2024 Cadillac CT5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The CT5 launched for the 2020 model year as the successor to the Cadillac CTS, which had been the brand’s mainstay sedan for most of the 2000s. The CTS was always among the boldest luxury sedans when it came to styling, but like an actor being asked to dial back the intensity of a performance, the CT5 reigns things in a bit.

You won’t find the globs of chrome or geometric surfacing of the various generations of CTS, but the CT5’s front fascia still sports a distinctive and confident sneer. The stretched wheelbase also gives the CT5 a statelier appearance than the smaller Cadillac CT4. The roof also arches up at the back, giving the CT5 a hint of a fastback silhouette. Granted, that detail is really only apparent on close inspection.

The CT5 is a bit older than most of its competition. The current-generation Audi A6 has been around since the 2019 model year, but the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class are both redesigned for 2024. But the Cadillac still looks contemporary, with a cleaner design than the two new German sedans.

Cadillac’s trim-level structure includes the base CT5 Luxury with the Premium Luxury and Sport above, and the CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing performance models off to one side. The Premium Luxury and Sport have similar levels of equipment, but the CT5 Sport gets some boy-racer styling features like a rear spoiler and alloy pedals, as well as meaningful upgrades like available Brembo front brakes.

While the exterior is distinctly Cadillac, the interior seems like it was made from bits of many different cars. The different surfaces on the door cards and dashboard don’t blend together well, and any feeling of being in a luxury car comes more from features (like our test car’s massaging front seats) than anything visual. The CT5 also feeds into the stereotype of low-quality General Motors interiors. Even with our test car’s optional two-tone semi-aniline leather upholstery and carbon fibre trim, the cabin still managed to look cheap.

Cadillac offers a few different powertrain options for the CT5. Base models get a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque on premium fuel. A 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 is also available, producing 335 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque, again on premium fuel. A 10-speed automatic transmission is mandatory with both engines, but Canadian buyers can choose between standard rear-wheel drive (RWD) and optional all-wheel drive (AWD). Higher trim levels also get alloy paddle shifters.

Two performance variants are also available. The Cadillac CT5-V has a tuned version of the twin-turbo V6 rated at 360 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. Again, the drivetrain includes a 10-speed automatic transmission and standard RWD or optional AWD. Finally, the high-performance Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing gets a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 producing 668 hp and 659 lb-ft—which is sent to the rear wheels only. And it’s available with a six-speed manual transmission in addition to the automatic gearbox.

Our AWD Cadillac CT5 Premium Luxury test car lacked the firepower of the V-Series performance models, but it was still an enjoyable drive. The CT5 felt like exactly what it was supposed to be: a luxury car with enough sportiness baked in to keep up with athletic German sedans. Handling was impressively neutral even with AWD. Understeer was nowhere to be found, and we even noticed a helpful bit of rear-end rotation in some situations that got the car turned into corners crisply.

With the twin-turbo V6 under the hood, the CT5 Premium Luxury is also decently quick. Cadillac lists a zero to 96 km/h time of 5.1 seconds for AWD models like our test car and 4.9 seconds for RWD models. It all adds up to a car that, even without the V performance upgrades, is decent fun on a back road.

Ride quality is definitely more sports sedan than luxury limo, but it’s more than acceptable given the CT5’s handling prowess. Our test car had 19-inch wheels, though. The optional 20-inch wheels might have degraded ride comfort further.

Low interior noise is another important component of driving comfort, and Cadillac struck a good balance here as well. Unwanted noises were nicely muffled, but we could still hear a nice growl from the exhaust at full throttle—another manifestation of the CT5’s dual missions of luxury and performance.

The CT5 has comparable passenger space to rivals from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. It has more front headroom than the Audi A6 and the outgoing Mercedes E-Class (Mercedes didn’t have specs available for the redesigned 2024 E-Class at the time of publication), and nearly the same as the BMW 5 Series. Second-row headroom is the worst of the group, but the Cadillac offers the most legroom in both rows. The CT5’s 337 litres of trunk space is the least in the group, however.

Importantly for a sporty sedan, the CT5 offers a good driving position. It’s easy to get the driver’s seat set up with good outward visibility without having to compromise headroom or legroom. The base Luxury grade has standard 12-way power and 10-way front passenger adjustment, but only manual steering-column adjustment. Premium Luxury and Sport models have 14-way and 18-way power adjustment, respectively, for both front seats, as well as a power tilt and telescoping steering column. Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are standard in Canada. Ventilated front seats are also available on Sport and standard on Premium Luxury models, and massaging front seats are optional on both top trims. Heated outboard rear seats are not available.

