The All Electric Cadillac Lyriq: Complete Guide
The Cadillac Lyriq is the brand’s first entrant into the luxury electric vehicle market, offering sharp styling and a modern cabin. Both single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive models will be offered, the former offering up to 312 miles of range per charge.
The Lyriq, which rides on General Motors’ new scalable battery architecture, is equipped with DC fast-charging capability as well as standard in-home connections for refilling the battery. The Lyriq’s road manners are more focused on comfort, quietness, and luxury than outright performance. Its cabin is tastefully designed and spacious for passengers but its cargo space isn’t as generous as some rivals’ SUVs.
What’s New for 2023?
Cadillac’s new electric car, the brand-new Lyriq nameplate, is also the first all-electric offering from the American luxury brand. It’s intended to go head to head with heavy hitters such as the Audi e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace, and Tesla Model X.
The Lyriq’s base price of $59,990 is for the single-motor Debut Edition model, which has limited options. We’d recommend springing for the Dual Motor AWD model with a 3500-pound towing capacity and 500 horsepower.
EV Motor, Power, & Performance
The Lyriq comes standard with a 340-hp electric motor on the rear axle. With this entry-level setup, acceleration is adequate and the Lyriq feels responsive but lacks the powerful feeling we enjoy in rival SUVs such as the BMW iX and Model X.
The Lyriq’s rear-wheel drive powertrain reached 60 mph in 5.7 seconds on our test track, which is quick by mid-size SUV standards but slower than the acceleration of Electric Vehicle rivals. A 500-hp dual-motor all-wheel drive model is optional and adds a second motor at the front to drive those wheels. We have not driven this model yet, but we expect to find its acceleration more exciting.
Although the Cadillac’s road manners feel stable and competent, it doesn’t deliver much fun when pressed hard. Its steering lacks tactility, and the same could be said of the brake pedal. Luckily, Cadillac has engineered an aggressive regenerative braking system that allows for one-pedal driving; merely lifting off the accelerator pedal slows the vehicle quickly enough to avoid touching the brake pedal in most day-to-day driving scenarios.
The Lyriq’s ride is comfortable over smooth pavement, but some may find the suspension to be a bit too firm for rougher stretches of road. We’ll update this story after we’ve had a chance to test Lyriq’s performance at our test track.
Battery Life
General Motors is launching a new line of electric vehicle battery technology with the Lyriq called Ultium. The scalable technology will allow the automaker to produce batteries ranging in size from 50.0 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to 200 kWh, although it has said that it will reserve its largest battery size for use in large EV pickup trucks such as the GMC Hummer EV SUT.
The Lyriq offers 102.0-kilowatt hours (kWh) of capacity and has an estimated driving range of 312 miles per charge in the single-motor model. In our highway range test, the Lyriq provided 270 miles of driving before needing to be recharged. The DC fast-charging capability is standard on all models, and it can also charge on home power outlets as well.
Interior and Comfort
The interior of the Lyriq concept vehicle is decked out in rich-looking, open-pore wood on the door panels and center console. Metallic brightwork is intermingled with the wood tones, creating an upscale look. A large storage tray on the floor between the driver and front passenger is lined with bright blue leather upholstery, which serves as a cheeky pop of color.
Although the concept vehicle was shown with just four seats and a center console that divides the two front and two rear seats, with a touchscreen for the rear seat passengers, the production Lyriq has adopted a more traditional rear bench seat.
The absence of a gasoline engine certainly helps create a quiet cabin but Cadillac has also employed advanced noise cancellation technology to reduce road noise. The interior is spacious but there isn’t much cargo room due to its sloping roofline.
