and prepare for disappointment because the CT5-V supplies just 337 litres of cargo space. The trunk is small and narrow, so packing for a road trip is akin to tackling a Jenga puzzle.

However, Cadillac does provide some hidden storage under the trunk floor and a deep well to the right side that can carry items like bottles of wine. In addition, you can fold the 60/40 split back seat to allow for longer items.

Making technology easy to understand and use is challenging. Ten years ago, Cadillac wasn’t good at it. Now, in our opinion, it leads in this area. And while the available 12-inch digital instrumentation and 10-inch touchscreen infotainment displays are small by modern standards and lack flashy high-definition graphics, there is a benefit to them. It is called simplicity.

The CT5-V’s Cadillac User Experience (CUE) infotainment system includes numerous standard features. Highlights include Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, SiriusXM 360L satellite radio, and OnStar and Cadillac Connected Access services with a Wi-Fi hotspot. In addition, the CT5-V includes wireless smartphone charging, natural voice recognition, and a Bose 15-speaker premium audio system with stainless steel speaker grilles.

Cadillac provides stereo volume and radio tuning controls on the centre console, and you can use them without looking down and away from the road. The tuning function on the console changes stations in sequential order. The one on the steering wheel cycles through your programmed favourite radio stations. Cadillac’s approach here is perfection.

An embedded navigation system is optional on the CT5-V, and our test car did not have it. So, unable to use our usual prompts to test the voice recognition, we tried others. Tuning the radio by voice was easy. Adjusting the climate control system was impossible. Unfortunately, we couldn’t determine how capable Cadillac’s voice recognition system is, but it has worked well in other recent General Motors products.

Without an embedded navigation system, we relied heavily on Apple CarPlay. It was easy to pair an iPhone to CUE, and Cadillac provides a Home button that takes you back to the native environment. Ironically, though we used Apple CarPlay extensively while living with the CT5-V for a week, soon that won’t be possible. Unfortunately, General Motors recently announced that it will no longer offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in future models. Most likely, GM will replace them with lucrative (for them) subscription-based services.

In addition to an available navigation system, you can upgrade the CT5-V with a helpful head-up display, an excellent high-definition surround-view camera, and a Surround Vision Recorder that captures what is happening around the car. In addition, a Performance Data Recorder can record 1080p video and in-cabin audio, adding a performance data overlay onto the exportable footage.

Every 2023 CT5 has a standard Cadillac Smart System collection of safety features and driver assistance systems. It is pretty basic, though, equipping the car with forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, a vibrating Safety Alert Seat, a rear-seat reminder, rear parking sensors, and Teen Driver monitoring technology.

In addition, the CT5-V includes additional driver-assistance features including adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic rear braking, and front parking sensors. It also features a safe following distance indicator, Intellibeam automatic high-beam headlights, and a moderately aggravating Buckle to Drive safety system.

The optional Super Cruise 1 Package equips the car with Cadillac’s hands-free driving assistance technology. It combines adaptive cruise control, lane-centring, and lane-change systems and works on approved highways across North America. In addition, the package contains a unique steering wheel, including a green Super Cruise indicator light. The package also installs a driver monitoring camera, a 12-inch digital instrumentation panel, and a surround-view camera that can record what’s happening around the car.

Super Cruise is terrific technology, but you must pay attention and be ready to drive the car at a moment’s notice. As long as you’re traveling on an approved highway, you can set a speed, and when the green indicator light illuminates to tell you Super Cruise has taken control of the car, you can let go of the steering wheel.

In this instance of the system, the CT5-V would automatically change lanes when it caught up to slower traffic. The system vibrates the Safety Alert Seat to notify the driver of the upcoming lane change, checks to ensure the lane change will be safe, signals the lane change, and then changes lanes without driver input. Then, after the pass is complete, it will return to the lane of travel.

If you don’t want the automated lane change to happen, you can take control to prevent it, and it is easy to override Super Cruise. Also, this feature will respond to a manually activated signal, so you need not wait for the system to decide to make a move.

Super Cruise’s automated lane-change function is undeniably impressive. However, on one occasion during our test drive, after it checked to make sure clearance was adequate and began to change lanes, a quickly accelerating motorist behind the CT5 suddenly changed lanes to pass the Cadillac, and we had to manually take control, override Super Cruise, and cancel the automated lane change. So, yeah. You still need to pay attention, including looking at the mirrors.

There were a couple of other Super Cruise issues. For example, we manually signaled a lane change into an HOV lane. The CT5 steered over with no problem. However, not long after, it attempted to put the Cadillac out of the HOV lane despite lane marking indicating it would be illegal to do so at that time.

Also, while driving in the HOV lane, Super Cruise became confused when the lane widened for an entry-exit section, shutting itself off and telling us we needed to take control of the CT5. That happened on two occasions.

Nevertheless, this is exceptionally well-done technology. For example, traffic ahead suddenly slowed from highway speed to 30 km/h, and Super Cruise smoothly and effectively brought the CT5 down to match the pace. Then, when traffic began accelerating again, the CT5 wasted no time getting back up to highway speed.

While crossing a mountain pass on a local highway, the curves caused lane sway with the automated steering. Still, Super Cruise did well and maintained the desired speed on a mountain grade without any issues.

Is the Cadillac CT5 a bargain? It is if you compare it to other midsize luxury cars like the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. And from the driver’s seat, it’s easy to see why the Cadillac costs less.

However, drop down a class, and the CT5 is less compelling as an alternative to an Audi A4/S4, BMW 3 Series, or Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It has a larger back seat, and that’s about it.

Compared to most German rivals, the Cadillac CT5 is a relative rarity on the road, especially in V-Series form. Possibly as a result, our great-looking test vehicle got plenty of attention. In addition, Super Cruise is a showstopper of a technology. And the CT5-V Blackwing is legitimately lust-worthy.

We like the 2023 Cadillac CT5 a lot. But it is a flawed machine.

Note: Images show a US model.