Cadillac’s Blackwing took the sport sedan market by storm as a successor to the CTS-V. With a 6.1-liter supercharged V8, the CT5-V Blackwing produces 668 horsepower which gets the car to 60 mph in a scarcely believable 3.6 seconds. For $20,000 less, you can have the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, which is considerably less powerful but lighter at 3,851 pounds curb-weight.

It uses a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged all-aluminum V6 with 472 horsepower. While the Blackwing appears to have every aspect of spirited driving clearly defined and represented, some sports sedan enthusiasts might find more satisfaction elsewhere. On the flip side, there are a few sports sedans that don’t hold a candle to the Blackwing.

8 Better: Mercedes-Benz E63 S AMG

Mercedes-Benz-E63-S-AMG
via pinterest

Middle-school bullies should wear Mercedes-Benz t-shirts because that’s what the E63 AMG is. Despite its lack of power compared to the Blackwing, the E63 AMG is decidedly the car to beat, because it’s perfect. Drivers enjoy 603 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged V8, which doesn’t overwhelm the suspension through a corner especially with its all-wheel drive, all from the comfort of a heated leather sofa.

Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
Via: Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Benz cleans up with the perfect combination of handling and horsepower, all while keeping the driver as comfortable as possible. It’s quite a bit more expensive than the Cadillac at $108,000, but when you sit in the seat you’ll see where all that money went.

7 Better: Porsche Taycan 4S

S21_3668
Via: Porsche

Porsche is well-versed in building balanced sports cars. Although the Porsche Taycan 4S is about the same price as the Mercedes, it’s a prime example of what the future of electric cars can look like. Acceleration isn’t wanting, and with 522 horsepower the Taycan 4S while being considerably less powerful than the Cadillac reaches 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, while the Cadillac crawls to 60 mph in 3.6.

Porsche Taycan 4S
Via Porsche

The Taycan 4S’ only major complaints revolve around its price and infotainment system according to Car and Driver, which are small sacrifices to make for a balanced and fast electric Porsche.

6 Better: Audi RS7

The 2021 Audi RS7's Front View
Via NetCarShow

The Audi RS7 is slower and heavier than the Cadillac, but with the right frame of mind, it’s the perfect car. It errs on the side of luxury, according to Car and Driver, but does so impeccably well. The RS7 is slightly underpowered, heavy, and big, and makes up for all of its shortcomings with incredible active suspension and torque vectoring, not to mention its patented fully-mechanical Audi all-wheel-drive.

Audi RS7
Via-Audi Media

This experience tailors the RS7 into a perfect daily driver that isn’t afraid of the gas pedal, and what’s more the power is always at the ready whenever the driver wants it.

RELATED: These 10 German Sports Sedans Are Now Surprisingly Cheap

5 Worse: BMW M5

2022-BMW-M5
source: wsupercars

The BMW M5 is more powerful than ever, and although it doesn’t have as much power as the CT5-V Blackwing, it’s faster. 617 horsepower from a turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 and all-wheel-drive gets the M5 to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds. Not bad for a car just over $103,000. Unfortunately, the M5 wavers when you try to wake it from comatose.

2021-BMW-M5-Competition-005-2160
source: wsupercars

The M5 accelerates hard and brakes with precision, but where it falters is in the steering. It feels disconnected and artificial, which brings down the experience. It’s almost a complete package, and perfect for the lazy driver, but not for one itching for a raw driving experience. For this reason, the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing triumphs over the BMW M5.

RELATED: 10 Coolest Supercars Powered By BMW Engines

4 Worse: Lexus LS

2022 Lexus LS front third quarter cruising view
Via: Pressroom.lexus.com

Landing right between the CT4 and CT5-V Blackwing price tags is the Lexus LS, and it’s no wonder why we’d choose the Cadillac. The Lexus LS comes with 416 horsepower at its maximum from a 3.5-liter V6. While it offers subdued road noise for a lower price, the Lexus LS provides a thoroughly uninspired and underpowered ride.

2022 Lexus LS rear third quarter cruising view
Via: Pressroom.lexus.com

The CT5-V Blackwing is simply more exciting, with its manual transmission and almost 670 horsepower to the rear wheels. The Cadillac isn’t as refined as the Lexus, nor as sophisticated, but you won’t be bored driving it like you might the Lexus.

3 Worse: Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye Widebody

2022 Dodge Charger Hellcat in white
Stellantis

The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody costs about the same as the Cadillac CT5-V widebody and has more power, but comes up short in one crucial way. The Charger has about 800 horsepower from its supercharged 6.1-liter V8, which is enough to get the car to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. It earns the quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds.

The rear of the Charger Hellcat Widebody
Dodge

While the Charger is exceptional at acceleration, that’s nearly all it’s good for. The Charger uses a short rear axle gear ratio, coupled with rear suspension tuned to compress rapidly, thus shifting as much weight as possible to the back of the car to maximize traction on those 305mm tires. Although it pulls 0.93g on the skidpad, the Charger needs some more versatility, which is why we’d opt for the Blackwing.

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2 Worse: Maserati Ghibli Trofeo

maserati-ghibli-trofeo
Source: Maserati

The Maserati Ghibli looks brilliant and heartily impresses. The Ghibli at its most powerful “Trofeo” trim comes with a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 580 horsepower sent to the rear wheels.

Red Maserati Ghibli Trofeo
Via: Maserati

It hits 60 mph in 4.3 seconds but has a staggering top speed of 203 mph. While classy and sporty, the Ghibli is simply too expensive at $112,000 starting price. The Blackwing reaches its highs without a trace of elitism, and its highs are much greater than the Ghibli.

1 Worse: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

The front of the Giulia Quadrifoglio
Alfa Romeo

The Blackwing joins a long legacy of car companies that failed to match Alfa Romeo’s design team. Unfortunately, that’s where the Giulia's advantages stop. The Giulia Quadrifoglio, while courageous and beautiful, falls short of the Cadillac in a few ways, despite being roughly the same price. The Giulia uses a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that delivers 503 horsepower to the rear wheels, so not only is it underpowered but it lacks the grunt that bellows from the Cadillac’s ferocious V8.

Alfa Romeo Giulia
source: wsupercars

The Giulia is also shrouded under the umbrella of Alfa Romeo’s dangerous reputation of unreliability. The Giulia is unfortunately too big of a risk when Chevrolet reliability is up for grabs right around the corner.