Lyriq a taste of what's to come from Cadillac

LEGENDARY American luxury car brand Cadillac is opening up shop in Australia initially with only a couple of company owned and operated Experience Centres (stores), an online portal and one factory right-hand drive model. But, if things pan out the way the big wigs in head office expect, there will be more dealers and more electric-only Caddys here.

First cab off the rank later next year will be the large Lyriq all-electric five seat SUV in various configurations possibly with rear-and all-wheel drive choices that could sell in the region of $150,000 or perhaps a little less dependent on exchange rates, US pricing, how much Cadillac wants to make out of the deal and transport costs.

Helping the pricing situation will be a lack of right-hand-drive conversion impost because like the Ford Mustang (and its Mach-E electric SUV counterpart) the Lyriq will come out of the US factory in right-hook form ready to rock and roll.

A likely follow-up will be the just-unveiled Optiq model for which details remain scant but is a smaller SUV that will be positioned below the Lyriq and, in Cadillac’s brief one-paragraph announcement, promises “spirited driving dynamics designed to appeal to global luxury customers”.

Australasian automotive media was invited to a Cadillac brand launch in Melbourne recently and were shown a posh-looking top-of-the-range version of the Lyriq called the 600 e4 which, translated, means it punches out at least 600Nm from dual electric motors, which drive all four wheels.

Information issued post-event shows the dual motor model displayed develops 373kW combined, which is in the same ballpark as the competition but in torque terms is a touch light-on given what the alternatives have under their bonnet and particularly as the Lyriq displayed weighs in at over 2800kg.

That’s about the same as a Ram TRX super ute which derives considerably more poke from its supercharged V8 petrol engine.

But Cadillac says it is pursuing a more refined clientele with the Lyriq; early adopters, professionals, and tech heads who, gauged from the looks and specs of the display vehicle, will not be disappointed and may be happy to have something other than a premium European Deutschmobile SUV or star-spangled Ram TRX pick-up parked on the drive. 

The Lyriq looks like a decent thing, certainly a worthy competitor for the Merc EQE, BMW iX and Audi Q8 E-Tron.

Without having wheel time in low-slung (for an SUV) Lyriq to comment in that regard, we would at least rate it towards the top in the looks department both inside and out.

The black display car appeared to have some ill-fitting interior trim but the overall first impression was of a dominating widescreen spanning the dash, classy fittings and styling, tech-rich features and cosseting seats and upholstery. Overall it is something different from what we have come to expect from the Euros.

Cool kit expected across launch variants includes Nappa leather upholstery, tri-zone automatic climate control, heated front and rear seats, ventilated and massage front seats, panoramic fixed glass sunroof with power sunshade, a 33.0-inch diagonal LED info screen capable of 9K resolution, Cadillac exclusive AKG Harman Studio 19-speaker audio, funky ambient lighting and hard wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

In the safety department, the Lyriq boasts a full suite of the latest Cadillac has to offer in ADAS and active and passive technology accentuated by intersection automatic emergency braking and adaptive headlights incorporated into the vertical slimline LEDs. 

Its sleek external appearance is highlighted by the distinctive black crystal shield “grille” design and the low, sloping roof line of a fastback. The stance is sporty and the overall visual is powerful and imposing, underpinned by 20-inch alloys over large multi-piston disc brakes.

Dimensionally, the Lyriq is similar to its competitors at 5005mm long, 2207mm wide and 1623mm high, riding on a 3094mm wheelbase.

The lightest base variant at launch will tip the scales at 2774kg and all models will run a liquid-cooled 102kWh lithium-ion battery pack. No range claims have been issued by Cadillac Australia but North American market range claims are between 494km (rear-wheel drive) and 505km (all-wheel drive).

All Lyriqs come standard with DC fast-charging capability (up to 190kW) and regenerative power with one pedal drive function is gained from braking and deceleration to extend operational range.

On the display vehicle, all-wheel drive motive power comes from dual permanent magnet electric traction motors with a combined 373kW and maximum combined 610Nm of torque which should propel the big Caddy rapidly from 0-100km/h.

Overseas test drives stopped the clock at 4.6sec for the sprint but suggest the sportier dual motor model loses some of the essential Cadillac “waft” ride. The same may not apply to Aussie delivered versions.

As an arm of General Motors, Caddy will have to overcome some bad blood among many Aussies over the withdrawal from Australia by another GM offshoot, Holden, back in 2017 that was seen as a betrayal by more than a few and people have long memories when it comes to Aussie icons.

All will be revealed once we get behind the wheel of the Lyriq when it arrives later next year.