The Cadillac Lyriq is the automaker’s first electric vehicle (EV), and much is riding on it. The Lyriq sets the tone for four other upcoming Cadillac EV models, and it’s the 122-year-old brand’s best chance in years to reset consumer expectations of how luxurious and competitive Cadillacs can truly be. Fortunately, it makes an excellent first impression. It looks, feels, and drives truly on par with rivals from BMW, Genesis, and Mercedes-Benz.
Photo: Alex Kwanten
Technically, this stylish debutant had its coming-out ball in 2023, but the Lyriq is still new to most people, thanks to a slow production ramp-up early last year. For 2024, Cadillac completely revised the trim and option structure and added a slew of new customization choices.
Cadillac now offers three Lyriq trim levels: the entry-level Tech, the frilly-looking Luxury, and the blackout-trim Sport. The latter two also provide a trio of configuration option packages, creatively named 1, 2, and 3. Starting prices range from $58,590 to $63,190, including the $1,395 destination fee.
For this review of the 2024 Lyriq, Cadillac provided a test vehicle equipped with Sport 3 trim and the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $77,295, including the $1,395 destination charge to ship the crossover SUV from the Spring Hill, Tennessee, assembly plant to your local dealership.
Photo: Alex Kwanten
Getting in and out of the Lyriq is easy. The front and rear doors swing out wide, and it’s low enough that you just sit down with no real step upward.
Both rows have plenty of headroom inside despite the Lyriq’s low-slung fastback shape. With nearly 40 inches of rear legroom, even two six-foot-four adults will be comfy in the back. There’s also ample room for jumbo-sized child seats. As comfortable as the back seat is, the front seats are even better, supportive and firm but gentle over hours of long-distance driving.
The Lyriq’s interior materials and visuals truly impress. Many 21st-century Cadillacs have disappointed due to odd mixes of high-end materials with plastics that look like they came from an old Fiat 500. Not the Lyriq.
While not every piece of plastic is perfect, this interior wows with high-touch bits, including chunky machined metal door handles and delicate wood accents. Even the test vehicle’s synthetic leather feels nice. The seat stitching patterns don’t have the same visual flourish as those of Genesis or Mercedes-Benz EVs, and the Lyriq is more visually subdued than the BMW iX, but it feels like it belongs among these luxury liners.
The centerpiece of this interior is a massive 33-inch-wide combination gauge display and infotainment screen. Unlike BMW’s curved display, it’s one big screen, not two small rectangles in a single housing, resembling the stylish screen in the Lucid Air.
The screen and its graphics are lovely, and unlike at Lucid, they’re matched by controls that are relatively easy to master. Cadillac allows you to do many things via the touchscreen, and it also includes touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel and console, but it’s given clear thought to how drivers use these systems while in motion. There’s a volume knob, vent knobs, HVAC buttons, and stalks for wipers, lights, and other vital systems, plus a scroll-wheel controller.
Photo: Alex Kwanten
Two areas on the Lyriq’s screen are touchable: a small panel on the left for vehicle information and a big area on the right for infotainment. The screen defaults to showing map and media information, but you can customize the Home screen and easily access a three-page set of app icons or vehicle settings with one or two touches. In my experience, it’s a more intuitive system to learn and master than BMW’s iDrive or Mercedes’ MBUX.
The Lyriq’s standard infotainment system includes:
Though the interface looks like an evolution of older GM designs, the system runs on Android Automotive software with Google Built-in. It’s contemporary and simple, and integrates Google Maps, Play, and Assistant. It also uses that last one to provide a voice assistant to rival BMW and Mercedes-Benz. “Hey, Google” usually gets things right and is highly adept at navigation even when your voice is strained, but seems less skilled at helping you with the car’s features.
The navigation system is similarly easy to use and pretty to look at. It understood all my commands every time, and though Cadillac doesn’t offer a head-up display, you can put the map in the instrument area.
Cadillac still includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, both wireless. The former is similar to the car’s native software, but the latter is a plus. General Motors has cut CarPlay from some models, but for now, the Lyriq isn’t one of them. Both systems connect easily and work well on the Lyriq’s screen. Cadillac also includes a handy, space-saving wireless charging slot on the console and five USB-C ports.
Lyriqs come standard with a seven-speaker stereo. However, most versions (including the one in the test vehicle) get a lovely 19-speaker AKG audio system on which Jean Michel-Jarre, Sparks, and Circa Waves all sounded fantastic.
Photo: Alex Kwanten
While it looks and handles nothing like Cadillac land yachts of yore, the Lyriq is all about being quiet, smooth, and powerful, just like they were. A single-motor rear-wheel-drive (RWD) setup with 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque is standard, while dual-motor AWD, with 500 hp and 450 pound-feet of torque, is a (very worthwhile) $3,500 option.
