This week, GM Authority is in New York City for the New York International Auto Show, where GM is showing the 2020 Cadillac CT5 for the very first time in public.
As is customary during our first time seeing a brand new vehicle, we are opening the comments section on this post for your questions, comments or concerns that you may have about Cadillac’s newest sedan. We are interviewing the leadership team responsible for the CT5, including those in marketing, exterior and interior design, and engineering, and will do our best to get answers for you.
But let this be known: questions like “What about a CT5-V?” or “Will there be a coupe?” typically go unanswered. These folks are here to talk about the CT5, not any future products or variants.
So, go ahead and ask your questions in the comments, but please note that it may be a few hours before we return with relevant answers. So without further ado, ask away.
Comments
Is there a fully digital gauge cluster option? I just can’t believe a luxury car today only offers analog.
Agreed. It’s actually idiotic!!!
GM beancounters are just the worst man. I mean the Ford Brand offers Fully Digital Gauge Clusters and GM’s so called Luxury Division doesn’t. You honestly just cannot make this stuff up. Don’t get me wrong, I like this Gauge Cluster a lot for what it is, but it should be the Base version!!!
Asked. Answer: no fully-digital gauge options. Analogue gauges, two different screen size between them.
Will have a story on this shortly. Stay tuned.
How large is the HUD?
Why real dials for Speed/Tach and/or will there be a full digital dash option?
The HUD appeared to be same as in the CT6. Couldn’t play much around with it because the cars could not be started inside.
I didn’t get an answer as to “why” they used analogue, but here’s my take from what I heard in the conversation: there is no point in having an all-digital gauge cluster just for the purpose of having an all-digital cluster. It needs to add something – show more info, show info better, etc.. It seems that they found a way to do both of those things with the 8″ display between the speedo and tach. It looks good, for what it’s worth.
I personally think this the car is gorgeous , any word on the sound system? An update panaray maybe. And it must have an OLED CLUSTER ? At least led ???
OLED has burnout problems, you wouldn’t want that where the items on screen are in the same position constantly.
Look at the road, not the gauge cluster.
Keep the digital for the center dash. Once the digital dash fails, you have nothing and long-term reliability won’t be good if you intend to keep the car. Gauges perform well over time.
What is the weight of the car?
Cadillac needs to be a tech leader. They need to to skip OLED and go straight to Samsung’s MicroLED displays.
There will be two clusters. Both have analog gauges.
The base cluster has a 4.2 inch screen between the gauges. The up-level cluster has an 8 inch screen between the gauges.
As far as OLED… that only matters when it’s a full-digital cluster, at which point it becomes a display.
Is there going to be red leather seats
Yes. It’s a deeper red. No photos yet, but it’s part of the build sheet.
how does this vehicle compare to the other alpha platforms in terms of ride quality, emphasis on ambient sound and road noise ect
Will there be optional, less stiff springs for those of us over 50 or with loose teeth? Will 17″ wheels fit?
What is the sunroof like? Is it like the previous CTS, the small ATS sunroof, or the very well implemented CT6
It’s a dual-plane sunroof. Not pane, but plane… which is interesting terminology.
It’s pretty much what you get in the CT6. Two sunroofs, with the front one opening up.
Why doesn’t the hood go all the way to the grille? Collisions?
Why is the trunk smaller than the CTS’s?
What’s under the back seat, and why does it impinge on the footwells?
Start/stop disable button?
Interiors without black headliner or carpet? (not even worth asking the cheapskates about the dash)
Seat material for the base model?
Will the head restraints adjust further aft than in the photos, or can they be turned around?
Rear cross traffic alert or braking? Should be standard with all the SUVs & pickups.
Why isn’t the lovely stitched wheel hub standard or at least optional on all trims? Or something besides ugly pebbled plastic?
Were the two CUE knobs added late in the design, and why asymmetrically?
Why go half way, making a sedan that looks like a liftback but isn’t functionally?
Probably because the rear headroom would be even worse, when it’s already half an inch less than the CTS. And they wonder why the sedan market is dying.
Did they even consider a more formal roofline that would improve headroom instead of worsen it?
Because liftbacks are inherently dumb. They’re not as good as a hatchback and you can’t separate your trunk stuff like a sedan, so they’re not as good as sedans either.
About the liftback design… they played around with all kinds of designs for the CT5.
Ultimately, a liftback lost out because people who still are interested in sedans want a sedan. Simple as that.
