Chevy Corvette C8 vs. Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Battle It Out!
Edmunds pits the Chevy Corvette C8 against the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing in an unusual race and we all come out winners!
The Chevy Corvette C8 and Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing are like siblings who constantly try to outdo each other. Dating back almost 20 years, it began when Cadillac stuffed the LS6 V8 in the 2004 CTS. The competition benefited both cars. The CTS-V transformed into a four-door Corvette. Its track-tuned suspension and Brembo brakes let it hunt BMWs on the Nurburgring and Mercedes-Benzs on the autobahn. Not to be outdone, the Corvette honed its skills, getting better with every generation, beating cars costing two to three times more.
Recently Edmunds cooked up a new competition called U-Drags. More than a drag race, Edmunds bills it as “the ultimate test of acceleration, braking, and handling.” The U-Drag starts with a quarter-mile drag race. But instead of stopping, the cars make a u-turn and race back to the starting line. The return tests which car brakes, turns, and accelerates faster. The idea behind it is to pick two different vehicles, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each car, and see which one is the fastest overall. And for Edmunds’ very first U-Drag match-up they pitted a 2020 Corvette C8 against a 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.
Appearance-wise, the Corvette may seem like the obvious winner. It’s lighter and the mid-engine layout gives it quicker reflexes. But deficient in the power department – the LT2 motor makes 495 hp and 470 lb. feet of torque. The Blackwing’s supercharged LT4 makes almost 35% more power than the LT2, cranking out 668 hp and 659 lb. feet of torque. And the Blackwing is light on its feet. At 3,660 lbs. it’s only 300 lbs. heavier than the Corvette.
Win, lose or draw both cars represent the most powerful, best-performing vehicles ever made by Cadillac and Chevrolet. The CTS-V Blackwing is Cadillac’s magnum opus of V8-powered performance sedans. Long after the echo of exhaust fades into electrons, we’ll still dream of it. Meanwhile, the Corvette C8 is just getting warmed up. The Z06 with its LT6 flat-plane crank engine launches later this year.
As for who won the first U-Drag race, you’ll have to check out the video below. All I’ll say is it’s close, and I hope U-Drag racing becomes a thing.
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