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Home › CT5 Buyers Guide › Engines and Performance
Powertrain · Three Engines
A turbo four, a twin-turbo V6 and a supercharged V8 — and a trim ladder that does not run in the order you would guess.
Three engines run across the 2026 Cadillac CT5 family, from 237 horsepower to 668. The structural fact buyers get wrong is not the spread — it is who can order what. The twin-turbocharged V6 is available on the entry trim, Premium Luxury, and it is not offered on Sport. The trim with the aero package and the nineteen-inch wheels is the one you cannot make quicker.
This is the powertrain page for the whole CT5 family at Covert Cadillac Bee Cave. Every engine is described here once, at length; the CT5, CT5-V and Blackwing pages name their own engine and point here rather than repeating it. Fuel economy is listed per configuration, because a single MPG number for a lineup this wide would be a fiction.
The Lineup
2.0L twin-scroll turbocharged four-cylinder — 237 hp. Standard on CT5 Premium Luxury and CT5 Sport.
3.0L twin-turbocharged V6. Standard on the CT5-V, where it makes 360 hp and 405 lb-ft. Also available as a factory option on CT5 Premium Luxury; we confirm that car’s output on the car itself.
6.2L supercharged V8 — 668 hp. Standard on the CT5-V Blackwing, and exclusive to it.
Each Engine
237 horsepower and a Cadillac-estimated 258 lb-ft of torque on premium gasoline. Available engines on Premium Luxury are this four and the V6; on Sport, this four and nothing else. Cadillac lists 6.6 seconds to 60 mph with rear-wheel drive and 6.9 with all-wheel drive. In practice the torque arrives early and stays flat, which is the shape you want merging onto SH 45 at speed, or climbing Bee Cave Road with four people aboard, and irrelevant on a drag strip. It is the engine the majority of CT5 buyers will own and be entirely satisfied with.
On the CT5-V it makes 360 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque. On Premium Luxury, where it is an available upgrade, Cadillac rates it lower — ask us for the current figure and the option price, because we confirm those on the car itself rather than a third-party listing, and the two do not always agree. Either way, this is the engine that changes the character of the car: a mid-range shove that makes a pass a decision rather than a project.
668 horsepower and 659 lb-ft, standard on the CT5-V Blackwing. A supercharger delivers its work immediately, with none of a turbo’s brief negotiation, which is why the Blackwing feels quicker than its numbers even before you read them. A single session at Harris Hill Raceway explains it faster than any of this paragraph does. It is also the reason a Blackwing is an expensive car to run: EPA rates it at 13 mpg city, and no configuration of it does better.
Gearboxes
A 10-speed automatic handles every CT5 and the CT5-V. The CT5-V Blackwing comes standard with a six-speed manual, and its 10-speed automatic is available. Rear-wheel drive is standard on both CT5 trims and on the CT5-V, and all-wheel drive is available on all three. The Blackwing is rear-wheel drive, and EPA certifies an all-wheel-drive configuration for every six-cylinder car in the family and none for the V8.
One bundling rule matters more than any of that. Super Cruise is standard on CT5 Premium Luxury, on CT5 Sport and on the CT5-V. On the Blackwing it is available, and Cadillac bundles it with the 10-speed automatic. Choosing three pedals means choosing a car with no hands-free mode. That is a fair trade and it should be a deliberate one. The full driver-assistance picture is on the technology and safety page.
The Matrix
| Engine | Horsepower | Torque | Transmission | Drivetrain | Where Offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L twin-scroll turbo I4 | 237 hp | 258 lb-ft (Cadillac-estimated) | 10-speed automatic | RWD standard, AWD available | Standard on CT5 Premium Luxury and CT5 Sport |
| 3.0L twin-turbo V6 | Ask us | Ask us | 10-speed automatic | RWD standard, AWD available | Available on CT5 Premium Luxury |
| 3.0L twin-turbo V6 | 360 hp | 405 lb-ft | 10-speed automatic | RWD standard, AWD available | Standard on CT5-V |
| 6.2L supercharged V8 | 668 hp | 659 lb-ft | 6-speed manual standard, 10-speed automatic available | RWD only | Standard on CT5-V Blackwing |
Torque on the four-cylinder is a manufacturer estimate. The V6’s horsepower and torque in the CT5 Premium Luxury are confirmed on the car rather than published here, because they do not clear our sourcing bar. Curb weights and dimensions live on the specs and dimensions page.
