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2020 Cadillac CT6 4.2TT AWD: We Test the CT6's Blackwing

This shouldve been it. The American luxury/performance flagship sedan to finally stand up to V-8-powered German sedans like the Mercedes-AMG E 63 and S 63 , BMW M5 , M6 Gran Coupe , and 750i , and Audi RS 7 and S8 cars (and maybe even the Lexus GS F ) that have dominated the continent-crossing swift-sedan market forever. But before we even got a chance to properly test a 2020 C adillac CT6 4.2-liter twin-turbo Platinum powered by the mighty Blackwing V-8 introduced in 2018let alone compare it against its competitorsthe car was cancelled. Production ended in January. Powertrain Fitness Its a crying shame, really (and probably a fire-able offense for the decision makers involved) to have designed and developed this high-tech engine from scratch, only to sell fewer than 1,400 examples before yanking the plug. Like the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8s from Audi and Mercedes and the 4.4-liter from BMW, it features two twin-scroll turbos mounted in the valley of the vee, cylinder deactivation of four cylinders, variable valve timing, direct injection, and a host of other high-tech features. Its even hand-assembled and signed by its builder as many of the Euro engines are. Displacing 4.2 liters, the Blackwings ratings of 500550 hp and 574640 lb-ft (in Platinum or CT6-V trim) compare reasonably well to the sedan fitments of the competitor engines in Audis (453591 hp and 487590 lb-ft), BMWs (523617 hp and 516590 lb-ft), and Mercedes-AMGs (469603 hp and 479664 lb-ft). Furthermore, GMs new ten-speed automatic meets or exceeds the performance of the eight- and nine-speed boxes currently serving the Germans in terms of shift smoothness and quickness, and shift-schedule logic, especially in sport modes. Lean, Toned Body At least as important as adding power is reducing weight, and the CT6s Omega-platform chassis, derived from the Alpha platform that has been so well received in other Cadillacs and the Camaro, weighs in at just 4,407 pounds in its fully loaded Platinum trim (the sportier CT6-V likely weighs less). Thats 185 to 698 pounds less than any recent A8L , BMW 750i , or Mercedes-AMG S 63 weve measured. Comparing against the slightly smaller V-8 competitors it more closely matches in price, our CT6 Blackwing weighs 174 pounds less than our last E 63 S 4Matic and is about 140 pounds heavier than the BMW M5s weve weighed. Fitted with magnetic ride-control shocks and a sophisticated multi link front and rear suspension, the CT6 seems well equipped to battle these worthy competitors. So How Does The CT6 4.2L Twin-Turbo Perform? The 60-mph mark flashes by in 4.1 seconds en route to a 12.4-second 113.0-mph quarter mile. That handily quashes the BMW 750i (4.3 and 12.7 seconds) and entry non-V-8 Audi and Mercedes flagships, but the Audi RS 7 and the Mercedes-AMG S 63 handily smoke the Cadillac (3.3/11.5 and 3.4/11.6 seconds, respectively), as do the smaller E 63, M5/M6, and even the BMW M550i xDrive. The CT6-V would doubtless shave a few tenths off that performance, but it probably wont vanquish the industry stalwarts. The storys pretty much the same on cornering, where the CT6 posted a reasonable 0.91g average lateral gripbetter than 750i/A8L (0.90/0.89 g) while falling short of the grip displayed by the zootier full- and midsize sport sedans. Thats not bad performance, given the Cadillacs more ride-oriented Goodyear Eagle Touring tires, which only managed a 119-foot stop from 60 mphthats 3 to 22 feet longer than any of the considered competitors. Available Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 summer tires on the CT6-V would no doubt improve notably on both of these results. (Our figure-eight course was not available due to the global pandemic.) Whats The CT6 Blackwing Like to Drive? Cadillac strikes a nice balance in this CT6 between providing reasonable driving dynamics when your adrenaline is running, and relaxed touring behavior when its not. Body motion control is composed, steering feel is good for the class, and the brake pedal feels better than its lackluster stopping distances suggest. The 10-speed Hydra-Matic transmission is superbly paired with this engine and programmed so well as to obviate the need for shift paddles. Could this 4.2TT or possibly a well-driven CT6-V outrun an S 63, Alpina B7, or S8 on a French corniche in a Ronin-style bad-guys chase? Possibly not, but presuming you dont die in the chase, youll revel in the soothing Bose Panaray tunes and find it much easier to wind down while driving the CT6 4.2L Platinum home afterwards with the Super Cruise set (presuming someone maps the French Autoroutes). Whats It Like to Live With This CT6 Platinum? Although its interior design, materials choices, and trim patterns arent as fabulous as those of the new Escalade, the CT6 cabin remains uniquely American and as distinctly Cadillac as the swaggering angular exterior. All that weight savings alluded to above costs the Cadillac somewhat in terms of noise isolation. Its just not quite as quiet in here as it is in an A8, 7 Series, or S-Class. But what the CT6 lacks in library ambiance, it somewhat makes up for in library roominess, boasting more front and rear head- and legroom than the outgoing S-Class (Mercedes boasts way more shoulder room, however) and more overall front-seat passenger space than any of the considered competition; the Audi and BMW rear seats are bigger. At 15.8 cubic feet, theres less trunk space than in the big Benz and BMW; more than in the Audi. How Might a Blackwing CT6 Have Fared in a Comparison Test? This totally depends on the contenders. Matched against Audi, BMW, and Mercedes press-car flagships that match the CT6 4.2TT AWD reasonably closely on price would have precluded V-8 engines in the competitors, giving the Cadillac a big performance advantage. This, coupled with its savvy packaging, light weight, and high feature content (especially Super Cruise) might have been enough to land Cadillac a win. Had we paired it with smaller high-performance contenders that still come close in price, wed have had to step down to an optioned-up E or possibly C 63 AMG from Mercedes, a base M5 (still a few thousand more), and settled for an Audi S6 with a twin-turbo V-6 or spent more for the V-8-powered RS 6 wagon. Any of those pairings would really call for the CT6-V, which might have seemed richer in space, comfort, and features at some expense of performance. That might portend a mid-pack finish. Sadly, no such comparisons are likely to happen. What Next for Blackwing? Prior to the cancelled Geneva Motor Show, Manifattura Automobili Torino , an Italian coachbuilder known for producing the New Stratos (styled to resemble Lancias legendary rally car) and boutique builder of cars like the forthcoming Aspark Owl electric hypercar, reportedly struck a handshake deal with GM to supply Blackwing engines for an unspecified future product. But shortly thereafter GM sold its Turin engine center and publicly announced that this deal was off. That seems tragic. Why deprive the world of this excellent engine? And wouldnt the bean counters be pleased to recoup a bit more of the engines lofty development costs selling engines at a price befitting a handmade Italian exotic? 2020 Cadillac CT6 4.2TT AWD BASE PRICE $98,790 PRICE AS TESTED $99,490 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 4.2L/500-hp/574-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,407 lb (55/45%) WHEELBASE 122.4 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 205.8 x 74.0 x 58.0 in 0-60 MPH 4.1 sec QUARTER MILE 12.4 sec @ 113.0 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 119 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.91 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 14/25/17 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 241/135 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.11 lb/mile --> The post 2020 Cadillac CT6 4.2TT AWD: We Test the CT6's Blackwing appeared first on MotorTrend .

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/cadillac/ct6/2020/2020-cadillac-ct6-blackwing-first-test/

 

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