The refreshed 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing has more to offer than just an updated face and a new cockpit. For instance, the recently-announced Precision Package makes the luxury super sedan an even better and more capable handling vehicle. But what possessed the luxury marque to introduce such a performance upgrade for the already ultra-high-performing CT5-V Blackwing? Cadillac Society Executive Editor, Alex Luft, tracked down Cadillac executive chief engineer, Brandon Vivian, to find out how (and why) the Precision Package was born.
“The first thing is we play to win,” Vivian told Cadillac Society. “And when we barely lost in a couple lap time shootouts when we launched the [CT5-V Blackwing] in 2022, that was the push for us to say, ‘You know, even though we’re really really close and it’s an amazing car, we need to go to that next level.’ So we looked at everything on the car, I mean, when I say everything I mean everything.”
Vivian didn’t specify which vehicles bested the CT5-V Blackwing in a shootout, but it’s worth noting that when Car and Driver put the super sedan to the test alongside the Mercedes-AMG GT63, the German four-door barely edged out the CT5-V Blackwing.
When developing the Precision Package, Caddy looked at the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, which is very competitive in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), having won six races so far this year.
“We raced [the CT4-V Blackwing] as 100 percent stock car, which is really unique,” Vivian explained. “So as we started development of [the Precision Package for for the CT5] and when we were looking at what we could add to the CT5, we kind of took the two ideas and married them together, and that’s how we ended up with the Precision Package for the CT5-V Blackwing.”
He added, “It was about taking what’s already great about the CT4-V Blackwing, adding some parts to that car, and the investigation of what it would take to make that car successful in racing, and then philosophically apply that to the CT5-V Blackwing. So that’s how it came together, just getting a bunch of really passionate people and ideas and forming them into one.”
As a reminder, the Precision Package features suspension upgrades like increased spring rates, a larger front stabilizer bar, new bushings, new steering knuckles, and new rear toe links. These upgrades help the driver tackle corners on track with specially calibrated Magnetic Ride Control dampers, steering, chassis control, and Electronic Limited-Slip Differential. Meanwhile, stopping power is provided by carbon ceramic brakes.
The improvements help keep the CT5-V Blackwing’s massive amounts of power and torque in check wile cornering. That power – 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque, to be exact – is produced by the supercharged V8 engine (production code LT4). Additionally, buyers of the Precision Package have their choice of the six-speed manual transmission or the 10-speed automatic, as it can be added in conjunction with either one. Regardless of the transmission, the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing exclusively delivers power to the pavement via the rear two wheels.
All those upgrades come at a premium. As Cadillac Society recently reported, the Precision Package costs $18,000 on top of the super sedan’s $96,990 starting price.
One of four new colors for the 2025 model year.
And it now represents the best value in its segment.
A curious sighting from a video of the Cadillac design studio.
