First Drive: 2024 Cadillac Lyriq Proves Quick and Agile, With a Luxurious Interior
New EV reveals styling, technology, and a platform for future Cadillacs
CR's 2024 Cadillac Lyriq EV
Update: Since this first drive was originally published in February, 2024, we finished testing the Cadillac Lyriq. Read the complete Cadillac Lyriq road test.
These days it’s vital for any luxury brand going forward to play in the electric vehicle space. Despite pioneering work by General Motors with the early EV1 and Chevrolet Volt, and later the Cadillac ELR and current Chevrolet Bolt, the Cadillac brand finds itself rather late to jump on the EV bandwagon.
But now the all-new Lyriq is here, Cadillac’s first fully electric vehicle, and we’ve bought one for our Auto Test program. It showcases next-generation styling for the brand, and introduces a new modular electric platform, called Ultium, that is shared with the Chevrolet Blazer (which we’ve also purchased; see our early thoughts here) and Equinox EVs, Acura ZDX, and Honda Prologue.
The new Lyriq is roughly the length and width of Cadillac’s XT6 SUV. However, the Lyriq has a much sleeker profile, being 6 inches lower in height and riding on a 9-inch longer wheelbase. The Lyriq comes with either rear- or all-wheel drive, producing 340 horsepower and 500 hp, respectively. The EPA estimates that the rear-wheel-drive version has 314 miles of driving range and the all-wheel-drive model (like we purchased) has a 307-mile range. Both rely on a 102-kilowatt-hour battery.
