2023 Cadillac LYRIQ
Time to plug into what’s new from Cadillac with a Quick Spin first drive of the all-new and much anticipated 2023 LYRIQ 5-door, the first step in Cadillac’s transition to an all-electric future.
The long and low proportions may suggest a traditional wagon, but Cadillac wants buyers to see it as a beautifully modern crossover utility vehicle; and we certainly can agree on the beautiful part.
Featuring the same Ultium platform we first saw in GMC’s Hummer EV Pickup, the initial LYRIQs that we sampled during our early drive time in Utah were rear-drive only, with a 102-kWh battery pack providing energy for 340-horsepower, and will deliver a range of 312-miles. Dual-motor all-wheel-drive, with 500-horsepower will be available next year.
Throwing it back to Cadillac’s ELR plug-in hybrid coupe, the LYRIQ features a Regen-On-Demand paddle too, though it has been upgraded to provide more progressive braking, but by far the biggest crowd-pleaser inside will be the 33-in curved LED display.
BRIAN ROBINSON: "It’s difficult at first not be distracted by that huge screen, but once you get past that and focus on what the LYRIQ is like to actually drive, it’s just as easy to get caught up in the seamless powertrain and the effortless way it just glides down the road."
Of course, with Cadillac’s Super Cruise, you won’t have to do the driving at all if you don’t want to, providing you’re locked onto a highway that’s in its memory bank.
EVs by their very nature are much quieter in operation than ICE-engine cars, and many times that leads to hearing other noises that are usually drowned out by that engine or its exhaust system. Well, Cadillac has made the LYRIQ experience as serene as possible with next level noise cancellation.
And while we did enjoy the quiet serenity that you’d expect in an all-electric car from Cadillac, we also took the opportunity to destroy that serenity with the phenomenal AKG Studio audio system with 19-speakers, including in the vehicle’s headrests.
Deliveries of the Cadillac LYRIQ have just begun, with initial 2023s priced right around $63,000.+