2020 Cadillac CT5-V Review

This week I’ve got a real head-turner for you, the all-new 2020 Cadillac CT5-V. This is the performance version of the CT5, and the predecessor to last year’s CTS-V Sport.

Exterior

I love the looks of the exterior, especially the LED head and taillights, and the door handles that light up. The blacked-out grill, quad exhaust, and 19” wheels give this performance sedan a bit of a European flair.

Powertrain

The real story is under the hood where you’ll find a 3-liter six cylinder packing twin turbochargers that puts out 360-horses and a massive 405- pound feet of torque. It has a fast and determined 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters. This Wave Metallic colored Caddy is rear-wheel drive, but does come in all-wheel.

Interior

Moving to the inside I expected a little more, perhaps more stitching, or some V-designations around, but the heavily bolstered power seats are quite comfortable. There are some contrast colors and a small amount of carbon fiber on the dash and center console.

Hit the start button and watch the bright colorful gauges come to life. There is a configurable driver display in the middle that operates from the multifunction steering wheel.

Center dash is a 10” touchscreen that can also be operated from a scroll knob just under it. Everything on the screen is fast to react and easy to use.

The screen operates the Bose stereo, phone, navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot, you can set user information, all the car’s settings, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. When on the navigation screen, you can use your fingers to swipe in and out much like an iPhone.

Swipe to the left and you’ll find Apps, Onstar, climate settings, a video camera that uses an SD card, the terrific 360-degree cameras, the My Cadillac app that works with your cell phone, and you can shop from the MarketPlace and Amazon apps to order items in advance.

The center console is busy but well laid out with the handiest cell phone charger I’ve ever seen. There are buttons for drive modes, traction control, auto hold, and start/stop deactivation.

Below the shifter are short cuts for the audio, nav, and another scroll wheel.

There is a lot of repetition in this car. For instance, you can control radio volume from the steering wheel, from under the screen, and on the center console. There are two different knobs to scroll through the screen also. When you look down, you can see your speed in four different places. However, I kind of like how handy everything is to operate and see.

Backseat leg and head room was way more spacious than I had anticipated, and the trunk space was large and has storage underneath.

Standard Equipment

This car comes loaded with virtually everything, including: heated and cooled seats, a huge Ultraview moon roof, a head-up display with sign recognition, remote start, parking sensors, rear seat reminder, and parking assist. The Bose stereo has a simply wonderful sound.

On the safety front, it has forward collision alert, lane change alert, blind spot monitor, automatic emergency braking, HD rearview camera built into the rearview mirror, and the safety alert seat that vibrates when it senses a possible collision.

Ride and Drive

For fun, put the car in Track mode, then you can hit the V-mode button on the steering wheel and check your G-Forces, time yourself from 0-to-60, and there is a lap timer. You can choose to use the shift paddles if you wish, but the transmission in this car is much more efficient than you are.

The CT5-V has amazing acceleration, the exhaust sound is fantastic, and the handling and steering is precise and balanced. It can be a comfortable luxury sedan and with a few tweaks on the dash it becomes a track-ready racer. All in all, this car drives as well as any I’ve ever driven.

Fuel Economy

Fuel economy is 18 in town, 26 on the highway, and 21 overall, but you have to drive it right to get that, and that is no easy task.

What You’ll Pay

MSRP the way you see this beauty is $63,045 and to me, that makes this an exceptional value.

Credit: Cadillac