2025 Cadillac Lyriq Review: Fully-Loaded Luxury EV Trades Range For Toys

While we certainly haven't reached EV saturation in the United States, there are finally a wide variety of options at this point, for buyers wanting to go electric. Pickup trucks, sedans, midsize SUVs, and even low-slung SUVs masquerading as hot hatchbacks are available with plug-in power instead of internal combustion. From tiny eco-friendly city cars to three-row family hauling SUVs, nearly every class of vehicle has an EV available as an option these days. That's especially true amongst luxury vehicles, where we find SUVs like the 2025 Cadillac Lyriq.

Like its GM sibling the Blazer EV, and its Acura step-sibling the ZDX, the Lyriq rides on GM's Ultium platform. It uses a 102 kWh battery from which Cadillac estimates range as high as 326 miles on a single charge. It also offers a customizable luxury experience, with several trim levels to choose from, multiple power ratings (thanks to a single-motor or dual-motor selection), and all sorts of available tech features. The Lyriq is part of a growing class of EV options for families, but even in a crowded field it's appealing.

There are two main flavors for the Lyriq: Sport and Luxury. From there, both the Sport and the Luxury are available in three main trim levels with an easy to understand structure: 1, 2, and 3. As the numbers climb, so does the amount of equipment included at each trim level, and so does the price. The vehicle that the Cadillac folks dropped off at my doorstep for testing was the Luxury 3 with dual motors and all-wheel drive.

Base price for the standard Sport 1 model with rear-wheel drive is $59,990 (including $1,395 destination fee) but there's plenty of room to go from there. Near the top of the trim level though, the Luxury 3 I drove had an MSRP of $78,760, including options like a panoramic sunroof, a 19.2 kW charger, and Nappa leather throughout the cabin. That's a price jump of nearly 25 percent, but driving the top-trim Luxury 3 version of the Lyriq meant there were a lot of perks to enjoy.

The Lyriq gets its thrust from either a single motor rear-wheel drive setup or a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup. With the single motor, the Lyriq produces 365 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. I've driven a single-motor Lyriq before and it has enough power to feel peppy, even if it's not what I'd call performance oriented. The single-motor Lyriq gets the best range estimate for the model, with the EPA giving it a rating of 92 MPGe combined, and a max range of 326 miles. If you want to raise pulses however, you'll need to go with the dual-motor configuration.

The dual-motor setup in the Luxury 3 AWD trim I tested puts out 515 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. Those are impressive numbers, even if they seem relatively pedestrian amongst today's super-powered EVs. Acceleration was strong with the dual-motor Lyriq with more than enough power to merge on a high at a respectable rate, or make a quick passing maneuver. It's no hypercar, but there's more than enough power to motivate this luxury SUV. Range estimates for all-wheel drive models drop to 319 and 303 miles, depending on equipment. A high-performance Lyriq V with over 600 horsepower is coming as a 2026 model, but we're still waiting on it to arrive.

The dual-motor Lyriq has enough power to get you going and, with the Lyriq V on the horizon, there's hope for a sporty vibe, but the Luxury 3 model I tested isn't what I'd call entertaining. Steering has a modest amount of feedback, but it certainly doesn't feel sporty. Handling is adequate, but heading to the mountains for an enthusiastic weekend jaunt wouldn't be top on my priority list with the Lyriq. I'd call these issues mild drawbacks, though, not rising to the level of deal-breakers.

Pedal response across the various drive modes in the Lyriq was predictable and regenerative braking was appropriately strong in the Caddy's one-pedal driving mode. For the EV-uninitiated, one-pedal driving refers to the ability to lift your foot off the accelerator and let the EV do the braking for you, via regenerative brakes connected to the powertrain. Plan your deceleration well, and you'll have no need for the traditional brake pedal in most daily-driving scenarios. For new-to-EV drivers, it may take a moment to get used to this kind of braking, but I found it super helpful in the crowded spaces that define the Los Angeles driving experience.

In most driving scenarios, being behind the wheel of the Lyriq is a breeze. It feels like a Cadillac should: comfortable and smooth on the highway, without much fuss from big road imperfections making their way into the cabin. There's a lot of adjustability in the driver's seat, helping accommodate drivers of all shapes and sizes. Up front, the seats are comfortable, with soft enough padding but adequate support. At a standstill, the front seats are comfortable, and if you decide it's time to go hustling up a mountain road, the bolstering is at least sufficient to hold you in place. In the back, there's plenty of room to spread out too (we'll talk more about that in a bit), and the rear seats are plush enough to keep even the most persnickety of rear-seat passengers quiet.

