LUXURY EV INNOVATIVE AND STYLISH, BUT STILL SPORTS A FEW ROUGH EDGES
Vehicle's infotainment system astounds with seamless, tapered full-frame display
The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq has carefully engineered creature comforts to insulate me from the heat and arid terrain outside during my test drive in Utah. But although this new EV is innovative and progressive, its oversights nevertheless hold it back.
Developed from the floor up, the Ultium-based Lyriq offers 100-kwh battery capacity, which Cadillac claims should carry rear-wheel-drive models up to 502 kilometres.
At a basic level, the Cadillac Lyriq drives like an EV. Torque is smooth and linear, electric steering feels appropriately digital, and interested drivers can switch to one-pedal driving.
Power delivery is direct, intuitive, and feels proportionate to the vehicle and its intent. The RWD Lyriq's 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque don't propel its significant weight with a sense of urgency, but shoppers can expect slightly sharper response when the 500-plus-hp dual-motor AWD models arrive later.
The Lyriq offers a mid-market charging experience. For perspective, the Lyriq's peak DC fast-charge rate of 190 kw is better than the Subaru Solterra's 100 kw or Ford Mach-e's 150 kw, but is only a little more than half that of Genesis or Porsche's 350-kw rate.
Distinctive and emblematic of the Lyriq is the novel linear regeneration paddle mounted behind the steering wheel. An exciting spin on regenerative braking, the control enables up to 0.35G of braking force.
It's a bold step, but a tricky one. Between shifting hand positions while turning, and its short, sensitive throw, the smooth fingertip modulation of the paddle is a delicate and imperfect art. In the interest of smoother cruising, I eventually returned to the foot brake.
If the input's sensitivity curve was remapped in an over-theair (OTA) update, its ease of use could effectively obviate the brake pedal. It's an innovation that could prove to be the Lyriq's most distinctive contribution to electric motoring.
Where the Lyriq sets itself apart from competitors is in its distinctly quiet cabin. Triple door seals, expandable baffles within upright pillars, and five-millimetre front acoustic glass effectively eliminate wind noise at highway speeds. In addition, the torsionally rigid Ultium structural battery platform cuts squeaks and noises associated with body flex and noise-cancellation technology counteracts unwanted acoustic frequencies.
Representatives say the Lyriq's interior pulls nothing from the GM parts bin. Feature elements, such as its laser-cut wood-metal laminations, employ new production processes for an unprecedented premium feel — and to strong effect.
But the Lyriq still retains a little roughness around the edges. As long as some features use the same plastics and switchgear, Cadillac will bear some of that old-gm character. Of particular note, the central infotainment dial selector turns from visually pleasant acrylic jewelry to a nick in the Lyriq's piano-gloss sheen when it is manipulated. Cadillac says the knob offers the luxury of choice to the touch-screen averse, but there's nothing luxurious about rotary detents that twang, or the cheap-feeling snap of downward presses.
Falling between these strengths and shortcomings, some interior choices simply frustrate. The use of piano black down the centre stack in the Lyriq reflect midday sunlight up, under sunglasses into the driver's eyes. My solution was to mask the surface with a map wedged into the armrest compartment door, but it's hardly an elegant answer.
In another oversight, Cadillac has opted not to equip the Lyriq with a rear wiper. Engineers insist the Lyriq's aerodynamic pass-through spoiler will thrust water and dirt away from the rear glass, and that extensive wind-tunnel testing has proven that rear-view soiling should not be a problem.
Time will tell whether Cadillac has actually found the secret sauce, but experience with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 — which also debuted sans wiper with similar aerodynamic assurances — has shown that this is tough to make work in the real world. Hyundai eventually acknowledged the problem and has factored a rear wiper into future production plans.
Static forward lighting is a surprising shortcut, now that competitors are broadly adopting dynamic, steerable headlamps. So is the lack of venting or cooling provisions.
Where Cadillac hasn't taken a shortcut, however, is in the Lyriq's infotainment. Even for a digital-dash skeptic like me, the elegance of its seamless, tapered, full-frame display astounds. Best of all, the interface retains hard buttons for easy access to key functions.
Cadillac insists all of this is only the start for the Lyriq, and that more materials, colours, customizability, OTA software upgrades, and GM Supercruise hands-free driving are still to come.
Launch-edition 2023 models are sold out, with Canadian production starting in August and deliveries planned for late 2022.