Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing review

The big Blackwing claws back an advantage with its 205mph-plus top speed and the fact that it offers something none of its European competition can offer: a good old-fashioned six-speed manual gearbox.

The GM-Ford 10-speed automatic is also available, but you could never be friends with anyone who was stupid enough to choose the two-pedal version over the sublime stick-shifter. 

Offering a silky-smooth change, incredibly, there's none of the nasty driveline shuntiness you have to tolerate in other powerful rear-drive cars. The clutch is both light and progressive and feels Japanese in the level of precision it offers.

There's also a handy rev-match mode and a flat-shift function – although the towering torque peak meant we were never quite brave enough to try the latter.

Speaking of which, all that supercharged V8's might is channelled to the rear pair of wheels. Four-wheel drive isn't an option, and while countless BMW M engineers have insist that anything over 550bhp is undriveable in a performance car, traction is truly remarkable here (at least in dry conditions), thanks to an electronically controlled rear locking differential, GM's latest Magentic Ride Control trick dampers and a set of specially developed Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.

Braking is absolutely incredible from the optional carbon-ceramic stoppers (£6700), whether they're hot or cold, with levels of feel comparable to the very best offered by a Porsche GT. The composite anchors also helpfully carve 29kg off the car's unsprung weight.

Weight is the enemy of all super-saloons, but the CT5-V Blackwing is almost lithe compared with the new breed. Delete the sunroof and add the big stoppers and the kerb weight falls to around 1870kg with a full tank of fuel – around the same mass as the M5 CS.

Behind the wheel, it feels lighter still, with agility that makes you begin to question its size. 

On typical tight, bumpy and unforgiving canyon roads, the confidence it bestows is unnerving. Part of that is to do with its stopping power, unbelievable ability to resist understeer and responsiveness to the throttle, but most of it is to do with its astonishing damping and grip summoned up by the Michelin rubber wrapped around its modest 19in rims.