2023 Cadillac CT4-V

The CT4 line-up was born when Cadillac shook up their naming convention back before the pandemic. While that era feels like a generation ago, the CT4 is still based on the Cadillac ATS, and the V badge is now a mid-range performance model, as the CT4-V Blackwing took the top spot as the all-out performance. The price differences between the trim levels are huge, so the CT4-V actually makes sense in Cadillac’s condensed petrol-powered line-up that now has EVs as flagships.

While the model continues in the West, technically there is no 2024 CT4 for Middle East, although new 2023 models are still officially offered.

The cool thing about the CT4-V is that it already looks a lot like a Blackwing without the price premium. The V already gets a unique front bumper with a different upper grille and a larger lower grille and intakes, aside from side skirts, unique wheels, quad exhaust tips and a lip spoiler, all of which spruce up an already handsome compact sedan. The Blackwing only adds a large upright carbon-fibre lip spoiler, front-fender vents, front underwing and racer-style canards, so you’re not missing out on much with the regular V Series car.

Inside, the dashboard feels like an older design retrofitted with new gadgets, and the all-black material choices in our test car are less wild than in the Blackwing, but you do get the obligatory stitched leather treatment and padded surfaces in all the right places, with cheaper materials in lower panels, such as hard plastic door pockets.

The cabin tech is perfectly up to date, and 8-inch touchscreen has been surpassed in size by others, it does the job fine and even has several rotary dials for quicker control. An LCD cluster screen, heads-up display, navigation, wireless phone mirroring, wireless charging pad and the usual electronic accident-avoidance nannies are all present, including adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, collision alert, rear cross-traffic alert and the lane-departure alert system that buzzes your seat as a physical warning. The Bose stereo is excellent, and the dual-zone auto a/c does the job well in Dubai afternoon weather, with well-placed front and rear vents.

The sporty front seats are well-bolstered, power-adjustable, leather-clad and ventilated. Space up front is fine for a compact sedan, but the rear is pretty tight in terms of legroom, with tall folks likely to complain. at 302 litres, the boot is small compared to most rivals, although the rear seat split-folds to increase cargo volume.

The rear-wheel-drive CT4-V packs a turbo 2.7-litre 4-cylinder that produces 325 hp at 5500 rpm and 515 Nm of torque at 2000-4000 rpm, which makes it more powerful than similarly-priced BMWs such as the M235i and the 330i. The 472 hp Blackwing takes on the duty of chasing M cars and AMGs.

The Caddy’s 6200 rpm redline isn’t going to give you the ultimate high-revving experience that enthusiasts crave, but the standard paddle-shiftable 10-speed automatic does a fine job when you want to get your speed fix, with an official top speed of 250 kph. We fired off a 0-100 kph time of 5 seconds flat in the summer, while our as-tested fuel consumption was pegged at 11 litres/100 km (9.1 km/litre) in mixed driving.

The platform underpinning the CT4 can be traced back to the Camaro and has always been excellent since the ATS days, so the V Series version does not disappoint. Armed with a mechanical limited-slip differential, the car is absolutely phenomenal on the corners, very flat and beautifully balanced. The only minor complaint is the uninspiring exhaust note, some of it fed through speakers. Downshifting through so many gears can also take a “while” in certain circumstances.

The 235/40 tyres wrapping the 18-inch wheels are more than enough to grip the road when you need it and let loose when you don’t. Even with gimmicks such as customisable drive modes, there’s something old-school euphoric about the way the rear of the car comes around when you dive into a corner hard and have lively controls that actually allow you to feel what’s going on under you. It’s a taut little car to drive.

Combined with communicative steering and responsive pedals, the car’s handling is as good as any of the top players in this segment, and possibly better as time goes on and the Germans get fatter. Weighing in at 1640 kg, the Cadillac would’ve been considered portly in 2020, but is average nowadays. The 4-piston Brembo brakes are very capable as well.

Mind you, this car is on the stiff side in terms of ride quality, especially on broken tarmac, but it’s very tolerable. The standard Magnetic Ride Control dampers do have a range of soft-to-firm settings. Even at the softest setting, it can still feel overly firm on certain road surfaces, but it’s very smooth on most roads. Road noise becomes noticeable at 120 kph.

The CT4-V sits in a juicy niche that’s filled with smaller European rivals, all of them based on economy-minded front-driven platforms that belong on cheap hot hatches. The Cadillac has the bones of a real sports car, looks awesome and is completely satisfying to drive on the daily.

Photos by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury.