The 2025 Cadillac CT5 V-Series

The Cadillac CT5 V-Series is one of the few cars to choose from in the midsize segment. With many manufacturers focusing on SUVs, cars in the sport sedan segment, whether luxury or otherwise, have become as rare as the proverbial hen’s teeth. That’s why Napleton News was so excited to spend a week with the CT5 V-Series. Read on to learn what we thought.

Cadillac CT5 V-Series: The new Standard of the World?

The new Cadillac CT5 V-Series is one of those new breed of Cadillacs that isn’t all land yacht-y like the big boats from Cadillac’s past. That’s a good thing, leaving us with a car that is much more agile and adept at quick changes and rapid responses. Best of all, it is fully equipped to do battle with those famous European sedans like the BMW 540i.

Under the hood of the CTS V-Series, we find a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 producing 360 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission that sends the torque to the rear axle. That’s right, this is a rear-wheel drive sport sedan. The suspension duties are handled by General Motors’ Magnetic Ride Control, which is so good it finds its way into some Ferrari cars direct from Maranello.

The CT5 V-Series brakes are Italian by Brembo, with brake lining and dust performance control. That way you eliminate some, if not all, the brake dust that turns the alloy wheels black!

Finally, Cadillac’s Super Cruise is on-board allowing you to go hands free on more than 750,000 miles of mapped road by the end of calendar year 2025.

As far as Looks go, the CT5 V-Series is fire.

Remember the old look of Cadillac with fins and acres of sheetmetal? Well fuhgedaboutit. That ain’t happening here. Instead, we have a grand touring layout comprised a slightly longish nose and short tail. A revised grille takes up more real estate on the front end, flanked by stacked LED headlamps.

The profile is an elegant and dare we say, swoopy look that is European. inspired.

Not that it’s a big thing but the V-series and V cars now feature quad exhaust outlets at the rear.

How about inside the CT5 V-Series?

The interior of the Cadillac CT5 V-Series is a sporting affair from the get-go. It features righteous  seating with sumptuous leather, adjustable bolstering, heating and ventilation and even massage functions to help keep drivers relaxed while driving in anger.

One of the new features in the CT5 V-Series is a 33-inch wide display screen. Think IMAX for your car. The display anchors the driver’s instrumentation and the info and entertainment display screen. It offers everything from Google Auto to the standard Sirius XM and cellular connectivity. We found it to be a bit glitchy from time to time. Glitch number one begins with GM’s choice of Google Auto over Apple CarPlay.

The most annoying aspect of it though is when we were trying to raise our personal assistant (hey Siri) to ask a specific question while in the car. It would tell us it was unable to answer us while in the car. The reason we have personal assistants on our phones in the first place is so we won’t have to look away from the road ahead.

Behind the wheel of the Cadillac CT5 V-Series

You can tell, once you get in, that the Cadillac CT5 V-Series is something special. A well-sorted interior is the first thing you notice inside is a wide expanse of display screen with all the information an enthusiast driver needs.

It’s followed by a throaty growl that seems higher pitched than a big GM V8 would typically emit. That’s because it is a twin-turbo V6. Forget the pitch of the audio track. Instead, settle in, kick on a little massage and take off like that imaginary baseball player for the Durham Bulls, Nuke Laloosh, who would always “announce his presence with authority.”

Once you complete these high-speed tasks, there will always be the security of the Brembo brakes to help restore order to the chaos under your right foot.

On the center console, just south of the gear selector lever is a multimedia control dial. It’s very similar to that found in BMW’s iDrive system. But it’s a bit more refined, too. That’s a good thing because as we recall, it took about a minute to get sorted with the system.

Formalities out of the way, the V-Series is a very stout performer. The V6 is a high-revving mill with good instincts that manage to get you moving rather quickly. Handling is on point and will have you pushing more as you negotiate a turn. Why? Because you can.

Could this be the start of a new standard? Perhaps.

Cadillac CT5 V-Series Specifications.

Engine Type	3.0-liter Twin Turbocharged gasoline-powered V6
Horsepower	360 hp
Torque	405 lb-ft
Transmission	10-speed automatic transmission
EPA Fuel Economy (Combined/City/Hwy)	21/18/27 mpg
Suspension F/R	MacPherson Strut / Multi-link
Turning Circle	39.0 ft.
Also Available	Various trim levels, All-Wheel Drive
Specs
Warranty	4 years/50,000 miles
Drivetrain Warranty	6 years/70,000 miles
NHTSA Safety Rating	Not Rated
Max Seating Capacity	5 passengers
Wheelbase	116.0 inches
Overall Length	193.8 inches
Width	74.1 inches
Height	57.2 inches
Cargo Space	11.9 Cubic Feet
Headroom, 1st	39.0 inches
Headroom, 2nd	36.6 inches
Legroom, 1st	42.4 inches
Legroom, 2nd	37.9 inches
Shoulder room, 1st row	56.7 inches
Shoulder room, 2nd row	55.7 inches