The C8 Chevrolet Corvette makes a fierce competitor for just about any vehicle you put it up against. However, one should not underestimate the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing as a competitor. With an impressive 668 horsepower backed by 659 pound-feet of torque, the CT5-V Blackwing has an on-paper acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds. How does it stack up to the C8 Corvette in the real world?

A unique test to determine a winner

It’s hard to declare a car a winner in a head-to-head competition when the only metric is a straight-line drag race. Fortunately, for this particular test, Edmunds used a unique testing method that puts a multitude of different categories to the test. These include acceleration, braking, cornering, and accelerating out of corners. The test, which they call a “U-Drag,” sees the vehicles accelerate for a quarter-mile, then make a giant sweeping U-turn and race back to the start line. It’s very clever! 

Leveling the playing field across a span of different driving characteristics makes for a tremendous real-world comparison between two cars. While the Corvette is seemingly more destined for the track, the CT5-V Blackwing put up quite a fight!

Which is faster, a C8 Corvette or the CT5-V Blackwing?

In the interest of fairness, two races were performed with the cars switching lanes in between to ensure each vehicle has a level playing field.

Unsurprisingly, the Corvette took the launch and acceleration portion thanks to its lightning-quick automatic transmission and well-planted mid-engine layout. However, the CT5-V Blackwing managed to put down 0-60 times of 4.0 and 4.1 seconds. Considering its front-engine layout and manual transmission, that’s mighty respectable compared to the Corvette’s times of 3.4 and 3.5 seconds.

By the end of the quarter-mile sprint, the Blackwing narrowed the gap significantly with its 11.7-second time compared to the Corvette’s 11.5.

Each car put a spectacular performance together in the corners, too. Both cars managed to put down 0.85Gs of brake force and pull a whopping 1.1Gs around the corner.

By the time the vehicles were exiting the u-turn in both tests, the Corvette was ahead by just a hair. However, the brutal power output of the CT5-V reminds the world it’s a force to be reckoned with on the final stretch when it reels in the Corvette.

This fearsome race ended in a draw

In a result that couldn’t be more perfect, the C8 Corvette and CT5-V Blackwing ended the first run with a dead even time of 31.4 seconds. Though the Cadillac took the second race by one-tenth of a second, Edmunds stated that the goal is to find the vehicle with the faster lap time. So, the official result is a tie!

This result may come as a surprise to many, as the C8 Corvette is undoubtedly more oriented toward handling and on-track performance. Though the CT5-V may seem like more of a straight-line car, this test proves that it is still a viable option for a track day! Ultimately, the most considerable margin between these two GM titans lands solely on the price.

As tested, the C8 Corvette equipped with the Z51 performance package has an MSRP of $80,660. This seems like a great deal when compared to the CT5-V’s as-tested MSRP of $98,710. Of course, the Cadillac comes with a refined, luxurious ride that one doesn’t find in the Corvette. Truly, each of these vehicles comes from a different end of the spectrum in terms of intended use. Taking that into consideration, the fact that they were so close in performance during these races is spectacular!

Ultimately, we tend to agree with Edmunds’ sentiment that the overall winner of this competition is GM because these vehicles are both remarkable pieces of performance engineering.