Watch The Stig Drive The 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing At VIR: Video
After taking the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing down country roads and several hot laps around the challenging 4.2-mile Grand Course of the Virginia International Raceway, The Stig proclaimed the new luxury performance sedan as Cadillac’s swan song.
Paul Gerrard, who was known as the The Stig for the U.S. on Top Gear, is a professional racing driver who set lap times for cars tested on the show. He took the new 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing through its paces and came away wholly impressed.
“This is the peak, this is the pinnacle, and I think that’s why you see this very much, you know, sort of like they left an open checkbook when they developed this car,” he said. “They said, do whatever you want, this is its swan song, make it as brilliant as you can.”
Driving the manual, Gerrard talks through his runs around the VIR using the CT5-V Blackwing’s Performance Data Recorder (PDR), which includes various data overlays like a track map, lap timer, g-force, throttle and brake position, ground speed, selected gear, RPM’s, and steering angle.
He compared the performance of the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing to the BMW M3 and M5, Mercedes-AMG 43 and 63, and Porsche 911 GT3 – respectable company to be in – while also delivering on being a top-tier luxury sedan.
“It’s just happy to do [laps] all day, [yet] a complete luxury car – got a reasonable back seat, big trunk, very nice ride on normal conditions in touring mode. You know, checks all the boxes as a daily driver,” Gerrard says. “Bring it on the track, hammer on it like it were a Porsche GT3. It’s happy, feels good doing it, and it does it well. And it’s got the lap times that support that.”
As previously reported by GM Authority, figures recently released by Cadillac show the CT5-V Blackwing turning a lap time of 2:49.5 at the VIR Grand Course. As noted by Car & Driver via its Lightning Lap test, that makes it quicker than such heavy hitters as the 2012 Ferrari 458 Italia (2:49.9), the 2014 SRT Viper TA (2:49.9), the 2017 Acura NSX (2:50.2), 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 (2:50.3), and the 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 (2:50.4).
Check out Gerrard’s full review in the video below and pick up some track driving tips from the pro himself.
As a reminder, the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is powered by GM’s supercharged 6.2L V8 LT4 gasoline engine – the same powerplant found in the C7 Chevy Corvette Z06, sixth-gen Chevy Camaro ZL1 and ZL1 1LE, and the third-generation Cadillac CTS-V. Output in the CT5-V Blackwing, however, gets a bump to 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque. All of it is sent exclusively to the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual, which is standard, or an optional 10-speed automatic. Pricing starts at $83,995 in the U.S. market.
SOURCE: GM AUTHORITY