With the demise of the old Cadillac CTS-V and its first replacing not quite being what most enthusiasts expected, the burden’s on GM to provide a serious follow-up to the old 640 horsepower beast. Fortunately, the company is listening to the cries of manual transmission enthusiasts. Both the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing will offer 6-speed manuals as standard fare. Of if you don’t know how to drive a manual — which Cadillac says is not the case for most people, according to a recent study — you can get a 10-speed automatic.
Anecdotally, at least, it’s no secret that row-your-own options have been thin on the ground in recent years. Despite that, the Harris Poll study Cadillac references (they do acknowledge this was done on their behalf, so take that for what you will), 3 in 5 Americans do know how to drive a car with a manual transmission. The study also evidently says that interest in manual transmissions is higher for those making more than $75,000 a year or those between 18 and 34 years old. Of course, “interest” doesn’t necessarily translate to “practice”, as actual take rates show, but Cadillac does still see an opportunity here.
Coupling a manual to a supercharged V8?
Beyond the manual transmission (which has a 3D-printed medallion atop the shifter knob), the remaining question centers around what will power both Blackwing models. More or less, the current consensus points to a twin-turbocharged version of GM’s 3.6-liter V6 in the CT4-V Blackwing. Its benchmark is 464 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque, as those were the figures Cadillac’s old ATS-V manages. So, we could see the high-end, performance CT4 variant land somewhere in the neighborhood of 475 horsepower or more.
As for the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, you should see the big kahuna — a supercharged 6.2-liter V8. If that does happen, the car should be sitting pretty among its performance rivals with 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. Basically, we’ll have a hot sedan that may be faster than a BMW M5. Cadillac already hinted at a 200 mph top speed (shown above), so it’s feasible.
While we wait for the Blackwings to arrive, check out their brethren in the video below:
