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- We hear that the new high-performance V version of the Cadillac CT5 won’t have the engine we were expecting.
- Instead of the twin-turbo 4.2-liter Blackwing V-8 we anticipated, the new sports sedan will use the same supercharged 6.2-liter as its predecessor the CTS-V.
- The name of this upcoming CT5-V variant is still unclear, but it will likely arrive later this year.
The new top dog in the Cadillac CT5-V lineup will have a V-8 engine, but not the one we were expecting. Instead of Cadillac’s twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V-8, nicknamed Blackwing, this high-performance sedan is likely to have the same supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine as its predecessor the CTS-V, according to a source familiar with the project.
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Videos of CT5-V prototypes testing seem to support this. While we can’t quite make out a distinct supercharger whine, the raspy engine note we hear as these sedans accelerate is far more similar to the small-block V-8 sound we recognize from the old CTS-V and the Chevy Camaro ZL1 that also uses this LT4 engine. And, hey, we’re not complaining—this engine is awesome and made a whopping 640 horsepower in the CTS-V, meaning the CT5-V is shaping up to be an equally impressive performance machine.
We think that packaging is the key reason behind this decision. Because of the Blackwing V-8’s double-overhead-cam design, it’s taller and wider than the pushrod 6.2-liter V-8, meaning it may not fit easily between the strut towers of the CT5, which uses GM’s Alpha platform. The Blackwing V-8’s only application so far is in the now defunct CT6-V, which rides on a different, larger platform called Omega. We haven’t heard rumors of any other applications for this engine, so disappointingly this new V-8 may go the way of the CT6 and never be heard from again.
A higher-performance CT4-V is also on its way, and video footage confirms our earlier speculation that this will have a twin-turbocharged V-6, likely the same 3.6-liter unit from the ATS-V.
Both of these V sedans will clearly sit at the top of their respective lineups, although we still don’t know what Cadillac will call them to set them apart from the current CT5-V and CT4-V models. The naming scheme has gotten confusing, as Cadillac is now designating these medium-performance models as V-series variants and hasn’t yet announced names for the upcoming range-topping performance models. We should hear more about these high-performance Cadillac V sedans later this year.
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Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
