The Cadillac Lyriq finally hit the road with automotive journalists, and its reviews are very, very positive. Perhaps the best example comes from Tom Voelk, who owns a Cadillac ELR and was quite disappointed with how GM was treating the brand until very recently. For him, most modern Cadillacs were just fancy Chevrolets. Voelk said that the Lyriq puts Cadillac back where it should be.
He was really impressed with what the designers did with the light show the car offers both in the front and in the end when it starts. Although that is just a gimmick, it shows how much effort GM put in making its electric SUV right.
Inside, the Lyriq impressed Voelk with the high-quality materials and also with the silence it offers. When we remember that Rolls-Royce named its vehicles for how silent they were, electric cars probably take little advantage of their inherent almost soundless operation. So far, EVs have only enhanced other noises the car makes – especially those the wind makes through poorly insulated bodies.
Dynamically, the Lyriq has an almost perfect weight distribution and a low center of gravity due to the Ultium battery pack. That makes it behave better than you would expect from an SUV that weighs 6,000 pounds (almost 3 metric tons). Voelk said that forcing it more than you should revealed its tendency to understeer. That’s interesting for a vehicle that currently only offers an RWD derivative. The AWD will only arrive in a few months.
The flat floor gives rear passengers plenty of room for their legs, and three adults ride there with some comfort. The luggage compartment can carry around 28 cubic feet (793 liters) of cargo, which is quite a lot. The pricing ($64,000 for the AWD derivative) makes that even more attractive.
Voelk has a few observations of improvements GM could make to the new electric SUV, and you should check his video to see which they are. The important part is that the company finally gave its luxury brand the attention it deserved. If it does not drop the ball, Cadillac should again rival premium brands as it did in the past.
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