The 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Precision Package Raises the Bar

Cadillac didn’t need to do this. No one would’ve batted an eye had the CT5-V Blackwing carried on with its original, 668-hp recipe until the book closed on its thundering V-8-with-a-manual party of one. Cadillac’s four-door super-sedan remains unchallenged—a singular, emotional driving experience that is unlike anything else left on the market.

Of course, inveterate tinkerers that they are, the Blackwing engineering team couldn’t help themselves.

They unleashed the CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwings in 2022 as their latest round of super-sedans, and according to former chief engineer Tony Roma (who’s now the head honcho at Corvette) in a prior interview with Hagerty, these were the first cars in the V-Series lineage that weren’t simply measured by the stopwatch. The result was a pair of cars with undeniable personality, the 5-V Blackwing waving the flag of the big American luxo-muscle sedan and the 4-V Blackwing immediately establishing its reputation as the most engaging sedan on the planet.

Those accolades must have gotten the wheels turning at Cadillac. Por qué no los dos, as the meme goes—why not find a way to have both? The idea solidified in part due to their involvement with John Heinricy’s SCCA CT4-V Blackwing race car, and the team created a setup that aims to infuse the smaller Blackwing’s poise and agility into big brother.

The result is the new-for-’25 Precision Package, an extensive set of handling tweaks that add a hefty dose of additional, well, precision to the CT5-V Blackwing. Best of all, the results do not impede the Caddy’s luxo-sedan manners. The Precision Package makes drivers smile even wider than in the standard car, which already makes one’s face look a little unhinged.

“A couple of our team members went out on track together earlier, and we couldn’t help but giggle the whole time,” shares Alex MacDonald, chief engineer of Cadillac sedans, as we talk over dinner the night before we’re set loose in CT5-V Blackwings at Atlanta Motorsports Park. A lot of sports car engineers say this type of thing, but MacDonald, who was the lead development engineer for the C7-generation Corvette Grand Sport and ZR1, cares deeply about the way a great car can make the driver feel. He’s made a career of enhancing performance car capability and building in the feedback that makes cars memorable.

Our conversation topics range from raw emotion—the tire-shredding joy of drag racing his Nissan turbo-swapped Volvo—to intricacies of engineering execution. He stresses the importance of speed in chassis control systems, and the need for them to respond to input so rapidly that the car’s behavior feels seamless to its driver. (Any span longer than 250 milliseconds, he says, registers with the average human, and then, the vehicle dynamics no longer feel natural.) MacDonald, importantly, added that the how of wielding super-capable technology is more consequential than the hardware itself. His team considers how to make a car fun, flattering, and engaging, but also how to enable mere mortals to enjoy such big horsepower. They should feel confident that they’re not going to ball it up.

MacDonald is quick to assert that he’s recently come over from the Corvette team, and it’s the Blackwing crew that deserves the credit for the CT5-V Blackwing’s Precision Package. But having spent a lot of time getting to know the people behind the Blackwing cars, I can tell the new head of Cadillac sedans is cut from the same cloth.

Specs: 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Precision Package

• Price: $96,990 base Blackwing price, $114,990 with Precision Package (includes $1395 destination fees)
• Powertrain: 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, six-speed manual (ten-speed paddle-shifted automatic available)
• Output: 668 hp; 659 lb-ft
• Layout: Front-engine, four-door, rear-wheel-drive sedan
• Weight: 4142 lbs
• 0–60 mph: 3.4 seconds (manufacturer’s estimate)
• Competitors: BMW M5, Tesla Model S Plaid

Speaking of that Precision Package, it costs $18,000. New front steering knuckles are fitted up front, and rear toe links come in the trunk and are installed at the dealer, each allowing for more aggressive alignment settings: three-quarters of a degree more camber in the front and one-and-a-quarter degrees in the rear. MacDonald indicated that the car’s track-oriented alignment was still streetable, without too much impact on tire wear.

Spring rates are 70 percent stiffer, the front stabilizer bar is 11 percent stiffer, and bushings have been, you guessed it, stiffened throughout. The carbon-ceramic brake package is baked into the Precision Package, or it’s $9000 if you were to order it individually on a standard CT5-V Blackwing. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2Rs are available on Precision Package cars, the fronts of which step up a size, to 285- from 275-width (a set of Michelin Pilot 4S tires are standard fare).

If you read “70 percent stiffer” and thought to schedule quarterly dental checkups for your fillings, no need; the CT5-V Blackwing’s MagneRide dampers have been recalibrated to accommodate the new rates. In fact, MacDonald says, the flexibility of the magnetic dampers made the rest of the changes possible. Reworked, too, are the chassis controls, steering, and electronic limited-slip differential subsystems. Power figures remain the same since 668 horses and 659 lb-ft going to the rear wheels is already astronomical.

The Precision Package rolls out simultaneously with the CT5’s 2025 midcycle refresh. That means the Blackwing benefits from an updated dash, now featuring a sculpted 33-inch LED display. Lest you be concerned that a giant slab hinders the experience, the interface is attractive, functional, and easy to use. Admittedly, it works best on automatic-equipped cars, which benefit from an added suite of shortcut buttons on the console behind the shifter, but don’t let that stop you from considering the manual.

That big display enables a revised $1600 option that’s a must-have for anyone who intends to track their car. Version 2.5 of the Performance Data Recorder (PDR), co-developed with Cosworth, debuts on the Blackwing and the CT5-V, and brings powerful data analysis right to your dash during track days. “The idea of spending north of $100K on a car you’re going to track and having to suction cup your phone or another device to your windshield to track your laps just doesn’t make sense,” says Nathan Davenport, one of Cosworth’s liaisons to Cadillac. He’s not wrong.