Also, I was told that a liftback limits how long the decklid can be… which compromises the overall shape from a design standpoint. You end up with a very short rear deck that’s not very attractive or sedan-like… see Audi A7.
Why are they calling it a compact when the size is clearly aimed at the mid-size luxury market.
The CT5 is NOT being aimed at the midsize luxury market. It’s being aimed at the D segment (3 Series, C-Class, A4, Q50). This segment was initially compact in size, but has evolved over the last decade to be somewhere between compact (C-segment) and midsize (E-segment). Call it compact plus.
Now, the CT5 is somewhat larger than those models, but it’s not quite as big as the midsizers (5 Series, E-Class, A6).
It’s also a tweener… China is a big reason for that (no need to make an extended-length L version).
Bottom line; the CT5 is being positioned in the D segment. It’s larger than those models, but not as large as some E segment models.
0-60s
They’re not sharing that yet.
I wonder if it’s a hint that the performance numbers are not class-leading… Tesla models have range, powertrain and 0-60 advertised with every car. WIsh other manufacturers would do that.
Will there be a v model?
Nice
“Will there be a v model?”
Answer from all of the execs I spoke to today: “Stay tuned” (smile)
Was a sport back/lift back considered just like on the Escala or similar? Why the decision to go to traditional sedan with a sport back look?
Will there be a v-sport model with more HP?
Will there be plenty of wheel options to choose from (Sizes and finishes like black or chrome)
Side note, I love the design and thought it was very well done.
1. “Was a sport back/lift back considered just like on the Escala or similar? Why the decision to go to traditional sedan with a sport back look?”
There is a whole story behind this, actually. They played around with all kinds of designs for the CT5.
Ultimately, a liftback lost out because people who still are interested in sedans want a sedan. Simple as that.
Also, I was told that a liftback limits how long the decklid can be… which compromises the overall shape from a design standpoint. You end up with a very short rear deck that’s not very attractive or sedan-like… see Audi A7.
I hope to have more details about this in a separate piece.
2. “Will there be a v-sport model with more HP?”
– note the part in the article about asking about future products
3. “Will there be plenty of wheel options to choose from (Sizes and finishes like black or chrome)”
Yes. 18 and 19 inches. “Stay tuned” in regards to black.
What’s the interior quality like? Is it an improvement over the previous Cadillacs? And how does it compare to Audi, BMW and Mercedes?
By the way, thank you Alex for doing this day in and day out.
What Grade of fuel does each available engine require?
“What Grade of fuel does each available engine require?”
91+ OCT / 95+ RON
It’s my pleasure! Thanks for reading and being part of the community!
Interior quality is very good. Like… VERY good. The design is tasteful. The ergonomics are good too. And everything feels great to the touch… perhaps with the exception of the handle to open the glove box… that didn’t feel to the point of a luxury car. But the touch points that you’ll use on the daily are great, better than CTS and ATS, and better than CT6.
It’s hard to say how it compares to other makes, but if the ATS/CTS were 5/10 and Mercedes is the benchmark at 10/10, then CT5 is closer to an 8 or a 9.
Excellent news! About time.
Thank you!
One more thing: noticed today that the bottom parts of the CT5 doors are hard plastic… like they were in ATS… CTS was a bit higher quality, but the bottom portion in the CT5 is like that in ATS.
So no fondling of bottoms. That’s a deal breaker!
I just hope it’s solid enough to be kicked when opening the door.
With Cadillac’s new focus on electrification, when will the plug-in hybrid/EREV version be offered?
Is SuperCruise available at launch? When will it become available? Why the delay? Who takes responsibility for accidents when the car is in SuperCruise mode? How is the option expected to affect insurance premiums?
How are the headlights expected to fare on the IIHS tests? Are they adaptive? LED?
Will Cadillac be reinstating the ability to save custom audio settings for each input (different levels for iPhone vs XM vs radio)?
How will the CT5 be marketed to existing CTS/ATS owners and people already familiar with the CTS model? How will they be addressing confusion between similar looking logos (the 5 looks a lot like an S).
How will they officially market/position the CT5 (CTS replacement, ATS replacement, replacement for both, etc.)?
Will OTA updates be implemented for the infotainment system? What about the whole car?
How does back seat space compare to the CTS? What about roof curvature for back seat passengers getting in and out?
Is a spare tire available?
Will Magnetic Ride Control be offered?
What are the anticipated safety ratings? (Mary Barra has stated that if New GM vehicles didn’t achieve 5-star ratings, they’d failed.)
