Early 2022 for me it was not possible to drive a 5BW nor had I ever seen one in person. Getting one at MSRP was no easy task either. But I single-handedly nearly brought down the entire internet watching every 5BW YouTube video. I was all in and on a mission. A deal came up in July and bought my car sight unseen, not even a photo. Those were different times and drastic measures were required. But I know myself and what cars turn me on. 2 1/2 years later zero regrets. Best car decision I’ve made in a long time and my first Caddy (M6 of course).
Totally agree, except for the YouTube thing. You had help watching every video, you were not alone!
In all seriousness, while a test drive is great, it's not always necessary. I was in the same boat, in late 2021, a test drive was not possible. But you don't always need to drive the exact car to know you'll like it, and to go ahead and buy.
I went to a dealer, sat in a CT4 and a CT5. I test drove a CT5-V (non-BW). I liked the way it drove, and I also knew the 5BW would be even better. I checked out the ergonomics and the interior, and I really liked the controls--way better than their past dogshit Cue interface (capacitive touch, haptic feedback). I know that's a pretty low bar, anything is better than Cue.
As for the Tremec, I had previously driven some Mustangs, including a Mach 1, so I was able to get a feel for how good a Tremec is, at least relative to the standard manual transmission in Mustangs. Again, setting a very low bar for the comparison, but still.
Finally, the magazine articles and YouTube videos were very convincing.
Lots of ways to get the information you need to decide.
