The Cadillac Lyriq really flies in the face of what has become our reality in the world of new cars.
It’s a brand-new, EV-only brand in Australia, but for once, it’s not Chinese.
It’s built in America and shipped to Australia, but it’s not converted from left-hand drive by Walkinshaw or a similar outfit. It’s built in right-hand drive at the factory for us.
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And it’s a new player fighting for market share, but it’s not really trying to massively undercut its premium competitors, with the range kicking off north of $120,000.
So, iconic American brand Cadillac seems destined to do things a little differently with the Lyriq. The question is, is it good enough to forge its own path?
Let’s find out.
Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 7/10
7 / 10
You can have your Cadillac Lyriq in two flavours — the Luxury, yours for $122,000 plus on-road costs. Or the Sport, which is two grand more, listing at $124,000.
Perspective time. The new Polestar 3 starts at around $118k, but climbs to more than $130k for the dual-motor options. The similarly sized BMW iX starts at more than $140k, and the Mercedes-Benz EQE is north of $135k. So if you consider the Cadillac a ready-made premium brand, then its looking like a relatively sharpish one.
Cadillac says the changes between the trims largely focus on the “aesthetic signature” rather than any major equipment differences. The Luxury gets chrome highlights, for example, while the Sport gets a darkened design theme, including the wheels, body highlights and windows.
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Both trims are otherwise identically equipped, which means 21-inch alloy wheels, full LED lighting, an electric sunroof, an auto-opening boot and a touch-to-open charging port.
Inside, there’s a 33-inch digital dash, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless device charging, a thumping 19-speaker AKG stereo and USB connection points galore.
The leather-wrapped front seats have heating, ventilation and a massage function, there’s heating and cooling for the window seats in the back, tri-zone climate control and there’s 126-colour ambient interior lighting.
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Design – Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
7 / 10
The Cadillac looks… well, it looks American, right? A kind of difficult-to-describe Americanness that’s somewhere between an SUV and state car.
That’s not an insult, by the way. I personally think the Lyriq looks kind of pretty, with its bold elements countered by the surprisingly gentle touch applied in places, like its razor-thin daytime running lights (DRLs).
I’ve got to say, it doesn’t look much like any of the other new SUVs arriving, or a knock-off German brand. It’s got its own persona.
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The cabin of the Lyriq is predictably plush, with comfy massaging seats, soft-touch materials and plenty of tech, but it is a little shiny and busy in places for my tastes. Minimalist this is not.
But I do like the fact that – when I’ve got Apple CarPlay hooked up – I can just leave the screen be. My driving stuff is accessed by the wheel, and everything else I want is accessible through physical buttons.
There are some strange elements, though. The grab handle on the driver’s side, which isn’t replicated on the passenger side, is odd, and likely a byproduct of the factory moving the steering wheel. Some of the central storage bins are too small to be really useful, and I hate gloveboxes that can only be opened through the screen.
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Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside? 8/10
8 / 10
It’s a big boat, the Lyriq, stretching more than five metres long and almost two metres wide. That’s not much shorter than, and in fact slightly wider than, something like a Nissan Patrol, just to put it into perspective. Though of course it’s nowhere near as high as a proper 4WD.
Predictably, though, its dimensions mean plenty of room in the boot, which opens to reveal a very useable 793 litres of luggage space. Drop the seats, and that number grows to a massive 1722 litres.
But the Lyriq does without any spare wheel of any kind. A tyre repair kit is your only option.
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Now, the backseat. And I know this is likely only of interest to parents of newborn babies, but that’s me, so I noticed. These are some of the best ISOFIX attachment points I ever used. Usually you’re fumbling around between the seat cushions trying to line up the latch points, but the Lyriq's solution — while perhaps not the most visually alluring – puts the brackets beneath plastic lift-up flaps, and they're so damn easy to use.
But there are some quirks in the backseat, too. Those same ISOFIX attachment points, which are so great for baby seats, are less great for the adults actually sitting in the back. You can feel the hard plastic covers, and what feels like the bracing bar running across the backseat, beneath the cushions. It's not diabolical, and if you shift your rear-end forward slightly you can't feel it at all, but it's a strange quirk all the same.
Elsewhere in the backseat, there is plenty of room for backseat riders, and you can control your own temps, too.
Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its motor? 7/10
7 / 10
All Aussie Lyriqs are dual-motor affairs, with an electric motor at each axle producing a total 388kW and 610Nm, which in a car this big, which weighs just under 2.7 tonnes, is more than enough to get the Caddy up and moving, but not enough to make it feel like a supercar. The two motors mean AWD, of course.
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Efficiency – What is its driving range? What is its charging time 7/10
7 / 10
The Lyriq is equipped with a 102kWh lithium-ion NCMA battery, which delivers an ok 530km on the combined cycle. I say 'ok', because the BMW iX offers 600km-plus, while the dual-motor Polestar 3 is more like 630km claimed. Energy consumption is a claimed 22.5kWh per 100km on the combined cycle.
When it comes to plugging in, the Lyriq is set up for 190kW DC fast charging, with the brand promising 128km of range in 10 minutes, or 10 to 80 per cent in just under 30 minutes. At home, a 7kW wall ox will deliver more like 43km an hour.
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Driving – What's it like to drive? 7/10
7 / 10
The first thing you notice behind the wheel of the the Lyriq is just how whisper-quiet it is on the road. Cadillac makes a big deal about its 'Active Noise Cancellation' tech that's deployed here – it uses sensors to monitor road vibrations and the like, and then uses the car's stereo to create what it calls an 'anti-noise' signal.
It all sounds pretty high-tech and complicated, but it also works, with the Lyriq a seriously quiet and composed way to get around, with only the artificial EV noise really noticeable in the cabin.
Even travelling past freeway speeds, the Lyriq remains quiet, which does lend the whole experience a sort of premium vibe.
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The Cadillac is also one of those cars that thinks solidity means premium, from the solid 'thunk' of the doors shutting to a general heft and weight to the steering, there's nothing feather-light or agile about the Lyriq experience, but it does all feel a little artificial, and like it's trying to be heavy on purpose.
The Lyriq, then, is no out-and-out performance car – it's 2.5-tonne-plus kerb weight and Olympic swimming pool dimensions largely put an end that – but it's more than brisk enough to get up and moving, with its twin-motor powertrain finding grip even in slippery conditions. It's brisk, but not brutal.
The Lyriq hasn't been tested or tuned in Australia, but happily it doesn't have that floaty, wafty suspension style so popular in the USA. This one feels to have at least had an international tune, which removes some of that marshmallow softness and makes you feel connected to the road.
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The steering, too, feels direct enough and easy to predict, and the overall impression is one of quiet, calm motoring, which is probably what it says on the tin of any premium vehicle.
Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating? 7/10
7 / 10
The Lyriq hasn’t been crash-tested in Australia, but it did get a five-star equivalent in American testing. There’s autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian protection and junction assist, as well as active blind spot monitoring and assist. There’s also a side bicycle alert to stop you opening your door into someone, rear pedestrian alert, adaptive cruise and a total eight airbags, including knee bags for the driver and front passenger.
Interestingly, the Lyriq ditches those annoying safety bings and bongs for a novel, and far less intrusive approach which involves sending gentle vibrations through, well, your backside if the vehicle senses incoming danger.
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Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs? 7/10
7 / 10
Cadillac has built a pretty convincing ownership package around the Lyriq, which begins with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty. Beyond that, you also get five years of servicing, and five years of roadside assistance, free.
Then you get a year’s free public charging through the Chargefox network and a free home wall box charger. If you have a wall box, or don’t want one, you can trade the home charging for an extra two years of free public charging.
Verdict
It's got a couple of quirks, but the Cadillac Lyriq is a pretty convincing, and definitely American, take on a premium electric vehicle in Australia. The only issue, I think, is that, while the brand is obviously iconic in the USA, it's not that well known in Australia, and we are a market now awash with pretty good, and often much cheaper, EVs from China. It's a hyper-competitive market. Only time will tell if Cadillac can convince Australians that its badge belongs among the European premium marques.
Pricing Guides
Range and Specs
| Vehicle | Specs | Price* |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury 3 | Electric, 1 SPEED AUTOMATIC | $117,000 |
| Sport 3 | Electric, 1 SPEED AUTOMATIC | $119,000 |
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