Can they speak to anticipated sales numbers, what cars they see as the primary competitors, who they see as likely buyers, and how they expect it to sell compared to the competitors?
Can they give us any details on how the CT4 will compare in size?
If you crash in supercruise it is your problem not gms, that is why you are required to watch the road and be prepared to take control if needed. No different than current vehicles with that technology
can you turn off start and stop ?? and if so do I have to do this every time I start the car?
Can you turn off start and stop. Yes. There is a button for it.
Do I have to do this every time I start the car? I could not get an answer to this, but the setting APPEARS persistent. In other words, I do not believe you have to turn it off at every ignition cycle.
Does GM plan on paying Ed Welburn under the table to approve or veto the designs coming out of GM?
There’s no way he would’ve signed off on some of those design elements, or those on any of the other recent releases from GM.
I could have asked that question… and then would have never been invited to for interviews ever again.
That said, the car looks very good in person. The pictures don’t do it justice. It has presence… it has style… it is a different kind of in-your-face style that the ATS/CTS have… but at the end of the day, it is more chic. Bottom line… it looks good. Not sure Welburn would have had any issues with this design.
Will the new CT5 get the new Blackwing engine twin-turbo V8.
Like the article reads…
… “questions like “What about a CT5-V?” or “Will there be a coupe?” typically go unanswered. These folks are here to talk about the CT5, not any future products or variants.”
Is a Chevy, Buick, Holden counterpart of this car coming? (That goes for CT4 and CT6).
Building onto the Holden question, will the CT5 and other Cadillac’s be made in RHD?
She looks gorgeous, and overall proportions seem to match up (no big ass). I can appreciate the addition of knobs and what looks to be individual finger buttons for the HVAC?
!!!MAY BUTTONS AND KNOBS NEVER DIE!!!!
All of touch buttons under the CUE screen seem distracting…
Who thought those sail panels are attractive.
They’re not distracting. They’re large, easy-to-use physical buttons.
If one finds those distracting, then I wonder what they feel about driving a car with all those other cars that might be distracting them.
Why did they put a 4 cylinder turbo in that size of a Cadillac(that requires Premium Fuel) and makes 237 hp and then jump to a twin turbo that makes 335 hp(that requires Premium fuel) and leave out the 3.6 v6 that makes 335 hp and only requires regular fuel.Premium fuel costs 90 cents a gallon more where I live(so approx., $12.00 every fill up)..That’s why I’m stroking this car off the list..I currently have a 2017 Cadillac ATS Premium Luxury with the 3.6 naturally aspirated on regular fuel.
Are the headrests adjustable fore and aft?
Are the door panels (specifically lower door) covered in a soft vinyl or are they hard plastic?
Are there window shades for rear side window and rear window?
Is semi analine leather available?
Is the wood trim actually real wood?
Will massaging seats be available ?
Please tell them a convertible CT5 is desired.
“Are the headrests adjustable fore and aft?”
Negative. At least not on the launch seats. Highly disappointing to me…
“Are the door panels (specifically lower door) covered in a soft vinyl or are they hard plastic?
The lower portion is hard plastic. The From the window lien to the mid-section of the door, it’s all very soft and nice.
“Are there window shades for rear side window and rear window?”
No, not that I saw. This isn’t something I got to ask about, but there is nothing that states that this will be offered.
“Is semi analine leather available?”
Yes on the optional Platinum Package… it features an exclusive Sedona/Jet Black theme with Opus semi-aniline leather seating surfaces in Sedona Sauvage.
“Is the wood trim actually real wood?”
Yes. And it’s nice.
“Will massaging seats be available”
Yes, it’s available (as lumbar massage) on the two front seats.
“Please tell them a convertible CT5 is desired.”
Told them about that… and a few other things, too.
Will Kona Brown or Morello red interior options be available?
Wheel choices?
Any truly expressive paint colours?
Will a larger full digit DIC be offered?
Pricing compared to previous gens and its rivals?
What standard safety tech is there?
Please ask why GM once again chose the Strategy of going the Tweener size route once again instead of offering proper 3/5/7 Series Sedans.
Also, what will compete with the 5 Series now? Did GM just give up on that Important Segment?
The CT5 is a nice looking car but it is missing a decent amount of Tech vs its rivals. Cadillac had a chance to be right there with BMW/Mercedes/Audi/Jag with the Alpha Platform but we all realize who truly runs the company. What a shame.
