The Cadillac CT5 is among the best cars few people ever consider. It has a distinctive chiseled look, engine options from 237 horsepower to nearly three times that much, and available advanced hands-free highway driving tech. But, most months, it sells about half as well as European rivals like the BMW 3 Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Cadillac continues to make most of its money selling SUVs and produces this well-designed midsize luxury sedan that stays mainly under the radar.
For 2025, they’ll try to entice more buyers with a sleeker new look and a truly impressive infotainment screen.
The 2025 CT5 isn’t an entirely new car. It’s what the automotive industry calls a mid-cycle refresh – a nip-and-tuck to the body and an update to features and technology to keep it competitive with newer rivals. So far, the company has revealed details on just the mortal trims. Cadillac says details on an update to the superheroes of the lineup, the CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing, will come soon.
The company hasn’t announced pricing for the updated model. The 2024 edition starts at $39,790 and stretches over the $50,000 mark fully equipped. Cadillac charges a mandatory $1,395 freight charge on all CT5s. We expect a minor price increase for 2024, but nothing unusual.
Trimmer Look
Designers changed little about the sheet metal of the CT5, but the small changes they made had an outsized impact. A wider grille gives it a more aggressive look and seems to emphasize the character lines in the hood, though they haven’t changed.
Vertical LED daytime running lights borrowed from the recently refreshed XT4 meet horizontally-stacked headlights.
Sport models have black trim and a black mesh grille, making the CT5 look exceptionally sharp.
33-Inch Screen
Inside, a new 33-inch LED screen spans about two-thirds of the dashboard. It takes the jobs of the driver’s instrument screen and the central touchscreen and curves for an ultra-modern look. Cadillac says it’s capable of 9k resolution.
Two horizontal rows of buttons beneath wide air vents mean not every control runs through the screen.
Many technologies the screen can run are optional, including Google built-in with Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play. But don’t look for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – General Motors is filtering them out of its lineup.
GM’s Super Cruise hands-free highway driving system is one advanced technology that will show up.
No Mechanical Changes
Drivetrains are unchanged. The CT5 still comes with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that produces 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque or a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 making 335 hp and 405 pound-feet. The lack of engine changes leads us to believe the Blackwing’s 668-hp supercharged V8 will also return, but we’re waiting for confirmation.
Rear-wheel drive (RWD) remains standard, while all-wheel drive (AWD) is optional.
A Limited Future?
Will the changes be enough to make Cadillac’s sport sedan register with buyers looking for the kind of luxury and performance often associated with the German brands? Only time will tell. But the CT5 may well be running out of that.
Cadillac has been steadily electrifying its lineup – even introducing an electric version of its signature Escalade. When the company set out to build a new brand-defining flagship, it came up with the $300,000, art-deco-inspired Celestiq electric car.
We would be surprised to see the CT5 get another generation with gas-powered engines available. This may be Cadillac’s last chance to show it can build a 3 Series rival and your last chance to buy one before electrification changes the character of all the luxury brands.