This latest PDR updates feature a lap timer with a regularly updated delta between your current and your best lap, highlighted in green if you’re ahead or red if you’ve botched a thing or two. Once you’ve pulled into the pits and stop recording, a whole world of analysis opens up. The system provides several speed tips that compare sectors of the best lap in the data with laps for your last session. It shows your line, brake and throttle percentages, and max speed over the compared sectors, allowing you to pinpoint areas of improvement. You can also compare video from two laps right on your dash. If you want to delve even deeper, you can examine lap-by-lap speed charts and even upload the info to an app on your phone. It’s like having an AIM datalogger or a Garmin Catalyst built into your dash. The one thing it can’t do is talk to you mid-lap, like the Garmin does, but it is an enormously fun leap forward in track-day tech. And for the moment, no one has it but Cadillac.

The redesigned front fascia features stacked headlights, revised grills, and LED waterfall daytime running lights. It’s suitably aggressive if a little busier that the prior front end.

When we’re finally ushered to pit lane at Atlanta Motorsports Park, the view of the course revealed a tight, two-mile, ever-undulating and twisting circuit that isn’t usually suited to burly, high-horsepower sedans. The choice was deliberate—the Blackwing team wanted to showcase the Precision Package on a tight, technical circuit normally more suited to something like a Porsche Cayman GT4, or a purpose-built track car running Hoosiers.

After some lead-follow laps to get our bearings, we’re given the run of the place. Admittedly, it’s a lot to take in—elevation changes on corner entry and exit, blind corners, and none of the straights are all that straight. AMP doesn’t give much of a chance to breathe, especially in a car with this much power.

I start in the standard CT5-V Blackwing to establish a baseline. AMP’s pit lane bends sharply left before opening up to a short chute. The 6.2-liter’s supercharged roar bounces off the Armco barriers. I grin. The car’s long throttle pedal travel—the traction control before traction control, in a sense—helps your right foot precisely dole out power. I grab second gear, then third in the Tremec 6060 via the mechanical, well-weighted shifter. The Blackwing hustles through left-right transitions—and their associated curbing—completely unflustered. My right foot can push through any initial understeer and prompt oversteer through steady-state corners. Romp on the firm center pedal and the brake-by-wire system yields confident, granular modulation of the carbon-ceramic brakes. I’ve driven a CT5-V Blackwing before, and all those plaudits from our prior experiences in this car come rushing to the front of my mind. This is one hell of a baseline.

I pull back into the pits and hop out, ready to see what the Precision Package is all about. The only giveaway separating the different Blackwings idling on pit lane are the Cup 2Rs poking out from under the Precision Package’s fender wells. That subtle promise made from stickier, fatter rubber doesn’t even begin to hint at the practical difference between the two trims.

It didn’t take but a few corners to get the message: This car is sharp. The body roll most people accept in the base car as a big-sedan inevitability is all but ironed out; the Precision Pack CT5-V Blackwing takes a set immediately and exhibits even greater poise in lateral transitions. What anyone would consider best-in-class steering and great grip gets even more minute feedback through the wheel and simply brilliant turn-in. No hyperbole—the Precision Package car has the best front-end feel and tenacity of any front-engine street car I’ve driven, with the possible exception of the Mercedes 190 E 2.5 Evolution II.

It is possible to overdrive the nose on this car, but it’s avoidable with the right technique. My hot lap with IMSA Cadillac hotshoe Jordan Taylor later in the day laid that much bare. The car’s monster torque, sent to two wheels, will always require a judicious right foot, but there is more grip out back than before and the chassis communicates exactly how much to correct when the rear does step out.

That was, admittedly, a lot of track jargon. What does it all mean, big picture? They had to pry me out of the driver’s seat. The CT5-V Blackwing Precision Package is a lot of car, but it meets drivers at their capability, flatters them, and offers the confidence to push further. No doubt, it’s intimidating—but string together a series of corners just right in a manual Blackwing, and MacDonald is correct—you’ll be laughing until long after they throw the checkers on your session.

As we mentioned, all this Precision Package goodness comes without drawback, that is unless you’ve got Princess and the Pea levels of vibration acuity. You won’t notice the ever-so-slight difference in harmonics unless you drove the two back to back, and even then it’s well within the range of what you’d expect for something this capable.

This singular super-sedan experience does, however, come at a price. The CT5-V Blackwing starts at $96,990, including destination. Add the $18K Precision Package, gorgeous Radiant Red Tintcoat (or any of the other extra-cost colors), upgraded seats and wheels, and both carbon-fiber exterior packages and you’re knocking on the door of $140,000—more if you decide to go for the $3175 ten-speed automatic.

For context, a new BMW M5 starts at $119,000 and will climb well past the most kitted-out Blackwing once options are added. The Corvette E-Ray, another marvel of American performance engineering that is also an excellent grand tourer, goes out the door for about the same price as a Precision Package Blackwing. But only one of these cars has both a manual and space for more than one friend, and neither roundel- nor bow tie-emblazoned car can match the Blackwing for sheer raucous driving pleasure.

In past articles, we’ve discussed the two Blackwings sedans as distinct propositions: the CT5-V Blackwing representing everything joyous and emotional about big American V-8-powered sedans, and the smaller CT4-V Blackwing as the more refined driving tool, the car that out-M3s the modern M3. In the Precision Package, Cadillac has melded everything we love about both into a once-in-a-generation machine that, once you drive it, is impossible to forget.

2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Precision Package

Highs: Incredibly dialed-in handling, that sound, excellent interior updates—especially PDR and display functionality
Lows: Not made in a wagon, Cadillac doesn’t accept kidneys as payment, we got 12.3 MPG on the road
Takeaway: The best enthusiast sedan out there, and one of the best driving experiences on the road, full stop.