Cadillac back to Good enough should do instead of trying to go the Audi Route and offer better and more for a little less. At least they got the Engine Department correct on the CT5 unlike the rest of the lineup. God when will GM kill off the 3.6 from every Cadillac Engine Bay. Come on already.
What is the trunk volume and does the rear seat back fold down to expand trunk storage?
11.9 cu ft (pathetic, CTS was 13.7), and the seat does fold (probably not on the base model).
I was hyping myself about this car, however, my XTS trunk is 18 cu ft and I use it. And I like sedans not suvs. Also regular gas is at least half a buck cheaper around here. That is a consideration. Do four six foot adults fit comfortably?
Thanks for the follow-up. I need room for all of our gear when we travel and was really hoping to avoid purchasing an SUV to gain more room than in our 2011 CTS (13.6 cu. ft. trunk). I may end up going with the CT6 instead of the new CT5.
CT6 trunk is somewhat better than the other CT’s, 15.8 cu ft. I believe the CT6 has automatic level control, which I haven’t heard is on their other cars. Looks like the crossovers should have it.
All of these questions and not one about handling, braking, performance times, skid numbers, tire size, weight distribution. That’s what I want to know.
It amazes me what people think is important when it comes to a new car. One person asked about headrests!!! This is why Cadillac will never make everybody happy, the customers expectations is ridiculous. They want a car that is built to their personal specifications and if it’s not they complain and say the cars a failure.
Let me just say that headrests, cup holders, the dash, HUD, door panels, sun visors do not make the car!!!
Customers today focus on things that are not important to driving a car. Performance is what matters!
You couldn’t give me a car for free whose headrests force my head forward as most of the last decade’s do, and I’m not talking about my coiffeur. Sorry if you have a pencil head.
If performance were what primarily mattered, their RWD sedan sales wouldn’t be in the crapper compared to even the slower and heavier Sigma cars, much less the XTS and XT5.
Cadillac RWD sedans have progressed to the point where performance differences with comparable Germans are small enough to be secondary.
He’s gone to an auto show, Brian, not a race track. Your questions about tires and weight distribution are good ones, but they’ll vary by model and, as Alex indicated, there’s likely a CT5-V on the way…
As for your obsession with performance, get real. This is a luxury car. You don’t crawl in through the window of a car like this, buckle into a 5-point harness and put a window net up.
Those things you’re throwing shade at are important in a luxury car.
What type of headrest it has should not be a focal point. No one said it was a race car, but from the get go people are more interested in what the glove box handle feels like instead of how the dam car drives!
Not one mention of gear ratios, shift points, how the car rotates in a corner. The one thing that people do now is stare at the car with magnifying glass to find that one thing they dont like about the interior and then call the car a failure!!!
I had zero problems with the ATS/CTS interior those are things I dont loose my mind over.
Is the blacked out “window” plastic or glass, and do all trims have the script?
How much does the sunroof decrease headroom front and rear?
“Is the blacked out “window” plastic or glass, and do all trims have the script?”
It’s not glass, that’s for sure. It seems a nice glossy plastic. The script was not present on the two models at the show, but that may have been due to pre-production.
“How much does the sunroof decrease headroom front and rear?”
Info not available at this time. They will share more as we get closer to launch.
Pricing
Not being announced at this time.
Will the CT5 have 4 wheel steering
No four wheel steering on the CT5.
I doubt this size car needs it, in fact.
Has actual entry level pricing been announced yet ?
No. Nothing on that yet.
Is there going to be a V version, and price. Out of sight like ATS-V and CTS-V?
Why did they detune the LGW engine to 335 HP? If they kept the current form of the engine it’d have 400 HP/400 ft-lbs of torque, both of which I think would be class leading and a solid marketing point.
The question here is not whether Cadillac has improved it most certainly has….but the one thing that the hierarchy at general motors does not understand or seem to come to grips with is as long as a Cadillac shares a platform with an Impala it’ll always be just an Impala all gussied up…… Not that the Impala is a bad car but if you’re going to charge $70,000 for a car it should not come out of a parts bin or should not be part of another architecture… As always a higher-ups at general motors far far behind when it comes to advanced thinking… They can build cars that will outrun the Germans in no uncertain terms if they want to… But if you’re going to get a person to part with his or her money they don’t want to think they’re driving an Impala when they’re paying for a Cadillac it’s just that simple.
It was more like the Impala was based on a cheapened XTS platform, and they were both discontinued, so what’s your point?
