Despite what the company might trumpet in its press releases and marketing materials, GM’s Ultium-based electric vehicles are somewhat hit or miss. The new Chevy Equinox EV is superb, a remarkable achievement of price-conscious design and engineering, but the GMC Hummer SUV and pickup, for instance, are far too bulky and expensive for their own good. Landing somewhere between these extremes is the Cadillac Lyriq, a sharp-looking luxury utility vehicle that aces the EV fundamentals, even if some of its details need further refinement.
The Lyriq competes in a tough segment, going toe-to-toe with other high-end family haulers like the Audi Q8 E-Tron, Genesis Electrified GV70 and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. At 196.7 inches long and with a wheelbase of 121.8, this Caddy is a few inches larger than these rivals, but the difference is only a few inches.
One attribute that sets the Lyriq apart from competitors, however, is the exterior styling. From most angles, this is a distinctive – and particularly sharp – looking SUV. The front end is angular and aggressive, impossible to miss in traffic. The grille, Cadillac crest logo and LED headlamps also put on quite a light show as you approach or unlock the Lyriq, a surprise-and-delight amenity.
Our tester wears a light blue paint job called Nimbus Metallic. It looks great and only adds $625 to the bottom line. Cadillac also offers some other adventurous hues on this SUV, a welcome change from, say, Mercedes-Benz, which will sell you four shades of gray, three blacks and several kinds of white, a totally monotonous color palette.
This Lyriq rolls along on stylish 22-inch wheels, though 20s are standard. Like those rollers, the charging port (a standard CCS outlet) is also located on the Lyriq’s flanks, specifically the driver’s side front fender, which is a good place. Unfortunately, the charging port door is motorized, a needless complexity, and it judders noticeably while opening, cheapening the experience.
The Lyriq’s front end is distinctive and its profile clean and classy, though the rear is a bit busy. There are weird angles, unnecessary trim and swooping lights; there’s a lot going on and it looks a bit out of place compared to the front and flanks. The enormous rear roof pillars also create large blind spots.
Pressing the Cadillac crest on the back is one way to open the hatch. Inside, you’ll find about 28 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second-row backrest. Fold those down, and that number grows to nearly 61, an undeniably healthy amount of space. The Lyriq also has a small underfloor storage cubby in the back, though, like other GM EVs, there’s no front trunk.
Inside, this Cadillac’s cabin is nicely built and, for the most part, feels like quality. The first thing you’ll probably notice when sitting down inside is the beautiful 33-inch curved display on the dashboard. This unit incorporates a touchscreen on the right, a digital instrument cluster in the center and another, smaller touch panel on the far left that’s used for adjusting the gauges or accessing the trip odometer. Overall, this screen looks fantastic and feels incredibly solid.
A responsive and intuitive Google-based infotainment system runs on that big, ol’ display. This works well and gives you easy access to various indispensable services, like the Google Play store, Google Assistant and Google maps. You can manipulate all of this with the touchscreen or a BMW iDrive-like knob on the center console, though this dial is fiddly and not always intuitive.
The Lyriq has a wireless phone charger as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Controversially, GM is getting rid of smartphone mirroring in its future EVs, but since this Cadillac was introduced a couple years ago, it still offers these useful amenities.
Most of the Lyriq’s interior controls feel great, many of the buttons emit a crisp, Audi-like click when you press them, but not everything is perfect. The combination windshield wiper and turn signal stalk feels incredibly flimsy, and you have to use the touchscreen to open the glovebox as there’s no conventional latch, an annoying design decision.
Similarly, comfort is a mixed bag. While heated, ventilated and massaging, the front seats are too firm and flat to be truly comfortable, plus the backrests are lumpy. This SUV’s steering column also tilts and telescopes, but the in-and-out adjustment range is surprisingly limited.
Curiously, the Lyriq’s backseat might be nicer than its front chairs. The rear accommodations offer plenty of legroom for 6-foot-tall passengers, and there’s just enough headroom, too. Passengers in steerage are also treated to their own climate controls, the outboard seating positions are heated and there’s a pair of USB type-C ports.