With the dual-motor setup, the Lyriq has prodigious torque from a standstill. It has plenty of passing power and can scoot to 60 mph in under five seconds, but it gets there gently rather than throwing you back in the seat. This mirrors its overall driving personality.
There’s very little wind or road noise, and its low center of gravity and frequency-tuned shocks deliver a comfy ride even on the huge 22-inch rims. There isn’t much body roll, but the Lyriq prefers the straight lines and gentle curves of farmland over twisty mountain roads. The steering is precise but doesn’t offer much feedback. It understeers, and while the tires have plenty of grip, they squeal in protest if you push them hard.
The Lyriq’s driving modes also don’t change its behavior much. Sport mode makes the throttle more sensitive, and you can make the steering weightier and customize various settings, but this is a big, 5,800-pound cruiser. The Lyriq is composed where classic Caddies were floaty, but athleticism isn’t its forte.
It stops as well as it goes. Most drivers will put it in one-pedal mode and forget about it. That maximizes range, and the regenerative force is consistent and predictable. You can also operate it with minimal regeneration and use a paddle on the back of the steering wheel for regen on demand. Whichever setting you prefer, the brakes and electric motors stop the car quickly and are easy to modulate.
Photo: Alex Kwanten
Cadillac offers a suite of active safety features as standard equipment called the “Smart System.” It also offers highly sophisticated optional gear, including Super Cruise—a Level 2 semi-autonomous hands-free driving system.
Every 2024 Cadillac Lyriq includes the following advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS):
Optional features include:
Drivers can customize the settings of the Lyriq’s various warnings, but even at their most sensitive, they aren’t annoying. It’s good at detecting pedestrians and hazards without sending up too many false alarms, and the lane-keeping assistance isn’t invasive or irritating.
The real star of the show, however, is Super Cruise. An option on Luxury or Sport trims, this Level 2 autonomy system offers genuine hands-free capability on certain mapped roads (mainly highways, but not exclusively). It combines eerily accurate lane centering with adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and can easily navigate traffic jams and most other traffic situations.
The vehicle constantly monitors the driver to ensure that you stay vigilant, but the hands-free setup works well within its designated environments. The longer the drive, the more useful this system is. Plus, it gives you all the component systems, like adaptive cruise control and lane centering, which you can use anywhere and function beautifully, even on rural two-lanes.
My only gripe about Super Cruise is its automated lane changes. The changes are smooth and safe, but the system defaults to allowing the vehicle to change lanes to keep pace with traffic autonomously. It isn’t the best judge of traffic flow, so it’s better to set the changes to happen on command. Another demerit? The active parking assistance system doesn’t work very well.
Photo: Alex Kwanten
With 28 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 60.8 overall, the Lyriq has adequate space for most people’s needs. Most rivals, however, have more. This is a midsize machine, but it only has about as much cargo room as the compact Genesis Electrified GV70, and it has no frunk for added utility. Also, it’ll only tow up to 3,500 pounds. In-cabin storage space is decent, and there’s a big open area in the console for a purse or a bag.
It does. Lyrics equipped with AWD are EPA-rated at 307 miles of range and consume 38 kWh per 100 miles of driving. Those are good numbers in this class, and the Lyriq nearly lived up to them, using 84 percent of its charge for 248 miles of lead-footed driving and consuming 41 kWh per 100 miles in that distance. The Tesla Model Y offers more range but a less luxurious experience. The longest-range BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUVs have similar ranges, but other competitors fall short.
The Lyriq can also charge quickly, replenishing from 9 to 81 percent in just 31 minutes on a 350-kW DC fast charger. (I timed it.)
The Lyriq offers sophisticated safety systems that can help a driver prevent a collision and systems to limit injuries if a crash occurs. However, at the time of writing, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has evaluated it.
The Lyriq Tech is the most affordable version, starting at $57,195. However, it doesn’t offer as many standard or available features as the mid-range Luxury ($61,295) or the top-spec Sport ($61,795). You’ll also need to add the $1,395 destination fee.
In the JD Power 2024 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study, the Rivian R1S ranks highest among Premium Electric SUVs. The compact Tesla Model Y and Volvo C40 are the next highest-ranked models. Other competitors to the 2024 Lyriq include the BMW iX and Genesis Electrified GV70.
Photo: Alex Kwanten
The 2024 Cadillac Lyriq is stylish, quick, and feels as luxurious as its best rivals—something not all of its gas-powered predecessors could boast. Better still, it also offers first-class driver-assistance technology and more range than most alternatives at a reasonable price. It isn’t athletic to drive and lags on cargo room, but the overall recipe is highly compelling.
Alex Kwanten has worked in automotive media for 15 years and reported on buying, selling, and servicing cars for many outlets, including Automotive News, Forbes, and Hagerty Media. His calling is helping to make car buying less intimidating for ordinary folks, but he also loves telling the stories of the people and cultural forces behind new and classic vehicles. A lifelong automotive enthusiast, he’s owned scores of cars from more than a dozen countries.
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