Good question about the detuned 3.0TT. I suspect the 400 hp version will show up eventually with MRC as a V-Sport or just an option.
My point is simply if they want to sell cars they need to step up their game even more than they already have general motors has a lot of ground to make up after years of lollygagging…… And instead of coming too late to the party they might try throwing a party and making cars that set a standard for others to follow and not do things because the Germans do them….
Why do people like you exist? Why does it matter weather Cadillac shares platforms with Buick and Chevy? Other luxury bands do it and nobody says one word about it, they even pat them on the back for doing so.
It seems the public and the media forces Cadillac to play by a different set of rules the rest of the industry doesn’t have to. And I wonder why that is?
The car should stand on it’s own without mention of what platform or engine it shares but people like yourself cant resist to add this information. Evening thou it’s not important!!!
In the end they stopped making most of their sedans cuz nobody wanted them isn’t that reason enough?
1) Will it be exported to Europe? With what engines?
2) When is the mid-cycle refresh planned to get rid of that terrible C-pillar area?
3) What Cadillac truly replaces the last-gen CTS? I mean 5-series / E-class territory? Is it the (to be discontinued or not) CT6? It’s difficult to imagine Cadillac only making small cars any more.
1. I was not given an answer on this, but I have full expectations that the answer is yes.
2. Hah. I don’t know if that’s something that will ever be changed. It looks decent in person. But there is no way you ask that question without being asked to leave… politely.
3. The CT6 indirectly replaces the CTS in the E Class segment. It’s obviously larger, much like the CT5 is larger than every other D Segment sedan. It’s representative of Cadillac’s strategy of making “tweener” vehicles positioned between segments.
Was knowledge about chassis development and suspension tuning from the Camaro program applied in the development of the CT5?
This I didn’t ask, since I got it after I had already done the interviews.
They did build on ATS and CTS suspension design for the CT5… but it’s not clear whether Camaro was part of the equation.
Personally, I don’t believe that it was. The way the Cadillac and Camaro programs are run, they are rather disparate, even though they share a general platform.
It would be a real shame if they didn’t share some information on developments on their RWD chassis. I read somewhere that they did but not sure if this was only speculation.
That would be a good question to ask in the future. But due to branding, I wonder if you would get a totally honest answer.
Alex, thanks so much for doing this. Did the Cadillac reps at the reveal talk about why they restricted the LGW-based TT V6 to 335 BHP? If they’d just lifted the engine from the CT6, it would’ve given the CT5 404 BHP and (the same) 400 ft-lbs of torque. That would’ve been class-leading in the D segment for the mid-range offerings (M430i, C43 AMG, S4, etc…) and have been a nice marketing point I think.
Yeah… soooo… I could not get a clear answer on this, but I did get some juicy details.
As it turns out, the 3.0TT in the CT5 is NOT the LGW. It’s a different variant, apparently with hardware changes. I have 35 pages of notes to dig through, so will have a story about this in the very near future.
There is also a story about why the LSY makes less power than the LTG… but it all comes down to usable power vs. peak power.
Is it possible the 335 HP is “335 HP” like BMW but it’s still making 400hp at the crank?.
It’s possible, yes. But they will get it SAE rated, and there’s no hiding from that.
Thank you! I thought I’d read somewhere (could’ve been here) that the turbos on the CT5’s engine were smaller than the LGW’s. I’m looking forward to the story.
Too bad they didn’t keep the same size turbos & ppl could’ve just bought a (factory-backed) tune for it.
Alex, if you did not answer this while you were there than that’s O.K. But did you get a chance to ask if the Platinum package offers few to several color choices for premium luxury and sport models?
Yup, there is a Sedona/Jet Black combo. The Opus semi-aniline leather seats are in Sedona Sauvage. They didn’t have a model to show with this color, so no clue how this looks.
Cadillac will sell globally including European Market?
No comment on that. “Stay tuned” is all I got.
Tell me more about the rumored manual transmission
Hi thank you for all the info.
Any news on sound system options?
Will there be blacked out rims available? If so, sport package only?
Color choices known for exterior at this point?
Sorry, but this Caddy is just redesigned 3-year old Opel Omega. The same solution on second door – even plastic the C-pillar is identical. In Europe is Insignia only more practical hatchback so why not Caddy in US. Digital panel is standard solution even in compact class so why GM dont use it in premium segment?
When will the CT5-V be available?
I want a CT5 COUPE NOW???
What is trunk capacity?
Trunk size?