The 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is more than capable of keeping up with its European rivals.

The 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is a brand-new offering to the performance sedan segment and is the successor of the legendary Cadillac ATS-V, which was one of the favorites amongst the American gearheads due to the impressive performance and superb driving dynamics. Launched at a base MSRP of $58,995, the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is one of the fastest offerings in the segment and the twin-turbo V6 motor sounds phenomenal throughout the rev range.

Coming in a single trim configuration, the CT4-V Blackwing is made for the track days and the communicative chassis and precise steering wheel would put a wide grin on anyone's face. The interior comes loaded with all the tech and features and the car looks striking inside out. Competing with the likes of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, BMW M3, and Mercedes-AMG C43, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing.

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Coming with the magnetic ride control suspension which can read the road up to 1,000 times per second and adjust accordingly for a seamless driving experience, the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is superb on the twisties and racetracks. Along with the modern suspension setup, it also comes with Michelin Pilot Sport tires, Brembo performance brakes, and upgraded aerodynamics.

With all these upgrades, the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is a delight to drive. The car goes into the tight corners with very little understeer and holds on to the line without any fuss. The mid-corner direction changes are not frightening, and the steering is razor sharp and offers a tremendous amount of feel and feedback to the driver. While exiting the corner, it gives a tinge of oversteer, similar to the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. The electronic limited-slip differential ensures that you can put all the power down effortlessly.

Even with all the firepower under the hood coupled with all the bells and whistles that makes it an exceptional track day car, the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is also a comfortable daily driver. Put the car into the comfort mode and the magnetic ride control does adjust the rebound and damping settings to make it plusher for the road.

The ride quality at slow speeds turned out to be comfortable for a sports sedan. In comparison, the BMW M3 exhibited a lot more stiffness at city speeds. The high-speed ride quality of the CT4-V Blackwing was better than all the rivals as it rides very flat and without major body roll. The well-padded seats coupled with top-notch bolstering also help in making the ride the best we have experienced in the segment.

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This is probably one of the last sports sedans from Cadillac before electrification kicks in, and they have made sure that the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing comes with the sophisticated and punchy powertrain that could shame many of its European rivals. Under the hood lies a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 putting out 472 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque. It comes mated to a Tremec 6-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic transmission and the power is put down through the rear wheels.

The car has an insane amount of torque and the twin-turbo motor makes sure that there is no turbo lag. The CT4-V manages to do the 0-60 mph run in 4.1 seconds with the manual and 3.9 seconds with the automatic transmission. The quarter-mile time of 12 seconds and the top speed of 189 mph is the best in the segment too. The automatic transmission is very fast and provides you with the right cog all the time. The electronic limited-slip differential helps in putting the power down easily as well.

Even though the interior of the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is one of the most customizable in the sports sedan segment, we wish it came with a slightly more upmarket interior, especially when compared to the BMW M3 and the Audi RS5. The interior gets a heavy dose of leather with contrasting stitching, carbon fiber for the center console, and the gloss black elements.

The design overall feels a bit long in the tooth and looks similar to some of the older Cadillacs out there. The switchgear quality is not the best we have seen in the segment and the 8" infotainment comes with thick side bezels, making it look slightly less premium. There is no sunroof either and the cabin doesn't feel very airy. Even though the quality of the cabin is much superior to the Cadillacs from the past decade, we did spot a few uneven panel fitments and inconsistent panel gas. There are some hard-touching plastics lower down the cabin as well.

The front row of the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing offers an impressive amount of headroom and legroom, and even the taller folks would find it comfortable to sit in. The seats are wide and offer unmatched under-thigh and lower back support. There is heating and ventilation support as well. In terms of storage space, there are multiple cubbyholes in the center console, a large glovebox, and a deep under armrest storage. Bottle and cup holders are offered as well.

Being a compact sports sedan that could accommodate five passengers, we found the rear seat to be a bit cramped. When the front seats are moved all the way back, it does brush against the legs of the rear seat passengers. The legroom and headroom are on the shorter side in comparison to the BMW M3 and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, the under-thigh support is not the best, and there aren't many storage areas either. The 11 cu ft of cargo space in the trunk is decent for the segment, however, the loading lip is pretty high.

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The 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is not a car that you would buy based on fuel efficiency. Coming with a fire-breathing twin-turbo V6 motor coupled with all the performance goodies under the hood, the CT4-V Blackwing could do 15 MPG in the city and 23 MPG on the highway, which is quite similar to the Chevrolet Camaro SS with the V8 motor.

With a decent 17-gallon fuel tank capacity, the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing could do 391 miles on the highway on a full tank of gas. In comparison, both the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and the BMW M3 Competition could do a slightly higher combined gas mileage of 20 MPG and 19 MPG, respectively. However, their tank range was lower due to the smaller tank capacity.

Being a reasonably lightweight offering of the segment due to the multiple carbon fiber bits and aluminum body panels coupled with the beefy Brembo braking hardware helps the CT4-V Blackwing to brake from any speeds with utmost comfort and confidence. Stomp hard on the brake pedal, and you would be surprised with the excellent braking progression on offer. The 70-0 mph braking distance of 153 feet and 100-0 mph braking distance of 309 feet showcase its excellence too.

The front rotors are 15" and the rear end comes with 13.4" rotors, and all of the rotors are ventilated too. The braking bite is top-notch, and the brake fade is almost non-existent. The long list of braking features like ABS with EBD, brake assist, slotted rotors, and hill hold control are standard for the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing.

The standard driver-assistance features on offer with the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing include forward collision warning, automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. All the regular safety features like airbags, ABS, driveline traction control, stability control, tire pressure monitoring system, and front and rear park assist are standard.

We would also recommend you to get the optional driver-assist package, which is offered for an additional price of $900, as it comes with a few more much-needed driver-assistance features like adaptive cruise control, enhanced automatic emergency braking, and reverse automatic braking. Even though the car hasn't been crash-tested by both NHTSA and IIHS yet, the solid build quality coupled with many standard safety and driver-assistance features would help it to come out with excellent ratings.

The design of the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing looks very different from all its rivals and is a head-turner wherever you go. The overall proportions are spot-on for a sports sedan and the beautiful elements like the black front splitter, contrasting color schemes, and the functional air vents make the car look very purposeful from all the angles. At the front, the functional aero, LED headlights with LED DRLs, and the bulging hood is offered. There are carbon fiber elements for better aerodynamics too.

These font lip spoilers and functional aero elements also provide the required downforce to the sedan, making it capable at high speeds and sharp corners. The 18" gunmetal gray alloy wheels look stunning on the CT4-V Blackwing. The Brembo brake calipers, massive rotors, and the fender vents do a wonderful job of highlighting the side profile. The rear end gets a carbon fiber spoiler, LED taillights, a blacked-out diffuser, and the quad-tip exhaust.

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The 8" Cadillac user experience infotainment system is offered with the CT4-V Blackwing. The user interface was decent as everything is laid out neatly. There is a performance data recorder on board that records all the telemetries and videos of your lap times, which could be saved to an external SD card. We also found that this infotainment is very quick and has little to no lag.

All the required entertainment and connectivity features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa integration, SiriusXM radio, navigation, OnStar services, steering mounted audio controls, voice recognition, and Bluetooth connectivity comes as standard. The 15-speaker AKG audio system offers a premium audio experience too. The only issue we had with this infotainment is the slightly small display, especially when compared to the rivals. The thick bezels on both sides don't look very premium either.