Fuel
| Configuration | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined MPG |
|---|---|---|---|
| CT5, 2.0L turbo I4, RWD | 22 | 31 | 26 |
| CT5, 2.0L turbo I4, AWD | 21 | 30 | 24 |
| CT5-V, 3.0L twin-turbo V6, AWD | 17 | 26 | 20 |
| CT5-V Blackwing, 6.2L V8, manual | 13 | 20 | 15 |
| CT5-V Blackwing, 6.2L V8, automatic | 13 | 20 | 15 |
EPA estimates. Your mileage will vary. Two configurations are missing from this table on purpose — the V6-equipped CT5 and the rear-drive CT5-V — because we could not confirm their ratings to the standard we hold the rest of this table to. Ask us and we will confirm them on the car.
Note what the table does with the Blackwing: the manual and the automatic carry identical ratings. The gearbox you choose there is a question about driving, not about fuel.
The Decision
Commuting, and you want the strongest fuel numbers in the family → CT5 with the 2.0L turbo four, rear-wheel drive. Rated 26 mpg combined.
You want six cylinders without leaving the CT5 → CT5 Premium Luxury with the available V6. A configuration Sport buyers cannot have.
You want the V6 with its full output and the hardware to match → CT5-V, 360 hp, Brembo fronts and Magnetic Ride Control as standard.
You want a supercharger and three pedals, and a Driveway Austin membership → CT5-V Blackwing, six-speed manual, accepting no Super Cruise and 15 mpg combined.
You want the V8 and the hands-free highway → Blackwing with the 10-speed automatic. Same fuel numbers, different Monday.
Still deciding between the trims rather than the engines? The trims compared page runs through the trims, and the three-way comparison is written neutral.
Buy Local
We are at 16501 Sweetwater Village Dr, Building 2, a few minutes off Bee Cave Road. Sales answers at (512) 900-7062. If you are choosing between the four and the V6, drive both up SH 45 and decide with your right foot rather than a spec sheet; if you are choosing between a manual and an automatic Blackwing, the honest test is a lap at Harris Hill Raceway and a week of traffic, in that order. Long, hot summers thin the air and take the edge off a supercharger, so a car that feels ferocious in February still feels quick in August — worth knowing before you order. Schedule a test drive, or value your trade.
Questions
Three across the family. A 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder is standard on both CT5 trims. A twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 is available on Premium Luxury and standard on the CT5-V. A supercharged 6.2L V8 powers the CT5-V Blackwing.
Yes, on Premium Luxury. The twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 is an available upgrade on that trim. It is not offered on Sport, which means the trim that looks quicker is the one that cannot be made quicker.
A 10-speed automatic, on every CT5 and on the CT5-V. The CT5-V Blackwing comes standard with a six-speed manual, and the 10-speed automatic is available on it.
No. Cadillac bundles Super Cruise with the Blackwing’s 10-speed automatic, so a manual Blackwing does without it. On both CT5 trims and on the CT5-V, Super Cruise is standard.
It depends on the configuration. With the 2.0L turbo four and rear-wheel drive, EPA rates the CT5 at 22 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined. With all-wheel drive, 21/30/24. The CT5-V with all-wheel drive is rated 17/26/20, and the CT5-V Blackwing is rated 13/20/15 with either gearbox.
No. The Blackwing is rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is available on both CT5 trims and on the CT5-V.
Premium gasoline, across the family.
