After driving the BMW M5 CS, I honestly wasn’t sure if there could be a better super sedan. Sure, there might be faster ones but a better one? Doubtful. Then the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing debuted and now I’m dying to find out if that can take it on. In this new video from Hagerty, we get to see that exact matchup, with a Tesla Model S Plaid thrown in for good measure.
One thing’s for sure — the BMW M5 CS is a lot faster than the Caddy. It ran the quarter mile in 10.6 seconds, while the Blackwing did an 11.6. Of course, the Tesla destroyed both, with a 9.3 second time but that’s not surprising considering it has 1,000 horsepower and is all-electric. The real battle is between the Bimmer and the Caddy because those are the cars with character and excitement.
The BMW M5 CS — with Randy Pobst at the wheel — set the lap record at Willow Springs International Raceway, with a time of 1:28.76. However, that record only stood for a few minutes, as Pobst then immediately beat the M5 CS’ record with the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, with a lap of 1:28.07. And it did it with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. Looks like we’ve got a proper rivalry on our hands.
If there’s a fault with the BMW M5 CS, it’s that it’s a bit too good, a bit too capable for its own good. It lacks the drama of the tire-smoking, artillery fire-sounding psychopath that is the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. The Caddy isn’t without fault — it understeers a bit and then oversteers too much and its gearing is far too tall with a manual (the automatic might fix that) — however it’s hilarious good fun. We’d love the chance to test both cars back-to-back to see which is better to drive.
The real winner of this video, though, internal combustion. The Tesla Model S Plaid, despite being in a different league in terms of straight line speed and actually breaking the Willow Springs lap record of the Cadillac, is almost completely forgotten in this company. It’s just not fun, whereas both the Bimmer and the Caddy are. It’s hard to look at the two and not smile at just how absurd they are in today’s era of automobile. How can you not love that?
