2023 Cadillac Lyriq

The unconventional LED headlights consist of nine lights stacked vertically, with the top three powering the high beams. Flanking the light stacks are vertical bars for the daytime running lights. That’s mirrored in back above the ends of the rear bumper; higher up where the angled rear windshield ends, the taillights grow in size as they tap out a visual Morse code from the center to the edge. The horizontal line makes a sharp turn as it wraps around the body and scales the D-pillar to the band of chrome separating the roof from the windows. 

Inside, real wood trim pieces have been etched with dozens of cutouts, matching the details found on the speaker covers, headrests, and elsewhere. A glass roof crowns the open, airy cabin and a broad but not overwhelming 33-inch curved LED display showcases the technology loaded into the Lyriq.

Step into the Lyriq and a few details try to conjure up some of the past Cadillac magic. The transmission lever is old-school style on the column—and it’s a single forward gear, if you want to go back that far in time. 

In its all-electric splendor, the Lyriq accelerates very briskly, with the usual thrust off the line that even big-bore V-8s have trouble outgunning. Though it has a single stack of battery cells and not a double stack like the related Hummer EV, it weighs an eye-widening 5,610 lb in base trim. We’d estimate its 0-60 mph potential at under six seconds, still.

The Lyriq sports a sophisticated five-link front and rear suspension and variable electric power steering, and base versions are shod with standard 20-inch wheels. Twin-tube dampers allow for different responses to big, long pavement gaps or smaller, lower flaws in the asphalt, without resorting to a more expensive and energy-consuming adaptive suspension. The in-between solution works well. The Lyriq rides well even on upgraded 22-inch wheels, without the pistoning or bounding or dullness that its size and weight could induce. In highway slogs or back-road runs, it has poise and grace unlike any other Cadillac SUV: it bends its knees like a pro skier passing over moguls, calmly and placidly. 

To enable a sport drive mode or one-pedal driving, it’s a step or two through the touchscreen interface, though the Lyriq will maintain those settings even when the vehicle’s turned off. Cadillac bakes in three distinct levels of one-pedal driving, from one with simulated coasting effect to one that generates up to 0.3g of regenerative braking. The pressure-sensitive paddle on the left side of the steering wheel can blend in regen, and the friction brakes can be used—it’s redundant in a couple of ways when it comes to stopping, and it’s all integrated seamlessly. 

It can also be switched from Tour to Sport mode, and should be. At low speeds the Lyriq can struggle with slow steering response; hairpins and traffic circles become 180-degree spins of the wheel, through a fairly hefty tune. It’s a long, wide car, after all. 

Still, the Lyriq has some odd two-step procedures in its hardware, just as it does in its firmware. The front door handles don’t pop out: once tapped, they release the door so a black plastic flap can be pulled to open it. The back door has the same setup—but no flap, just a plastic trim piece inside the door skin to pull open. The expanse of touch-sensitive buttons on the dished steering wheel can be hard to see and to find, especially when wearing polarized sunglasses.

Two passengers fit fine in back, with leg room of 39.6 inches and enough head room for a 6-footer in either outboard spot. In the middle, a protruding seatback and a wide center console won’t be comfortable for a third person for very long. Whoever fits in back will have an open view to the sky thanks to the Lyriq’s panoramic roof—though its sunshade practically has to commute from its rearmost position, the panel’s so long.

The Lyriq can hold four or five roll-aboards in its 28.0-cubic-foot cargo hold. That grows to 60.8 cubic feet behind front seats, and seems even bigger because of its low floor and regular shape. Under the cargo floor, there’s a deep storage bin too, but the Lyriq doesn’t have a front trunk like many other EVs.

Where the Lyriq succeeds best—and comes closest to the high-water mark set by Genesis, Kia, and Hyundai EVs—is in the details, from its joystick-driven air vents to the knurled accents on its console, to the contrasting trim color molded into big storage bins on the console, to the extremely quiet cockpit that erases some higher-pitched sounds with active noise cancellation baked into the 19-speaker AKG audio upgrade. 

GM’s Super Cruise driver assist is available; it maps hundreds of thousands of miles on which the Lyriq can be driven hands-free—but with a driver at the wheel, ready to take the controls as needed.

Which Cadillac Lyriq should I buy?

After that initial model was available, Cadillac offered a 2023 Lyriq for $62,990, including destination. Options included blue, gray, white, or black paint; a 19-speaker AKG audio system with active noise cancellation; and Super Cruise.

How much is a fully loaded Cadillac Lyriq?

A dual-motor all-wheel-drive Lyriq was offered, with production due in late 2022 and deliveries to take place early in 2023. Priced from $64,990, it was not offered with a promised head-up display. Range and specifications have not yet been released, either.

Beginning in fall 2022, Cadillac will take orders for the 2024 Lyriq, with prices expected to start from about $70,000 for a rear-drive, single-motor model.

Cadillac’s new Google-based infotainment system offers a user-configurable screen, navigation, wi-fi hotspot, and wireless smartphone integration that includes Apple CarPlay. In a few instances during our first drive, the system spontaneously disconnected a phone. Once reconnected, it proved simple to use with touchscreen or console-dial inputs as well as through its good voice-command recognition.

Cadillac offers the Lyriq with a 4-year/50,000-mile warranty and covers the first scheduled maintenance visit.

The credit can be applied instead to EVgo fast-charging station use. On a suitably equipped DC fast-charge station the Lyriq can pull a 190-kw charge for up to 76 miles of range in 10 minutes, or nearly 200 miles in an hour.