2024 Cadillac CT5

The Cadillac CT5 is a luxury sedan that you can get as a comfy cruiser at a reasonable price or as a high-performance sports sedan with a supercharged V8 and a manual transmission. Whatever configuration you go with, the CT5 has many standard features for the money, and it’s a more affordable alternative to pricey European rivals with similar equipment and performance. A class-exclusive option we love is the Super Cruise hands-free driving system.

The Cadillac CT5 competes with the more affordable side of midsize luxury cars, including the Acura TLX, Lexus ES, and Genesis G80.

The CT5 has a new Midnight Sky Metallic paint option for 2024. The V-Series models get more new paint options: Velocity Red, Cyber Yellow Metallic, Coastal Blue Metallic, and Black Diamond Tricoat. Another update for the V-Series models is a 20th Anniversary grille header decal and a unique cluster wake-up animation commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the first V-Series car, the 2004 Cadillac CTS-V.

Before buying a CT5, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Cadillac CT5 resale value is about average for the segment.

The most popular powertrain in the Cadillac CT5 lineup comprises a 237-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine matched with a 10-speed automatic transmission. That’s enough motivation to get a rear-wheel drive CT5 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds (6.9 seconds with all-wheel drive), which is about a second slower than the midsize luxury car average but still more merging and passing power than many drivers will ever tap. The CT5 is tuned as a sports sedan, but we’ve found it comfortable enough on the highway, too.

The expansive CT5 lineup also includes a 335-horsepower turbocharged V6, a 360-horsepower version of that same engine, or a beastly 668-horsepower turbo V8 that will rocket the CT5-V Blackwing from 0-60 mph in a mind-scrambling 3.4 seconds. But most buyers stick with the more affordable, more efficient, and plenty powerful base engine, a smart choice with which we can’t argue.

Although the Cadillac CT5 lacks the interior quality of European rivals from the likes of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, it has many features for the money. We appreciate the standard infotainment system with a 10-inch screen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and wireless charging pad. There’s something to be said for the convenience of no wires making for a more luxurious experience.

We’re impressed with the passenger space in the Cadillac CT5. The front seats are spacious and comfortable, like anything in this class. The rear seats boast 37.9 inches of legroom, less than the Genesis G80 but more than the Acura TLX by three inches.

The trunk only has 11.9 cubic feet of volume, which is a little small for a sedan this size. We also found it a little hard to load and unload due to a small opening.

Sporty and upscale at once, we think Cadillac’s visual vocabulary suits the CT5 very well. It’s a bit smaller than most midsize luxury sedans, which helps reinforce an air of agility.

Super Cruise
Optional on all but the base trim, the innovative Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving system allows for hands-free driving on over 400,000 miles of highway in North America. We’ve driven hours-long highway stretches with our hands on the wheel for not more than a couple minutes.

V-Series models
The CT5-V is a dynamic sports sedan with a turbo V6, Magnetic Ride Control, and Brembo brakes. The fire-breathing CT5-V Blackwing packs a 668-horsepower supercharged V8 with a standard manual transmission. These are seriously competitive with more expensive German sports sedans.

Platinum Package
The available Platinum Package for the Premium Luxury trim makes the CT5 a more premium sedan. It adds luxuries like semi-aniline leather seats, massaging front seats, an UltraView panoramic sunroof, a head-up display, and much more.

Cadillac Smart System
This standard safety tech suite bundles convenient features like automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, and automatic high beams.

Driver Assist Package
The Driver Assist Package includes adaptive cruise control, enhanced automatic emergency braking, and reverse automatic braking. It’s standard on the Premium Luxury, Sport, and V-Series trims.

Bose Performance Series audio
If you opt for the Navigation and Bose Premium Audio Package, you’re treated to a Bose Performance Series 15-speaker premium audio system.

The standard and most popular engine in the Cadillac CT5 is a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder making 237 horsepower mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. It’s upgradeable to a 3.0-liter turbo V6 that makes 335 horsepower in the Premium Luxury trim and 360 horsepower in the V-Series model. The CT5-V is an elite luxury sport sedan with a 668 horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged V8. It has a standard manual transmission and an optional 10-speed automatic.

Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is standard in every trim of the CT5. All-wheel drive (AWD) is optional on all but the CT5-V Blackwing.

From the 2023 model, the base engine returns up to 27 combined mpg with RWD and 25 mpg with AWD. The V6 drops those numbers to 22 mpg with RWD and 21 mpg with AWD. Finally, the CT5-V Blackwing is unsurprisingly inefficient, rated for 16 mpg with the automatic and 15 mpg with the manual. Every CT5 requires premium fuel.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

The Cadillac CT5 is backed by a 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty and a 6-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty. That’s average for a basic warranty, but the powertrain warranty is better than what most luxury brands offer. Cadillac also includes one free maintenance visit.