Hot hatches, over time, seem to have fallen by the wayside in lieu of bigger and brawnier “super SUVs.” Widespread electrification has arguably made the feat easier than ever, and Cadillac is joining the electric super SUV arms race with the first electric Caddy to earn a V badge yet – the Lyriq-V. But wherefore art thou, Blackwing badge?
Cadillac Lyriq-V gets 615 horsepower and scoots from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds
Fairly predictably, the Lyriq-V gets significant power gains over the standard Lyriq model. Power increases by 100 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque, bringing the new total to 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet. There is a small but manageable trade-off in range, decreasing from approximately 319 miles to 285 miles.
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Along with the power bump comes a variety of cosmetic and functional enhancements to denote the Lyriq-V as more special than its lesser, non-V-badged constituents. Giant Brembo brakes, 22-inch wheels, and a plethora of carbon fiber bits are all available. A new “Competitive Mode” offers adjustable traction control modes, and Launch Control facilitates that 3.3-second zero-to-60 dash.
This car is quicker and arguably more advanced than every Blackwing-badged Cadillac for sale. Albeit, not by much, as the CT5-V Blackwing is only a tenth of a second behind the Lyriq-V’s zero-to-60 time. But apparently, that’s still not enough for the car to earn a Blackwing badge of its own. What gives?
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Worried ‘bout Blackwing? Don’t be
Cadillac has been making V-branded vehicles for over two decades, but newcomers to the brand may be wondering why this isn’t being dubbed the Lyriq-V Blackwing. That moniker, which was re-introduced in 2018, is significantly younger than the V brand, which dates back to the 2004 CTS-V. In fact, some wonder why Cadillac abandoned the minimal performance “credentials” the V brand had already garnered in favor of a new nameplate with no recognition at all (yes, I know it’s tangentially related to the founder of Detroit, I don’t want to hear it).
There are a few possible scenarios. The first is there’s a Lyriq-V Blackwing coming with even more insane performance. This is possible as the Escalade IQ uses a 750-horsepower, 200 kWh setup that could make its way into other products. Alternatively, Caddy is kissing the nameplate goodbye. That seems unlikely, although I can’t say I’d miss it. V worked just fine for me, thank you.
Cadillac
The third and smartest possibility is that Cadillac SUVs will never have a Blackwing model. It’s a form of brand protection we see in use by some other automakers. For example, you won’t see an “M7” or “X7 M” in the BMW lineup. Blackwing might also be reserved for just the sportiest of the sporty – and nearly 6,000-pound SUVs need not apply. This is also the only way the introduction of the Blackwing nameplate really makes sense.
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Final thoughts
At just shy of $80,000 to start, the Lyriq-V is an interesting value proposition for luxury electric SUV shoppers burned out on Tesla and not impressed by ze Germans. Regardless of whether or not the Blackwing brand carries on as-is, we’re hoping—and are fairly confident—that performance Cadillacs will continue to be pretty marvelous from the driver’s seat. After all, they have been since at least 2004.
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