If the looks of this new electric Cadillac didn’t get you to click, that title sure did. We were blessed to have a rare, Debut Edition of the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ for an afternoon and really liked the experience, but it gave us strong vibes of two very different EVs.
Starting off with what this vehicle is, exactly. This is only the second vehicle to roll off the assembly line for purchase using General Motors’ new ULTIUM electric drive technology. The brand has bet big on the EV future, with Cadillac leading the charge and aiming to go all-electric in the very near future. This is the first production electric vehicle to wear the Cadillac crest and it is a rare 2023 Debut Edition.
The LYRIQ can be had as a rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicle. Our model here is a RWD unit boasting up to 312 miles of EPA-estimated range. Its overall size, proportions, features, door handles and operation, and other little quirks gave us strong Ford Mustang Mach E vibes in our short time with it. Heading over to Ford’s website and building a compatible Mach E also yielded an MSRP within 4% of our LYRIQ, begging us to ask: would you rather have a Ford or a Cadillac?
As the premium brand of General Motors, Cadillac is aiming to take on renowned luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz, and we did get a lot of EQS SUV vibes while exploring this 5-seat EV as well. Granted, the Mercedes can cost twice as much as our LYRIQ and be had with a third row of seats, but the driving dynamic and behavior of this Caddy with an EQS SUV 450+ felt very similar (albeit at a 43% cost savings).
We would love to have an opportunity to have all three EVs at the same time to see how good our memories of the Ford and the Mercedes were when driving the latest from Cadillac.
Styling of the LYRIQ has always struck me as an odd duck, though I can confirm the new face of the brand does look much better in person than I feel it appears in pictures online. The rear however is another story. As someone whose first car was a Cadillac, I hold the brand in a special place in my heart. Something about the overall lines and character of the rear just doesn’t mesh for me. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I just have not yet warmed up to the “UNIQ” styling of the LYRIQ (see what I did there?).
Inside is a different story. I am very happy inside the LYRIQ, with my heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats. All outboard seats are very cushioned and comfortable, with rear outboard seats costing plenty of legroom and heated seats. Middle seating in the rear is more firm and upright than the flanks but would work in a pinch for an extra adult looking for a ride somewhere. Up front, the driver is treated to 33 inches of curved OLED screen display, the same display now standard in the XT4 crossover. Google’s infotainment makes its way into the first Cadillac product we have seen and we have yet to find something that really annoys us with its operation.
Storage abounds thanks to the advantages of no gas-burning engine under the long hood and no need for a transmission tunnel down the spine of the vehicle, though we seemed to be locked out of the electronically-controlled glove box.
Some tech we did not get to sample, but really wished we had, was the Super Cruise system that allows for hands-free driving on pre-mapped roadways in the US. I guess we will have to wait until our next premium product from General Motors to be dropped off for a week of testing.
All around, in an afternoon of quick introductions, there was hardly an issue between myself and the latest electric vehicle from one of the largest automakers in the world. Clean up the rear-end styling a bit and I may just be proud to be seen driving this around town.
2023 Cadillac LYRIQ RWD Debut Edition Features:
102 kWh ULTIUM Battery Electric Platform
Rear-wheel Drive
340 Horsepower
325 lb-ft of Torque
7.7 kW Supplied Charger Can Provide up to 21 Miles of Range per Hour
Up to 19.2 kW Home Charging Can Provide up to 52 Miles of Range per Hour
DC Fast Charging can add up to 76 Miles of Range in 10 Minutes
Seating for 5
Heated, Ventilated, Massaging Front Seats
Heated Outboard Rear Seats
20-inch Wheels and 265/50 Michelin Primacy Tour Tires
28 Cubic Feet of Storage Behind 2nd Row
60.8 Cubic Feet of Storage with the 2nd Row Folded
33-inch Curved OLED Color Touchscreen Infotainment and Gauge Cluster with Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Standard Fixed Glass Roof with Sunshade
Proximity Key with Push Button Start
EPA-estimated 312 miles of range
Starting MSRP $58,795
Price as tested: $59,695
Huge thanks to our friends at Wagner Cadillac for allowing us time with this rare EV. If you want to make this one yours, head to their website and let them know GT: Garage Talk sent you. https://www.wagnercadillac.com
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