Cadillac Vistiq 2026: International first drive

A luxury, three-row, six-seat SUV that packs more punch than a Porsche 911? It must be an EV, and one with quite the battery and aggressive dual motors - meet the very large, very impressive-looking Cadillac Vistiq, coming to Australia in early 2026. We flew to Detroit for a preview drive.

Still, there’s power and then there’s too much power, and why Cadillac decided that it was a good idea, and perhaps even a selling point, to give its large, three-row, six-seater SUV (you can have it with seven seats in the US, but Australia has gone for the top-spec model with the nicer seats, only, at this stage) far more grunt than a Porsche 911 GTS (353kW/570Nm vs Vistiq’s 459kW/880Nm), and the ability to fire a family vehicle to 100km/h in 3.7 seconds, is a valid question.

Cadillac has now confirmed we'll be getting only the top-spec version of the Vistiq with the superior suspension, at least initially. The Vistiq will be the range-topping hero model for Cadillac’s all-electric onslaught on the Australian market when it arrives early in 2026 - there’s some chance it might be sooner, but don’t bank on it.

Sometimes I guess Mom really, really needs to get to soccer practice in a hurry.

It’s tempting to suggest this is what you’d expect from Americans, but then Cadillac is far from the only car company to fall pray to temptation (the BYD Sealion 7’s 390kW and 690Nm, still more than the 911, is just one example).

To be fair, the Vistiq doesn’t immediately frighten you, or even threaten you with its power. My first drive at its global launch just outside Detroit, Michigan, was an easy cruise along some expansion-joint ruined concrete American freeways, during which it coped very well with the noise and vibration. 

The level of quiet and refinement in the cabin felt properly premium and it dealt well with the many broken surfaces, but this drive was made even cruisier by the use of 'Super Cruise', Cadillac’s quite incredible autonomous-driving system, which is currently racking up more than 45 million hands-free kilometres a month in North America, and which you can read about elsewhere. 

Because I barely touched the throttle myself for much of that section I didn’t have much chance to gaze at the Vistiq’s performance window, but when I saw a colleague later looking shaken, shaking his head as he got out of one, and asking if I’d tried the 'V' button yet, I hastened off to find some more interesting roads.

While it’s possible to drive the Vistiq in a calm manner that won’t hurl your passengers around such that they feel like they’re on a theme-park ride, pressing the V button on the steering wheel really does unleash Hell. 

V mode is violent, vigorous and very entertaining, as the Vistiq fairly throws itself at the scenery. It might not be strictly necessary, in a vehicle of this type, but the chassis and steering seem to cope with it well enough and it will hunker down and hold its line through long, sweeping corners, even at very enthusiastic pace.

It’s just a shame the steering is light and uninvolving, as is the American way, but then with Super Cruise a lot of drivers just won’t steer at all.

There is a distinct difference between the standard suspension and the optional air suspension, with the more expensive variant providing far more compliance and generally making the big Caddy feel more balanced. 

It seems certain a top-spec version of the Vistiq will come to local showrooms with the superior suspension. The Vistiq will be the range-topping hero model for Cadillac’s all-electric onslaught on the Australian market when it arrives early in 2026 - there’s some chance it might be sooner, but don’t bank on it.

And speaking of banking, if you think the Cadillac Lyriq that’s already on sale here, starting at $122,000, is too expensive, and I do, then you’re not going to be thrilled to see the Vistiq’s price tag, which is surely going to stretch north of $150,000 (it’s yet to be confirmed).

That could be a problem when it comes to attracting the discerning buyers at that end of the market, particularly those who don’t really know, or understand, what Cadillac represents, or where it sits in the market.

Certainly the way the car is presented, and the interior quality, or perception of quality, feels far more like Lexus level than properly Germanic. That’s not meant to be entirely critical, it just gives you an idea of what a Cadillac feels like, in premium motoring terms. 

Sadly, we didn’t get enough of a drive to properly test the claimed range of 483km, nor the 21.5kWh/100km efficiency from its 102kWh battery, but you can sense a potential issue there, too.

A big, three-row family hauler that can’t go 500km on a charge, and realistically might struggle to go further than 400km with a full load of humans and gear on board, could be a difficult sell.

Buyers might be looking at the more modern-looking Kia EV9, but then that can only offer 512km of theoretical range. The Cadillac is not as much of a head turner as the Kia, but it does have a kind of grand, proud look to it in the metal, and the front end is actually quite slick.

It also has the advantage of being something different on our roads, as there are precious few Cadillacs around Down Under, which might appeal to early adopters.

In the US, the Vistiq comes standard with a 23-speaker AKG Studio1 Audio system with Dolby Atmos, a choice of 21, 22 or 23-inch wheels and 'Road Noise Cancellation' for a quieter cabin.

It also offers Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) bi-directional charging capabilities, which allows for the transfer of electric power from the vehicle to your house during a blackout. There’s certainly plenty of power to spare in the Vistiq’s big battery.