2023 Cadillac Lyriq: Charting a new (green) path

“The new Lyriq is arguably the prettiest Cadillac in a long time. From a unique front face that will soon become instantly recognizable to its long, sleek lines and beautiful detailing, it could be seen as the modern counterpoint to the Cadillacs of the ’50s. They were distinctive and widely admired, though with a completely different design language than this Lyriq. It seemed for a time that Cadillac wanted to be like BMW, but not anymore. (One might say that of BMW as well.) The Lyriq sets Cadillac on a different direction.

… The finish inside is elaborate with a combination of open-pore wood, laser-cut metallic overlays, and backlighting. The knobs that control the HVAC vents have Genesis-style knurling. And the designers have also provided plenty of storage, with a blue-leather-lined drawer in the center stack and a large tray under the cantilevered center console, which also contains a storage bin.

… After pressing the start button and moving the short column-mounted shift lever into ‘D,’ the Lyriq moves off smoothly. In the way of most BEVs, the powertrain is immediately responsive and feels effortless in normal driving. The Lyriq is also impressively quiet, with no powertrain noise and precious little wind or road noise.

Our examples were equipped with the optional 275/40 Michelin Primacy A/S tires on 22-inch wheels and delivered a comfortable ride on the smooth roads around Park City, Utah, where we had our drive. On one stretch, where the pavement was slightly wrinkled, we definitely felt that through the seat of our pants. It will be interesting to see how the Lyriq rides on pockmarked pavement. The standard fitment will be 20-inch wheels and tires, though Cadillac’s engineers claimed there was little difference in ride comfort between the two options.

While we didn’t get a chance to run the Lyriq hard on winding roads, it corners with minimal roll and responds nicely to the helm. The Lyriq has an all-new suspension with five-link geometry in front as well as the rear, along with ‘frequency-dependent’ shocks, which add an additional valving circuit to provide more refined damping control. Those Primacy tires are hardly sporting sneakers, and with a curb weight around 5,700 pounds, the Lyriq is not going to be a back-road hero. But within its limits, it performs well. Passing on two-lane roads is not a problem, but as speeds increase, you can feel that there are only 340 horses pushing nearly three tons.”

— Csaba Csere, Car and Driver

“Lyriq has three drive modes, plus a customizable option: Tour, Sport, Snow/Ice, and My Mode. In Tour mode, the suspension is softly sprung with a fair amount of body roll. Sport mode tightens that up significantly, along with sharpening the steering and adding more aggressive accelerator pedal mapping. I kept the car mostly in Sport, enjoying the heavier feel and snappier go pedal.
On the left side of the steering wheel is a regenerative braking paddle that works regardless of whether one-pedal mode is engaged. It is input-sensitive, so the harder you pull, the harder it will brake. If the stopping power requested exceeds what the regenerative system can generate, the physical brakes are imperceptibly blended in.
Lyriq has a fifty-fifty weight distribution, so if you throw it into a turn at speeds that challenge the gripping abilities of the specially-developed Michelin Primacy P75/40R22 all-season rubber (a $1,550 option that includes a 22-inch wheel) our car was equipped with, it stays quite neutral. Stomp the juice pedal mid-turn and electronic stability controls keep things tame, without adding more rotation to the vehicle.
Weighing in at 5,610 pounds, it is not, obviously, a sports car. Still, with all the acceleration one really needs — from a standing start to highway speeds — and a stiff, responsive chassis, it’s as enjoyable to challenge a curvy mountain road with as it is to quietly waft along an arrow-straight interstate listening to composer Caleb Burhans’ “Evensong.” Your musical mileage may vary.”

— Domenick Yoney, INSIDEEVs

“An enormous screen in front of the driver combines dash cluster and infotainment into one ultra-wide display. The right half is touch-sensitive, as is a small control panel on the far left that allows you to shift between modes on the instrument cluster. The screen is sharp, and the colors are vibrant, which is helpful because it runs Android Automotive, Google’s in-car platform. That means it supports full-screen Google Maps natively, and it looks terrific. You can get directions by talking to Google Assistant (“Hey Google, where’s the nearest Starbucks?”), and the Google Play store will eventually have all kinds of apps for you to download. In short order, you’ll be able to watch YouTube on your car’s screen while you relax at an EV charger.
The presence of Google Maps means I’m not so worried about plugging in my phone to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (which is different from Android Automotive, perplexingly), though both are supported wirelessly. In fact, using CarPlay means giving up a chunk of the slightly curved screen because CarPlay only works in a rectangle. There’s no head-up display, but Google Maps can take over your entire dash cluster, aside from a small portion showing your current charge status and speed.
The center console is floating, with a vast storage cubby on the floor that’s big enough for even the most oversized purse. There’s even a pop-out drawer with built-in illumination to store items you would prefer not fly around, and it’s easily big enough for a wallet or cell phone. Rest upon the armrest, and your hand lands on top of the media controls, with a scroll wheel to control the volume and a lovely crystal knob to control the screen if you don’t want to reach out and touch it.
Nearly everything in the car looks and feels premium, with a nice mixture of leather and metal touch points. The tiny knobs to adjust the vents are a particular high point, giving a very satisfying click when you make the quarter-turn to turn the airflow on and off. The only disappointment I could find was facing the back seat passengers at the rear of the console. There’s an odd cubby at the top that seems helpful for holding nothing at all, and I learned from an engineer that it was a casualty of the Lyriq’s accelerated development timetable. It’s meant to have a set of rear-seat HVAC controls.”

— Jordan Golson, North State Journal