The 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Manual Is More Fun, Predictably Slower

Our first test of the twin-turbo V-6 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing came as the result of it being a contender in our inaugural 2022 Performance Vehicle of the Year contest. That car drew mostly compliments when equipped with the $2,275 10-speed automatic, although the transmission was damned with faint praise when we called it just "pretty good." Its demerits include that it doesn't downshift as quickly as the automatics in some of its rivals, and it can be indecisive at times with so many gears in its quiver. Would the car's standard six-speed DIY manual shifter prove more of a favorite?

Aside from their transmissions, the two CT4-V Blackwings we tested were otherwise identically equipped, including both available aero packages that together net a carbon-fiber front splitter and dive planes, extended side sills, and rear valance diffuser and trunk spoiler. All told, the two were separated by a mere 51 pounds, the automatic being slightly heavier.

It once was almost universally true that if you wanted the quicker version of a car, you'd choose the one with manual transmission. But modern automatics are a far cry from the "slushboxes" of yore. Now torque converters lock up almost instantly—bye bye, slush—plus shift speeds allow for power delivery almost as seamless as in dual-clutch automatics. Game on.

With the same 472-hp, 445-lb-ft output, the same Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires (255/35R18 94Y fronts and 275/35R18 99Y rears), essentially the same weight, tested on the same surface by the same driver (on different days), here's where things took a turn: gearing. Not just the fact there are four more gears in the Hydra-Matic auto versus the Tremec manual, nor that the differentials between the two rear axles are different (3.73:1 in the manual; 2.85:1 in the automatic), but the ratios are different inside the gearboxes, as well.

Knowing the engine's torque, all the gear ratios, and the circumference of the tires, we calculated the force in pounds at each car's rear tire contact patch. The six-speed didn't stand a chance. In first gear the automatic is poised to deliver 2,796 pounds of force on each rear tire (5,592 pounds combined). In the manual, it delivers 2,071 pounds to each contact patch for a total of 4,142 pounds, or a difference of 1,450 pounds. Because the rear tires can provide only so much grip initially on the pavement, in a virtual drag race they're neck and neck up to about 15 mph. However, by time they reach 30 mph (1.5 seconds for the auto and 1.9 for the manual), the lead goes to the automatic. This mechanical advantage holds true to varying amounts in every forward gear.

The manual begins to claw back some time at 40 mph (down to a 0.3-second delta), but the upshift from first to second gear increases that time to a 0.6-second difference by 50 mph. Again, at 60 mph where the manual is still in second gear (until about 70 mph), the automatic is already in third (up to about 80 mph) and a half-second ahead. Despite the fact the CT4-V Blackwing with the manual transmission allows "no-lift shifting" (you can keep the accelerator pinned to the floor while operating the clutch and moving the shifter up a gear), there's an almost uninterrupted flow of power with each of the automatic's upshifts. Just look at their acceleration curves (raw data prior to SAE J1349 weather correction being applied), and you'll see every upshift in the manual and nary a blip from the automatic.

And so, it goes all the way to the quarter-mile finish line where the automatic's best performance was 12.4 seconds at 114.0 mph while in sixth gear to the manual's 12.9 seconds at 113.4 mph while in fourth gear.

Surely, the manual returns better fuel economy (15/23/18 mpg) and range (306 miles), no? Sorry, the automatic wins here again with 16/24/19 mpg and a 323-mile range.

All this being said, we truly did find the manual shifter and intuitive clutch pedal to be extremely well sorted and engaging. The automatic rev-matched downshifts (which can be turned off) were also spot on. It remains the driving enthusiast's choice for the CT4-V Blackwing—even if it doesn't outright perform better. We're grateful Cadillac even took the time to develop a manual, to say nothing of making it so great to use.