2025 Cadillac CT5 Review and Test Drive

An infusion of new technology keeps the CT5 luxury sedan relevant.

Christian Wardlaw | 

Jan 15, 2025 | 6 min read

Christian Wardlaw

First, sensible, subtle, and speedy European luxury cars usurped the status of the American luxo-barges. Then, leather-lined SUVs arrived with gaudy grilles and glued-on body kits. Fast-forward to 2025, and only Cadillac still offers a traditional American-made luxury car — these days, though, it's modeled after German sports sedans.

Christian Wardlaw

Two are available, both made in Lansing, Michigan. The Cadillac CT4 is the compact one and the Cadillac CT5 is the midsize one. Engineered to take on the best from Europe in terms of dynamics, they fall short in refinement. Their future is uncertain, but for the moment, the refreshed 2025 Cadillac CT5 signals they might stick around for a few more years.

Cadillac offers the 2025 CT5 in several trim levels, but this review does not cover the sporty CT5-V and performance-tuned CT5-V Blackwing models. Instead, it focuses on the Premium Luxury and Sport variants with base prices right under $50,000, including the destination charge to ship the car from the Michigan assembly plant to your dealership.

For this 2025 CT5 review, I test-drove the Premium Luxury in Southern California. It had the optional twin-turbocharged V6 engine, all-wheel drive (AWD), extra-cost paint, 20-inch wheels, and a Platinum package, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $63,310, including the $1,395 destination charge. Cadillac provided the vehicle for this CT5 review.

Christian Wardlaw

Is the 2025 Cadillac CT5 a Good Car?

Compared with all midsize luxury cars, the aging Cadillac CT5 lacks refinement, doesn't offer an electrified powertrain, and has a tiny 11.9 cubic-foot trunk. Also, this car deserves better than a premium-guzzling, turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 237 horsepower as its standard powerplant.

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However, Cadillac CT5 prices undercut rivals such as the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. In addition, Cadillac offers the CT5 with its class-leading Super Cruise hands-free driving technology, and I prefer Cadillac's new 33.0-inch display screen to what you'll find in the German alternatives.

Most CT5s are fun to drive, but the CT5-V Blackwing performance sedan is stunningly good. And, if you like to buy American, the Michigan-made CT5 checks that box.

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What's New for the 2025 Cadillac CT5

This year, Cadillac has restyled the CT5's front end and upgraded the car's infotainment and safety technologies. The most evident alteration is the new 33.0-inch LED display screen that extends across the driver's side and middle of the dashboard. Elegantly curved and framed, it shows the digital instrumentation, infotainment, trip computer, and other information in 9K resolution.

New Google built-in technology equips the car with Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Google Play; wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is standard.

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In addition, CT5 owners can access a new 5G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot through the system's connected-services platform. Cadillac also swaps the previous Bose premium sound system for AKG components.

New standard safety features include active blind-spot monitoring and an intersection-braking system to help you avoid collisions. In addition, some CT5 models have traffic-sign recognition and an adaptive speed-limit-assist system.

This tech infusion comes at a cost. The base Luxury trim is gone from the lineup, leaving the Premium Luxury and Sport starting at significantly higher prices than in 2024.

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The CT5's Comfort and Tech Are Commendable

Though high for a CT5, my test car's price was a bargain compared with the six-cylinder, AWD alternatives from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Dressed with the Platinum option package, it had lovely premium leather in a decadent Sedona Sauvage color, genuine carbon-fiber trim, a head-up display, and more for nearly 10 grand less than a base Mercedes E450 4Matic.

The seating is wide and flat but comfortable. Heating, ventilation, and massage are great for road trips, but the modest side bolsters can't match the car's athleticism in curves. Rear passengers enjoy good legroom but suffer tight headroom. A dual-panel sunroof lets in plenty of light.

During a multi-hour drive, the new 33.0-inch display and its Google-based infotainment system proved easy to understand and use. I paired my iPhone and ran Apple CarPlay without any trouble, streaming Apple Music through the new 15-speaker AKG audio system. The speakers easily overcame the surprising amount of ambient noise when driving on highways.

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Based on this test drive, Super Cruise appears to have received updates since my last CT5 test in 2023. It works on more highways than before and doesn't try to automatically change lanes when driving carpool on Los Angeles freeways.

In addition, the large green indicator bar on the steering wheel rim makes it easy to know when Super Cruise is active, a less confusing setup than I've used with similar technology in other vehicles.

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Skip the Four and Get the Six

A turbocharged Mazda 3 offers more horsepower and torque than the Cadillac CT5's standard engine. So, while the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 is an expensive upgrade at $3,500, I recommend it. Your reward will be 335 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque, increases of 98 horsepower and 147 lb-ft over the standard turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder. You can also get AWD, which runs another two grand.

So equipped, the CT5 delivers satisfying acceleration, though the powertrain sometimes sounds and feels less refined than expected. The ride is softer than in the 2023 CT5-V I previously reviewed, and that model's adaptive damping suspension is unavailable to Premium Luxury and Sport buyers. Therefore, you'll need to live with the CT5's nose bobbing over sections of undulating pavement.

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Nevertheless, the CT5's baked-in dynamic goodness shines through on winding roads and can easily exceed the seats' ability to hold you in place.

The Cadillac was a delight to drive on the back roads between suburban Los Angeles and Solvang, if a little loud while Super Cruising home on Highway 101. The twin-turbo V6 averaged 22.5 mpg during my travels, exceeding the EPA estimate of 21 mpg in combined driving.

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The changes to the 2025 Cadillac CT5 give the aging sedan a new lease on life, and I'm glad it still exists. I can only speak for myself, but I'm over the whole crossover SUV thing. Still, this Cadillac needs a sportback hatch to go with its rakish roofline, as well as a performance-oriented hybrid powertrain. After all, unlike those interstate cruisers of the 1970s, efficiency and utility never go out of style.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Christian Wardlaw

Chris says his first word was "car." For as long as he can remember, he's been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. He is a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but is most passionate about the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. He began his career as the editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com in the 1990s, and for more than 30 years has created automotive content for CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, the New York Daily News, and others. Chris owns Speedy Daddy Media, has been contributing to Capital One Auto Navigator since 2019, and lives in California with his wife, kids, dog, and 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata.