Electric cars are n’t just great because of their environmental friendliness and capital technical school potential . They also upend the norms of the automobile industry .
Badge - engineered luxuriousness machine are a tedious but necessary part of any automaker ’s bottom line . The possible profit from having luxury and mainstream brands share weapons platform and powertrains would make a Ferengi smile . But obliterate that worker DNA then needs to be hidden , something the gasolineCadillac XT6doesn’t do very well , but that the all - electricCadillac Lyriqexcels at .
So I had high hope for the 2025 Cadillac Optiq , the smaller crossover voter SUV that now slots below the Lyriq in Cadillac ’s EV lineup . The Optiq shares its version ofGeneral Motors ’ EV architecturewith the Chevrolet Equinox EV , which is already a pretty good car and a self-colored basis for a Lyriq - style glow - up . But while the Optiq does enough to justify its price premium over the Chevy , it ’s not honorable in all respects .
2025 Cadillac Optiq: design
The Optiq try that the conception features from Cadillac ’s large electric SUVs make for well on a smaller scale . Where the infamous Chevy Cavalier - basedCadillac Cimarronlooked tacky tire out the grille and cap ornament from the grown caddie of the time , the dual - element rear light and toothy illuminated lattice of theCadillac Escalade IQand Lyriq look mightily at dwelling house here .
The styling is indeed distinctly Cadillac , but an elevated ride height and some marketing written matter are really the only things that make it an SUV . The small roofline and slick - back windscreen really say “ hatchback ” or “ station Charles’s Wain , ” but those terminus are unappealing to most U.S. raw - railway car shoppers . And that ’s why Cadillac is n’t alone in this : the Audi Q4 e - tron , Genesis GV60 , and Lexus RZ do n’t precisely expect like rugged SUV either .
The Optiq proves that the purpose of Cadillac ’s larger EVs work well on a small weighing machine .
talk of those rivals , the Optiq offers comparable headroom and legroom across both row , as is the 26 three-dimensional feet of lading space behind the rearward seats ( 57 cubic foot with the rearward seats close up ) , make the frunk that Cadillac does n’t include unnecessary . The boxier Mercedes - Benz EQB and Volvo EX40 come closest on shipment blank , while also offer more traditional S.U.V. look .
The interior is also a nice office to be , truly feel more upscale than that of the Chevy Equinox EV the Optiq shares a platform with . On nearly every surface , the credit card that is satisfactory at the Chevy ’s much lower base price is replaced nice material , including a material textile cover large chunks of the door control panel and dashboard that ’s a nice alternative to the predictable leather . The fact that only imitation leather , rather than literal leather upholstery , is available is a William Tell that the Optiq is an entry - level model , but it ’s do up nicely to bet like the real thing .
2025 Cadillac Optiq: specs
2025 Cadillac Optiq: tech
The Optiq ’s standard tech features sure justify its luxury - car status . That start with the 33 - in curve display , which spans the left two - thirds of the dashboard and admit a modest control panel and digital instrument cluster for the driver , plus the cardinal touch screen for infotainment functions . It ’s a standardized setup to the well - executed one in the Lyriq , keeping things within easy reach of the driver without ignoring the front passenger . The minimalist graphic purpose is also clear and easy to interpret , even if it does n’t cater many chance to overwork the screen ’s 9 K resolution .
All young General Motors EVs use an Android Automotive OS - based infotainment arrangement , without standaloneApple CarPlayorAndroid Auto . Fans of Apple ’s apps are out of luck , but Google Built - in apps mean drivers get Google Maps , Google Assistant , and the Google take on Store whether a telephone is touch base or not .
The Optiq ’s standard technical school features certainly justify its opulence - car condition .
My experience with the interface was uneventful ; the egress previously live in an early - productionChevrolet Blazer EVrunning similar computer software did not re - emerge , and it was gentle to find things than on the larger screen in the Cadillac Escalade IQ I drove back - to - back with this smaller EV . Cadillac also did a effective line of dividing labor between the touchscreen and physical control , using the latter for unproblematic functions while leaving others to the projection screen .
Among those strong-arm controls is a volume pommel touch base to a 19 - speaker AKG audio organisation with Dolby Atmos for extra clarity and 3D effects when using premium service like Amazon Music . This is n’t new tech , even for this price kitchen range — the Mercedes - Benz EQB also offers Dolby Atmos as part of its optional 12 - speaker Burmester arrangement — but Cadillac bring in point for declare oneself it as standard equipment .
One more telling piece of standard equipment isSuper Cruise , General Motors ’ hands - free highway drive system . Capable of keeping a vehicle cruising along as the name says without any control inputs , Super Cruise is already available in many other GM vehicles — including most of Cadillac ’s card — but it was pleasantly surprising to see that Cadillac was n’t charge excess for it in the Optiq given this EV ’s entrance - level status .
2025 Cadillac Optiq: driving experience
While the Chevy Equinox EV it ’s based on comes received with front - wheel drive , the Optiq features dual - motor all - wheel crusade as standard equipment , with an output of 300 horsepower and 354 Irish pound - feet of torque that ’s also more than you get with the Chevy ’s optional dual - motor powertrain . The Equinox EV and Optiq portion out an 85 - kilowatt - hour stamp battery pack , though .
This is a intelligent amount of superpower for a gondola of this size , and put the Optiq within range of most competitor without giving it a decisive advantage . Mercedes ’ EQB has less horsepower in treble - motor form , but more torque if you jump for the 350 4Matic version , and the Audi Q4 e - tron makes 335 hp in dual - motor form . But dual - motor Volvo EX40 role model make 402 hp and 486 lb - ft of torque , and Genesis offers a Performance adaptation of the GV60 with 429 horsepower and 516 lb - ft .
The steering seems inspired by stereotypes of honest-to-goodness Cadillac Din Land yachts .
And while it ’s not the most knock-down EV around , the Optiq still seemed to have issues utilise that force to the road . Even on dry paving , hard speedup brought a towboat at the steering wheel characteristic of torque hint , which is ordinarily a problem in front - bicycle drive car , where the wheels have to handle all the power , along with steerage and most of the braking . It was weird to have it an all - wheel drive vehicle , but it seems the front motor is doing most of the work here .
The campaign road contain me from the street of San Francisco up a particularly twisting section of the Pacific Coast Highway north of the city and back . Normally , this would be a smashing elbow room to show off a small car like the Optiq , but this is one car that drive bigger than it expect . The steering seems urge on by stereotypes of old Cadillac land yacht , because changing course required a surprising amount of steering input .
manipulation was n’t quite as stereotypical , but this is certainly more of a traditional American lavishness car than the jazzy Euro - inspired variety one might enjoy pluck down a fun route . That ’s not a bad matter , as driving enthusiasts are n’t really the target audience for a railway car like this . The Optiq was also fairly prosperous , which is never a bad thing . But given its unearthly guidance and powertrain tuning , the introductory front - wheel drive Equinox EV is the better car to drive .
2025 Cadillac Optiq: range and charging
Cadillac estimates 302 miles of mountain chain from the Optiq ’s 85 - kWh assault and battery pack , which is pretty good considering that none of the Optiq ’s rivals surpass the psychologically - important 300 - nautical mile mark .
The extra range helps make up for middling charging performance . Where the Genesis GV60 can DC truehearted guardianship at up to 350 kilowatts , the Optiq is bond at 150 kW. That ’s still enough to recuperate 79 miles of range in 10 minute of charging , according to Cadillac .
For Level 2 AC plate charging , the standard 11.5 - kilowatt onboard courser can refill 33 Swedish mile of range per hour , while an optional 19.2 - kW charger can boost that to 55 mile per hour , accord to Cadillac . Like other GM EVs , the Optiq is hardware - ready for bidirectional charging , and GM is trade kits through its home - vigour division that let it use that capability to dish out as an parking brake backup power source .
2025 Cadillac Optiq: How DT would configure this car
A major plus for the Optiq is a unproblematic pricing structure , with only a fistful of trim level and option . The canonic Optiq Luxury 1 starts at $ 54,390 , while the Luxury 2 grade offers a handful of additional feature of speech — include a head - up display and 360 - degree television camera system — for an additional $ 2,200 . athletics 1 ( $ 54,990 ) and Sport 2 ( $ 57,090 ) models are also available , but the differences are mainly cosmetic , with similar feature content to the Luxury grade .
The received 33 - inch show , 19 - speaker sound recording system , and Super Cruise , combine with all - rack drive and a 302 - Roman mile image , make the Luxury 1 substructure model a passably sodding railroad car for its cost . The base price aligns with most rivals , but no other luxury blade offers all of these features in an entranceway - level EV as received equipment . With those brand , you have to spend more to get a well - rounded vehicle , but with Cadillac you do n’t .
There are still reasons to consider the competition , though . The Genesis GV60 sees the Optiq ’s well - appoint Interior Department and conjure up it better charge performance . The Volvo EX40 is more powerful and nicer to drive . And theMercedes - Benz EQBhas a piece more national space , and looks and feel more SUV - like . But the Optiq ’s compelling value proposal ( for a luxury framework , at least ) makes a secure case for the Cadillac .
And for GM customers attend to trade in up — as the automaker ’s run - corresponding sword structure — is built around — the Optiq is definitely not just a warm - over Equinox EV . The interior is a huge step up from the Chevy , the styling is different enough to hide any similarity , and Cadillac give buyers a bunch for upgrading . It ’s too bad the basic Equinox EV ’s pleasant drive experience was lose in that transmutation .
