The Vistiq has 615 horsepower and 649 lb-ft of torque.Kuinal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
With a growing portfolio of luxury electric vehicles, Cadillac’s new Vistiq SUV, scheduled to arrive in 2025, will slot between the massive Escalade IQ and the two-row Lyriq, offering a smaller footprint, but still three rows of seats.
The compact Optiq SUV will also arrive at dealers before the end of the year and will serve as an entry point for the brand’s EVs. Cadillac gave reporters a closer look at the Vistiq during a technical backgrounder the luxury brand held recently near Detroit.
There aren’t many three-row electric SUVs and the Escalade IQ is as enormous as it is expensive, with pricing starting at nearly $160,000. The Vistiq, which will start from US$77,395 not including freight and other fees and taxes, isn’t for discount shoppers either, but it plays in a market with more potential buyers. And its size is right for younger families that might not need a vehicle as big as an Escalade. Canadian prices haven’t been announced yet, but the U.S. price converts to about $108,000.
There are a few cheaper all-electric options with three rows, such as the Kia EV9 and the Mercedes EQB, but the Kia isn’t a luxury vehicle and the EQB is a compact SUV, meaning its third row seats are cramped at best.
The Lyriq, Cadillac’s first electric vehicle, has been a success so far, says Cadillac’s marketing director, Brad Franz. He says it’s the bestselling luxury EV this year among traditional automakers, with more than 20,000 units sold.
The Lyriq’s combination of design and value makes it an easy recommendation, and the new Vistiq seems to possess the same attributes.
The Vistiq has dual electric motors that draw energy from a 102-kilowatt-hour battery.Kuinal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The Vistiq is roughly the size of the gas-powered Cadillac XT6, which means modest proportions for a three-row SUV compared with some of the behemoths we have trolling our roads today. It feels only marginally bigger than the Lyriq.
Cadillac says the Vistiq checks all the boxes for a young family. “It has enough space [in the third row] to accommodate kids up to their teens,” Franz says. “But it can also be a statement vehicle where the buyer doesn’t necessarily have to have a family.”
Appealing to families who also crave some luxury is something the Escalade already does well, according to the company. It’s by far the model that defines modern-day Cadillac. “We’re trying to bring the Escalade’s formula to the Vistiq,” says Franz.
The Vistiq’s sharp design and streamlined profile continue the striking design language ushered in by the Lyriq. Zhou Fang, an exterior designer for Cadillac, says the Lyriq is the “design beacon” of their lineup. He shows us how the D-pillars were inspired by the mythical CTS-V wagon from days gone by. He even points out that the front end bears a resemblance to a Mandalorian helmet, an unconscious design decision that’s become a source of amusement for the Star Wars fans within their office.
The front end bears a resemblance to a Mandalorian helmet, an unintentional bit of design that’s become a point of fun conversation within the automaker's office.Kuinal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
There’s more of the Lyriq in the cabin, with a large 33-inch curved display being the centrepiece. An eight-inch touch screen set lower in the centre console is dedicated to the climate controls and other functions, and there’s also a new head-up display that uses augmented reality for navigation instructions and driver-assistance functions. It’s a screen-heavy cabin with few physical controls, a trend I can’t get behind.
The proportional resemblance to the Cadillac XT6 comes into focus when sitting in the third row. Getting back there is easy enough, and at six feet tall, I could probably handle a short drive, but it’s not ideal for adults. The upside is that you don’t have to live with a massive vehicle every day.
If you need more space, what you’re looking for is a minivan. For the times you need to use the third row for kids or pets or whatever else, it’s perfectly adequate. And when you don’t need the extra seats, you can fold them down, which is done electrically, and enjoy tons of cargo room.
Whether you buy a Vistiq as a family vehicle or just because you like luxury SUVs, you’ll be spoiled for power. Dual electric motors draw energy from a 102-kilowatt-hour battery to produce a total of 615 horsepower and 649 lb-ft of torque. The Vistiq will accelerate from a standstill to 100 kilometres an hour in less than four seconds. “It’s a big car that drives small,” says Cadillac chief engineer Jeff MacDonald. “It’s not a sports car. The goal from the outset was a plush ride character, but it also has to handle well.”
They’ve accomplished this with the use of a semiactive damping system. It’s a standard damper but with an electronically controlled external valve. “That’s the biggest enabler here,” says MacDonald. “We can keep it as flat as we want in a corner, but it still absorbs bumps and road cracks, and you get that planted feel.” The Vistiq also has air suspension and a rear-wheel steering system, which MacDonald says is “tremendous” for agility and stability.
A 33-inch curved display is the centrepiece of the cabin.Kuinal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Cadillac has crammed the Vistiq with all the newest technology, including the latest version of its hands-free driving system, night vision, active road-noise cancellation and multiple drive modes. The Vistiq also gets a one-pedal driving feature and the regenerative-braking-on-demand steering wheel paddle that can be used to slow down and come to a complete stop without using the brake pedal.
It’s also suitably luxurious, as expected when paying as much for a vehicle as your kid’s degree, with rich-feeling interior materials, custom colour combinations, a 23-speaker stereo system and five-zone climate control. It will also get vehicle-to-home bi-directional charging that you can use to power a properly set-up home in the event of a power outage.
The new all-electric Vistiq will be available in early 2025 as a 2026 model-year vehicle.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
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