Following a refresh for the 2025 model year, the 2026 Cadillac CT5-V receives a small yet notable styling change, swapping the classic chrome trim below the front grille for an all-black one. Chrome lovers take note: if you want a CT5-V with both the refreshed front end and a (strange) chrome trim piece, then you’ll need to get a 2025 model.
First, some context. The Cadillac CT5 V-Series model line – which includes the CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing – received a refresh for the 2025 model year, dawning a new face and revised interior. The styling changes weren’t drastic, with the most notable being the changes to the front fascia, including new headlights and grilles.
Confusion set in shortly after the debut of the refreshed model. When the build-your-own configurator tool for the 2025 CT5-V first launched, it showed an all-black grille surround rather than a chrome lower trim piece for the upper grille, but when units began landing on dealer lots, they were equipped with the chrome trim piece. Not only was that chrome bit unexpected, it was also rather strange since it was the only chrome piece on the front fascia.
We reached out to the luxury marque directly, and received confirmation that the 2026 Cadillac CT5-V does, in fact, ship with the aforementioned lower black grille surround. That’s exactly how the vehicle appears in the configurator tool for the 2026 model year, and it was how the CT5-V appeared in the 2025 model year configurator upon launch, before being swapped for the chrome piece.
We think the change from chrome to black is an improvement, with the all-black surround working much better with the rest of the black trim on the front of the 2026 Cadillac CT5-V. It’s more menacing than majestic, and that seems to better align with the chrome-less (monochromatic) ethos of the sports sedan.
For reference, the 2026 Cadillac CT5-V is otherwise unchanged compared to the 2025 model year. It features the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine (production code LGY) and 10-speed automatic transmission, and is offered in either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.
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