Cadillac made the most of the available centre console space. Despite the shifter, rotary infotainment controller, and a handful of buttons, you still get decent-sized cupholders and a perfectly sized wireless phone charger. The doors also incorporate a good amount of storage space, and their inclined armrests are well-placed.

The standard infotainment system includes a 10-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and a subscription-based Wi-Fi hotspot. The Technology Package available on the Premium Luxury and Sport trim levels adds a 12-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display. Three USB ports and wireless phone charging are standard as well, while a 15-speaker Bose Performance Series audio system is optional.

Cadillac’s infotainment systems have come a long way. The GM luxury brand initially bit off more than it could chew with the early versions of the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) system that debuted in the CT5’s predecessors. The smooth operation of the latest system makes it easy to forget that.

Cadillac still offers a native voice-recognition system, but it also includes a rotary controller and a conventional set of analog controls for non-connectivity functions like audio and climate control. We liked the touchscreen’s large, simple icons—which gave the home screen a smartphone-like feel—as well as the digital instrument cluster’s sharp graphics. However, we also found that the touchscreen was easily obscured by glare, and that the voice-recognition feature isn’t as good as what you get in a BMW or Mercedes these days.

Luxury buyers who want the flashiest tech will also be disappointed. The CT5 doesn’t have the dashboard-spanning screens offered by the BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class, or the Audi A6’s stacked-screen setup. But what it lacks in wow factor, the CT5 more than makes up for in everyday usability.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2024 Cadillac CT5 five stars across the board. The Cadillac sedan received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, as well as five stars in frontal, side, and rollover crash tests. However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) hadn’t released safety ratings for the CT5 at the time of publication.

Standard driver-assist features include forward-collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, rear park assist, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, automatic emergency braking (with pedestrian detection), blind-spot monitoring, a rear-seat reminder designed to prevent kids or pets from being left unattended in the vehicle, and a buckle-to-drive feature that prevents the car from being shifted out of park until the driver buckles their seatbelts. In addition to the usual audio and visual warnings, the driver-assist systems are also tied to a vibrating Safety Alert Seat.

Optional safety features include adaptive cruise control, reverse automatic emergency braking, front park assist, a 360-degree camera system, and an automatic parking assistant that can help steer the car into parking spaces.

Premium Luxury and Sport models can also be equipped with Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free driver-assist system. As long as you keep your eyes on the road (a camera is watching to ensure this), Super Cruise can handle acceleration, steering, and braking on most divided highways in North America. While it is a pricey option and does require a subscription for continued use, Super Cruise is one of the best systems of its kind. From its easy-to-understand controls (including intuitive steering wheel lights) to confidence-inspiring handling of the vehicle, it’s in a different league from what competitors are currently offering.

Turbo-four 2024 Cadillac CT5 models are rated at 8.8 litres per 100 kilometres combined (10.3 city, 7.1 highway) with RWD and 9.5 L/100 km combined (10.9 city, 7.8 highway) with AWD. The twin-turbo V6 has slightly higher fuel economy, at 10.8 combined (12.4 city, 8.7 hwy) with RWD and 11.3 combined (13.1 city, 9.1 hwy) with AWD. The more powerful CT5-V gets nearly the same fuel economy as non-V models, at least, but the V8-powered Blackwing gets predictably poor fuel efficiency.

Cadillac offers a four-year, 80,000-kilometre, bumper-to-bumper warranty and a six-year, 110,000-kilometre, powertrain warranty. That’s comparable to what Cadillac’s German rivals offer.

Pricing starts at $48,130 for a base CT5 Luxury model with RWD (prices include a mandatory $2,300 destination charge and dealer fees). The Premium Luxury and Sport trims both start at a new vehicle price of $51,530, while adding the V6 to the Premium Luxury trim brings the starting price to $55,555. The CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing performance models are priced from $60,230 and $105,324 respectively.

Typically for a luxury brand, configuring a CT5 that truly lives up to the car’s potential involves a long look at the options list. Our Premium Luxury test car had AWD, the V6 engine, Super Cruise, Argent Silver Metallic paint, diamond-cut wheels, and the Platinum Package, which includes a big sunroof, two-tone semi-aniline leather upholstery, seat massagers, navigation, and a Bose premium audio system, among other features. This brings the Canadian as-tested MSRP to roughly $70,000 with destination.

Even with nearly $20,000 in options—almost enough to put a new Nissan Versa in the garage alongside your new Caddy—the CT5 is a good value. Similar money only buys a four-cylinder BMW 5 Series, for example, and BMW doesn’t have an equivalent to GM’s excellent Super Cruise system. A well-equipped CT5 is a lot of car for the money.

Note: Images show a US model.