American V8 vs German V8. Both pushing at least 600hp, both luxury performance sedans. Both within less than half a second of each other in the 1/4 mile and from 0-60mph. One is Supercharged, the other gets its power from being Twin-Turbocharged. Do you prefer a manual? How about AWD? Those are some key differences here as only one comes with a manual transmission option, while the other features AWD. Let’s dive into the numbers and see which performance luxury sedan should be parked in your garage.

So unlike in our last comparison between a Blackwing and an automatic AWD sedan (CT4-V Blackwing vs Audi RS3), this time the AWD automatic doesn’t JUMP ahead as much as expected. Take look at the numbers. 1/4 mile times and 0-60mph times are within 0.2 seconds of each other. The CT5-V Blackwing and the BMW M5 haver surprisingly similar performance times. Yes the M5 comes out ahead by a hair, but that’s most likely due to the AWD system, since you can see power figures are down a touch and the weight is just a bit more.

The question lingers, do you want to row your own gears? If so, the answer is easy, as the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is the only one with a 6 speed manual transmission (optional 10-Speed automatic).

How about AWD? Is this a necessity for you? Unfortunately you can’t have your cake and eat it here. You can only choose to have a manual transmission with RWD, found in the CT5-V Blackwing (10-speed auto optional), or an 8-Speed Automatic ZF transmission with AWD, found in the BMW M5. The AWD and ZF Transmission definitely shines when paired together. You can tell since the M5 weights a bit more, is down on power, yet still out paces the CT5-V Blackwing through the 1/4 Mile and 0-60mph times. Not by much, but it does.

Performance wise, they seem similar. I would be curious to see how these fair in a roll race…I may have to lean towards the CT5-V Blackwing in a roll race to honest. Especially with it’s crazy 200mph+ top speed.

Let’s not forget price, as the M5 has a starting MSRP of over $18,000 more than the CT5-V Blackwing. Is that worth it to you? The Cadillac has a very nice looking interior with a plethora of driving modes and options. The M5 is no slouch interior wise either…but BMW does seem to create more mundane interiors compared to its competition.

If an automatic transmission is the one you want, well then go test drive both! If you’re looking for a manual, then get behind the wheel of a CT5-V Blackwing and light up those rear tires with 668hp of Supercharged V8 power!

Which would you choose? The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing or the BMW M5? Drop a comment below and let us know!