Hagerty recently pitted three titans of sports sedans against each other, and the result is outstanding. A Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, Tesla Model S Plaid, and a BMW M5 CS go head-to-head in a battle as some of the quickest sports sedans on the market. A curious comparison, in that the Cadillac CT5 Blackwing is the most powerful of all three but doesn’t come close to the same speed in a drag race, though that could come down to the way it puts traction onto the ground.

Tesla Model S Plaid vs. BMW M5 CS

The Model S Plaid edition comes with 1,000 horsepower and hits 60 mph in just two seconds. It’s one of the fastest sedans in the world, and it’s all-electric. It recently broke the lap record for EVs at the Nurburgring. Drivers can choose from a variety of suspension modes, including one meant for drag racing. The interior isn’t as nice as its expensive price point deserves, but it goes about 400 miles on a charge and tops out at 200 mph. 

The BMW M5 CS is comparably priced to the Model S Plaid and offers a nicer interior along with stiffer suspension. It has 627 horsepower at the ready from a turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 and many computer gadgets to get the power to all four wheels without breaking a sweat. While it is technically all-wheel drive, the BMW M5 CS has a computer that sends most of the power to the rear wheels, most of the time. It only sends power to the front when necessary, thus ensuring a primarily rear-wheel-drive experience. 

Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing offers luxurious muscle

As the spiritual successor to the CTS-V, the CT5-V blasts 668 horsepower from its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 to the rear wheels for a scorching 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds. The Cadillac also comes with a manual transmission and traction control and shies away from the BMW’s behemoth price point by about $40,000. It’s nowhere near the Tesla or BMW in terms of straight-line speed, but the lap times of Willow Springs International Raceway tell a different story.

BMW M5 CS is the slowest around the track

Tesla holds the lap record for 4-door sedans around Willow Springs with 1:27.78. While the BMW M5 CS is quicker than the Cadillac in a straight line, the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing barely ekes out enough time to split the Tesla from the M5. BMW’s M5 CS lapped the circuit in 1:28.78, while the Cadillac did it in 1:28.07. According to Hagerty, this comes down to the Cadillac’s immaculate stability control, which allows the car to make more precise maneuvers. 

The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is the best driver’s car

Of these three, for a driver to experience a V8 car, the Cadillac is the one and only choice. The Tesla obviously can’t offer a V8, and the BMW M5 CS has too much interference from computers to give the driver a proper feel of how it’s behaving. The Cadillac’s manual transmission also lends the driver a sixth sense to better connect them with the car. For pure speed, nothing beats the Tesla. For an experience, get the Cadillac.