As for other amenities, our test Lyriq has a panoramic glass roof with a power-operated shade. There are rain-sensing windshield wipers and a heated park position for those wipers, to help melt snow and ice.
This Cadillac comes standard with a 7-speaker audio system, though our tester is fitted with the optional AKG arrangement that has a whopping 19 emitters. I’m no audiophile, but this setup seems to sound pretty good.
What’s not so great, however, is the Lyriq’s air conditioning. During testing on a 90-degree day, which is certainly hot, but not Death Valley or south Florida in August hot, the HVAC system struggled to cool the cabin. With the roof shade closed, the temp set to low, recirculation turned on and the ventilated seat cranked up, the Lyriq took an hour to properly cool the interior, an absolute eternity, and a curiously poor performance for a luxury vehicle.
Overall, this Cadillac’s interior is nice, but the Electrified GV70, Q8 E-Tron and EQE SUV all have an edge, though the Lyriq makes up ground when you take it for a spin. Two powertrains are offered – you can get rear- or all-wheel drive. The former is good for 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, the latter a whopping 500 and 450, respectively. Surprisingly, rear-drive models deliver exceptionally strong performance and pull almost like a gasoline engine, seeming to gain more speed the faster you’re driving, contrary to many other EVs.
No matter the powertrain you choose, the Lyriq has a 102-kilowatt-hour battery. This pack provides 314 miles of range in rear-drive models and 307 for examples fitted with four-corner traction, super impressive numbers no matter how you slice it. As for DC fast charging, the Lyriq tops out at a potent 190 kilowatts, better than the EQE SUV but a little less than the Electrified GV70. Still, this Cadillac can absorb 77 miles of range in just 10 minutes.
The Lyriq’s performance is great, and its ride quality even better. Despite having “old-fashioned,” non-adjustable dampers, the vehicle just glides over broken pavement, dirt roads and washboard surfaces. The refinement is exceptionally good, plus the interior remains impressively hushed at all speeds.
Similarly, braking is super smooth and the pedal easy to modulate. Cadillac also offers regenerative braking with two levels of assertiveness you can choose between. There’s also a brilliant regen-on-demand paddle that sprouts from the left steering wheel spoke. You can use this to slow the vehicle down, though it’s not an on/off switch, rather, it works linearly, just like the brake pedal. Pull gently for a little deceleration or smash it to slow the Lyriq down with surprising authority.
Toss this electric SUV into a corner and it handles well enough, though the steering could be improved. The ratio feels quite slow, almost sluggish, and there’s zero road feel.
Like any luxury vehicle, the Lyriq comes with a range of standard driver aids. There’s blind spot monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, lane-keeping assist and a high-definition backup camera. Beyond that, you can optionally get Super Cruise – the best hands-free driving aid in the business – a lovely HD 360-degree camera system and a remarkably clear and crisp Rear Camera Mirror that gives you a much broader field of view behind the vehicle.
When it comes to pricing, the base Lyriq starts just shy of 59 grand, though our high-end tester here checks out for $73,295 including $1,395 in destination fees and a small handful of options. That’s not a bad price for what is a thoughtfully engineered vehicle, though this all-electric SUV is also eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit, something its major rivals are not, which makes the Lyriq a solid deal and makes up for some of its shortcomings.
Overall, I was hoping to like this Cadillac more than I do. This vehicle’s fundamentals are strong – the performance, DC fast charging rate and range – but the devil’s always in the details, and just a few small refinements would make this a truly great EV.
At a glance
- Year: 2024
- Make: Cadillac
- Model: Lyriq
- Trim: Luxury 3
- Type: All-electric SUV
- Horsepower: 340
- Torque: 325 pound-feet
- MPGe ratings (city/highway/combined): 95/82/88
- Range: 314 miles
- Pros: Excellent range, good DC fast charging speeds, strong performance, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto still supported, slick Google-based infotainment system, beautiful screen, handsome yet distinctive styling
- Cons: Juddering charging port door, some cheap-feeling controls, poor air conditioning performance in hot weather, uncomfortable front seats, numb steering
- Estimated Base price: $58,590
- As-tested price: $73,295 including $1,395 in destination fees
