One of Cadillac's most iconic modern cars, the CTS-V went into the history books in 2019, leaving the American brand without a performance midsize sedan after 15 years. The supercharged V-8 four-door returned in 2021, this time around under the CT5-V Blackwing badge. It's powered by the same 6.2-liter V-8 as its predecessor, but it packs more oomph and more modern tech, looking to take on the popular BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63. But is it powerful and quick enough to give its German competitors a run for their money? Let's find out in the comparison below.

Powertrain

The high-performance midsize segment is a V-8 affair, but Cadillac's powertrain is a bit spicier than the competition.

It's a 6.2-liter LT4, an engine it shares not only with its predecessor, the CTS-V, but also with the seventh-generation Corvette Z06 and the current Camaro ZL1. BMW went with a twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8. Likewise, Mercedes' engine of choice for the AMG E63 is a twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V-8.

Things are a bit different in the transmission department too. Unlike the M5 and the AMG E63, the CT5-V Blackwing comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission. That's a rare feature in this segment as both the BMW M5 and the Mercedes-AMG E63 are restricted to automatic gearboxes. The M5 comes with an eight-speed auto, while the AMG E63 features a nine-speed automatic.

Both the M5 and the AMG E63 are fitted with all-wheel-drive system, but these are fully variable so you can drive them in RWD modes. However, the AWD systems impact performance, resulting in shorter sprint times.

Power and torque

That's 28 horses and 29 pound-feet more than the old CTS-V, but it's also notably more than the competition.

BMW went with a twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 for the M5. It cranks out 591 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque in the base sedan. That's obviously well below the Blackwing, but BMW also offers an M5 Competition model with 617 horsepower. This one's notably less powerful too, but BMW released the M5 CS in 2021, with the V-8 further beefed-up to 627 horsepower. Still, the Cadillac packs an extra 41 horses and 106 pound-feet, so it wins the output battle against all M5s.

Moving over to the Mercedes-AMG E63, the 4.0-liter V-8 in the base model comes with 563 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque on tap. Then there's the S version, which is better suited to go against the Blackwing with 603 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. Still, that's 65 horses and 32 pound-feet below the Blackwing. But unlike the CT5-V and the M5, the AMG E63 also features a mild-hybrid 48-volt system that adds 20 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of twist.

Off-the-line sprints

So is the more powerful CT5-V Blackwing quicker than its rivals? Not really. Cadillac says the four-door sedan hits 60 mph from a standing start in 3.7 seconds with the automatic transmission, and that's notably slower than the competition. For instance, the base BMW M5 gets there in 3.3 seconds, while the M5 CS is a lot quicker at 2.9 clicks. The Mercedes-AMG E63 S also needs 3.3 seconds to reach 60 mph, four tenths quicker than the Cadillac. Although not available in the U.S., the lesser AMG E63 hits the benchmark in 3.4 clicks, also quicker than the Blackwing.

Top speed

Things change when it comes to top speed and the CT5-V Blackwing comes on top. Cadillac says the sedan is able to hit at least 200 mph, which makes it the only sedan in this niche to go beyond that magical number. The German sedans are usually limited to 155 mph, but they're available with optional packages that unlock a higher top speed. This bundle enables the BMW M5 to hit 189 mph, while the M5 CS comes standard with this capability. The highest speed you can reach in the Mercedes-AMG E63 S is 186 mph, also at least 14 mph lower than the Cadillac.

Lap times

Both the BMW M5 and the Mercedes-AMG E63 have been lapped around the iconic Nurburgring track. In 2018, the then-new M5 was driven by Christian Gebhardt around the Nordschleife in 7:38.92 minutes. Not exactly a record, but the M5 was quicker than older supercars like the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, and even faster than the Bugatti Veyron. Gebhardt returned in 2019 to do the same with the M5 Competition, which proved to be three seconds quicker with a 7:35.90-minute lap. The sedan surpassed the Nissan GT-R and the BMW M5 GTS. The sedan version of the AMG E63 wasn't officially benchmarked on the 'Ring, but the same Christian Gebhardt drove the station wagon version of the E63 S in 2017, lapping the German track in 7:45.19 minutes. Cadillac has yet to take the CT5-V Blackwing to the Nurburgring and it would be interesting to see if it's quicker than the BMW M5 Competition. Hopefully it will happen soon.

Conclusion

Well, let's say that 0-to-60 sprints aren't the most important thing out there, but it sure helps to be able to brag about having the faster car. But the Blackwing is in fact slower than the M5 and the AMG E63 because it doesn't have an all-wheel-drive system and it's nothing wrong with wanting to keep a sedan RWD. Purists will like that. Interestingly enough, the CT4-V Blackwing is actually quicker than the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63, despite being the less powerful compact sedan. But more about that in our comparison here.