2025 Cadillac LYRIQ First Drive - a 5 Min Read

Cadillac is a brand to conjure with, evoking scenes of robber-barons, sprawling estates, and the golden-age of Hollywood. After unceremoniously dumping Holden, GM is having another whack at the bountiful market downunder with the Cadillac LYRIQ, an electric SUV.

To Americans the LYRIQ is not considered full-sized, but to we here in the antipodes, the big, bougie, SUV is more than enough to be going on with.

The quickest of drives (ahead of a full review in due course) was available at the Everything Electric show created by Red Dwarf personality, Robert Llewelyn. An opportunity to drive brands, new and old, is not one to be missed.

About Cadillac – What is Direct to Customer?

Whereas GM is selling Chevrolet Silverado and Corvette through the existing GMSV network, Cadillac is “direct to customer.” The rare setup is designed to put the buyer first, like the client of a high-end personal shopper. From the moment of first contact the buyer is assigned a personal assistant who becomes their trusted Cadillac Ambassador.

That’s a term I identify with, and my personal ambassador is Jeandre, with a mention to the very patient Gus as well.

Treated as any other client would be, I got a run through the cornucopia of LYRIQ’s highlights. We then glided silently from the test area on a magic carpet of American muscle. Despite a monumental 388kw of AWD Cadillac ability lurking beneath, the SUV was gently guided on a short 15 minute circuit.

Importantly, all buyers get a few hours of personal guided experience behind the wheel, and this we shall have later in the week. Most brands permit only the meanest of moments, often amounting to a drive around the block.

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ABOVE: Cadillac LYRIQ

Highlights:

Ahead of the full review, the first thing to note is the stunning exterior which I know won’t appeal to some. You are wrong, and that is all I have to say on the matter. Those of sound taste may read on.

The sublime AKG sound system is crystal clear. 19 speakers connect to the chosen source (including streaming and radio) via a friendly touch screen which is part of a 33” curved, cinema quality display.

System control is by voice, touch screen, steering wheel buttons (touch operated with haptic feedback), or the command centre on the console. The latter will see little use, BAH HUMBUG.

The 102kwh Ultium battery charges fastish on DC outlets, or those with their own garage get a free home charger. You get a free period of ChargeFox, a fab 5-year warranty (8 years on the high voltage battery) and 5 years free service.

Tesla provided some of these tasty tidbits prior to the erratic company figurehead going rogue.

There is 530km of range, but Cadillac sales Manager, Ben Cowan, says range anxiety is a thing of the past. No Ben, it isn’t. I panic below 80%. Perhaps I’ll come round, but I’ll get back to you on that one.

The Drive:

Jeandre and I slipped into LYRIQ’s front seats which are heated, cooled, and massaged for your driving pleasure. His phone was connected to the Wireless CarPlay for guidance, because Cadillac knows what the rest of us know; savvy drivers use phone mirroring (Android Auto/Apple CarPlay).

TOP TIP: If you navigate to fast chargers to precondition the battery, full fast charging will start upon arrival at the outlet.

Top drawer noise cancelling makes the cabin ghostly quiet by sampling errant sounds then playing back the opposite wave through the speakers. Remember, the original Caddy’s ride and handling was meant to equal Rolls Royce, a car now 10 times the price of our LYRIQ.

Cadillac considers BMW/Mercedes/Audi/JLR as its current opposition.

After 15 minutes, I can confidently say the steering, brakes (including regenerative) and ride are dignified and reassuring, while being easy to master. I made myself at home in the big American (made in Tennessee, like the bourbon) after only a few short moments.

The RRP for both Sport and Luxury are under $120,000, but the cabin feels far more expensive. Usually, it is the other way round.

The centre dial has a precisely tuned amount of resistance, the trim feels properly posh. Even the genuine, imitation, fake, artificial vinyl upholstery is hardly discernible from the Nappa option.

Top Tip: Do yourself a favour and shell out the extra shekels to Nappa yourself into a cocoon of Zen gorgeousness.

Conclusion:

While BMW is busy renting you such things as wireless CarPlay, heated seats, and heated steering wheel, other brands provide it gratis. But there is something indefinable about LYRIQ’s ambience, which can only be described as “generous”.

The generosity starts from first contact, through the Experience Centre contact, and on to the purchase and delivery. The service is akin to flying first class, staying at a 6-star hotel, or being touched up by a Savil Row tailor.

The one thing money can’t buy, is time. Time is something given, in this case, generously. Your ambassador is your concierge, who if unavailable, will have someone else step in seamlessly. Like the 6-star hotel concierge, you tastes and likes are all kept safely in the modern equivalent a little black book.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find my favourite DAB+ station playing whenever I called in, dropped in, or picked up my car after a service.

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