“V” Is For Velocity: The Cadillac CT5-V

Back in 2014, MotorTrend awarded their prestigious “Car of the Year” honors to the 2014 Cadillac CTS VSport (brand new for that model year). Being of the third generation of the CTS, the VSport represented the middle ground between the more mainstream CTS offerings, and the raucous, supercharged V8-powered monster, the CTS-V (which would come later). Writers praised it for its amazing balance of power, speed, and handling, with performance that average people could fully utilize.

Fast forward to 2020, and Cadillac replaced the CTS with the newly-renamed CT5. But because the world doesn’t make sense, the “V” designation once saved for the top-dog performance machines now migrated down to the area formerly occupied by the VSport, and the best-of-the-best track monsters known in the past as the “V” variants became known as the “V-Blackwings.”

Got it? It makes perfect sense if you squint your brain just a bit.

But one thing that definitely hasn’t changed is the performance the Cadillac CT5-V brings to the table. Like the CTS VSport before it, the fiver V comes with a standard twin-turbocharged V6, this time in 3 liter flavor (360hp is on tap in this case). But unlike the old VSport, the CT5-V is available with all wheel drive as an option (rear wheel drive comes standard) for those living in snowy climates like Cleveland. The only available transmission is a very good 10 speed changes-itself-omatic also found in the Camaro, even though a manual is available on the V8-powered Blackwing version. 60 mph arrives dressed to impress at your gauge cluster in 4.6 seconds, and the world-beating MagneRide 4.0 suspension system keeps the 5 flat in the corners and bends. Steering is everything and GM has some of the best in the game. If the 668hp CT5-V Blackwing is more car than you need, the CT5-V will give you 75% of the performance of that car for a little over half the price – that’s a pretty sweet deal!

XPEL Ultimate Plus PPF and Fusion Plus Ceramic Coating

One of the reasons the owner of this CT5-V chose AWD was for the brutal Ohio winters; that’s the same reason why he chose to wrap his car in XPEL Ultimate Plus PPF. No matter the season, PPF is a perfect option to protect your car’s paint from chips, scratches, and other abrasions your car gets driving on brutal Cleveland roads! As I write this in January and look out at the street before me, I can see the chipped rocks, pebbles, and debris populating the road surface, just begging to be kicked up by passing cars. And when that debris inevitably gets kicked up, what does it hit? That’s right, your vehicle.

At 8 mils thick, XPEL’s Ultimate Plus PPF provides a shield of protection that will also heal out minor scratches and abrasions when exposed to heat! Additionally, this CT5-V owner chose to apply XPEL Fusion Plus ceramic coating over the top of his new PPF to make the car much easier to maintain. From stem to stern, ceramic coating repels water, dirt, grime and other materials from sticking to your vehicle, making the cleaning process easy and convenient. Check out our team applying PPF and ceramic coating in the above video, featuring yours truly!

Special Thanks

A special “thank you” is extended to the owners of this Cadillac CT5-V, John and Effie Trihas, for allowing us the opportunity to protect and feature such an awesome vehicle!

Sources

https://www.cadillac.com/sedans/ct5-v-blackwing

https://www.caranddriver.com/cadillac/ct5-v-blackwing