A small gripe worth mentioning though, is the Lyriq's ride quality in the city. The extra-large 22-inch wheels and the relatively thin tires that are wrapped around them transmit a lot of small road imperfections into the cabin. Most of these impacts are quickly shrugged off, but it does subtract a bit from the luxury vibe. If you live in a city with rough roads, you'll want to opt for a trim level with smaller wheels.

If you're interested in buying any version of the Cadillac Lyriq, it's worth checking out one of the trim levels that comes with Super Cruise. On pre-mapped highways, it allows drivers to go hands-free, operating functions like vehicle speed and braking, lane position, and even lane-change maneuvers. Out on the open highway, with Super Cruise engaged and set to a speed of 65 miles per hour, then I came up on a slower moving car. The Lyriq adjusted my speed and stayed a reasonable distance from the car in front of me. Then, when a space opened up in another lane, I signalled and the Lyriq moved over into the next lane, and got up to speed.

On top of the reduced fatigue I had from driving the Lyriq long distances without having to even press the pedals or do any steering on my own, the lane-change maneuver was extremely well-executed. After experiencing it once, I found myself giving the Caddy chances to prove its worth over and over again: it felt like a cool party trick (albeit being done for a party of one). It performed flawlessly. Lane change after lane change, it moved quickly, going around slower traffic with impressive dexterity. Heavy rain seemed to interrupt the Lyriq's ability to engage some Super Cruise functions, but when the weather was clear, it was a system I was extremely happy to have.

Stretching across the Lyriq's dashboard is a 33-inch display, combining the center touchscreen and the driver's display. It's well integrated into the dash and it has excellent resolution. In my test, it responded quickly to commands, both through the touchscreen and via the voice-activated controls. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard on the Lyriq (a set of compatibility features that's missing from some GM versions of the Ultium platform) and there's a well-crafted center console dial for drivers that prefer looking at the big dashboard screen, rather than touching.

There are lots of USB-C ports (three up front and two in the rear) for charging devices, plus wireless charging if you've got a surplus of smartphones. The Luxury 3's 19-speaker AKG stereo was a peach during my test. It provided excellent audio quality and impressive volume, which meant I could listen to my favorite tunes at near-max volume to tune out my terrible singing voice, or just enjoy the music without singing along.

From nose to tail, the Lyriq is 196.7 inches long: that's about 15 inches shorter than the standard-length three-row Escalade. In other words, the Lyriq is surprisingly big. Thankfully, that exterior size means that the EV shines when it comes to interior space. Up front, there's lots of shoulder room, legroom, and headroom, much like the Lyriq's Chevy and Acura siblings. Tall adults will find plenty of space in the driver's seat or in the front passenger's seat.

Seating three adults wide in the back seat should be no problem either. Being a two-row vehicle with nearly-three-row dimensions pays dividends when it comes rear legroom, with a total of 39.6 inches. It's not as much room as a Mercedes EQE SUV offers (40.6 inches) but it's close. There's also lots of extra storage throughout the Lyriq's cabin. Cupholders are generously sized, there are some fun hidden-storage cubbies, and the door pockets are big enough for most bottles. The trunk space is average for the class, with 28 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. 

More than just spacious, I found the Lyriq's cabin inviting. There are lots of good buttons and switchgear throughout. The Nappa leather on a number of high-traffic surfaces made the experience feel significantly more upscale. In general, the materials quality feels top notch. As Chris Davies pointed out in our review of last year's Lyriq, some of the materials are less impressive upon closer inspection (a few hollow plastics are located in various spots) but the vibe is, overall, plush.

In the hotly contested class of luxury SUVs that continues to grow, the Cadillac Lyriq does its best to stand out with impressive driver aids, a spacious interior, and a relatively comfortable ride. It's a well-appointed choice with lots of modern tech, and Super Cruise continues to stand tall as one of the best driver-aid systems you can currently buy. Driving dynamics are merely average, but not everyone is looking for a sporty experience, and that's okay.

If you're hunting for something with a similar set of virtues, sans-Super-Cruise, the Honda Prologue is where you should probably start your search: it has a lower price point, but it's still enjoyable to drive. Another luxury competitor that should be considered is the Rivian R1S. It offers some outdoorsy vibes and more off-road capability than the Cadillac. The premium Acura ZDX is currently available in its high-performance Type S trim, and is also worth considering for drivers that want a bit more engagement.