2025 Cadillac Optiq First Drive: Surprise, Surprise, It’s a Refreshing Entry-Level Caddy
Cadillac’s smallest EV brings the heat, the tech, and the handling in a new SUV package.
Cadillac is going electric SUV crazy. GM’s luxury arm introduced the mid-size Lyriq SUVa few years back (though it came with some Ultium-platform-related teething problems) and then went quiet for what felt like forever. That old era is way over now, as Cadillac just introduced the massively wonderful Escalade IQ and the kinda compact Optiq we’re about to dive into. The three-row, seven-passenger Vistiq and ultra-luxe $300,000-plus Celestiq should both be on the road by the end of 2025. As for the 2025 Cadillac Optiq? It’s a relatively diminutive all-electric SUV, though with Cadillac claiming a 5,200-pound curb weight, the very notion of compact is stretched. But that’s simply an EV reality these days. Cadillac invited us to rainy San Francisco to experience the new 2025 Optiq in a bustling city environment as well as on the majestic coastal roads that lie just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. So should you care about yet another leathered-up Tesla Mode Y-sized crossover EV? We sure think so.
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What It Is
The Cadillac Optiq has been on sale since the end of 2023—in China, where it’s made by SAIC-GM, a 50/50 joint venture between General Motors and Chinese manufacturer SAIC. However, the Optiq we drove here, and the one Americans can buy, is manufactured by General Motors de Mexico at the Ramos Arizpe Assembly plant alongside several models including its siblings, the Chevrolet Equinox EV and Honda Prologue. North America-bound Optiqs have an 85-kWhUBE (usable battery energy) NMC battery and only come only in all-wheel-drive form. The Chinese-built Optiqs have three smaller battery packs to choose from and can be had as front-drive models. Our Optiq’s twin motors produce a combined 300 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque, and the EPA says the Optiq can travel 302-miles on a single charge.
To understand how good the new 2025 Cadillac Optiq is, it helps to come to terms with how forgettable the Cadillac XT4 was. Oh, it’s still on sale? Oops. That’s a harsh way of describing it, but when’s the last time you or anyone you know cross-shopped one, or you heard someone mention it, or you even thought about it? Be honest, especially if you’re a Cadillac employee thinking about writing us a note. When we brought up this point in conversation at dinner, a fellow journalist said, “Hey, it’s better than the XT6.” Fair. One of the unsung attributes of electric vehicles—especially smaller ones—is that just by replacing the powertrain, electric motors tend to make a vehicle better. Power and torque typically go way up, while slow-shifting, rev-hanging FWD-packaged transmissions go away. This makes the EV version quicker, and while it’s heavier, the center of gravity drops by a foot while the weight distribution gets more even between the axles. As a result, inherent grip and sportiness tend to improve.
Now imagine all the above and the engineer in charge of all the mechanical stuff races 900-hp circle-track cars in his free time. Additionally, Cadillac did far more than just electrify an old product. This is a clean-sheet contraption, in the best way possible.
Plenty of Goodness
Forget about the Optiq’s great-looking sheet metal for a moment (we’ll circle back) and its comfortable, luxurious interior, and pay attention to just how great this little (though not really little) Cadillac drives. It’s quick enough, with a claimed low-5-second 0–60-mph sprint, but its road holding and confident handling are what really stand out. Most EVs typically ship with economical but crummy-to-drive low-rolling resistance tires. Because Cadillac wanted to deliver a sporty little crossover, it worked with Continental to create a dual-compound tire. The result is one that will help with range on the straights yet stick hard to the road once you turn the Optiq’s steering wheel.
The suspension is pretty good, too. Burdened with the unfortunate name of “passive-plus dampers,” said pieces provide a firm yet sporty ride unless a sudden impact is detected (based on the dampers’ internal shaft speed) and fluid is directed to secondary valving that smooths and softens things out. No computers are needed, and it’s quite simple and effective. All the driver really needs to know is that this cost-saving passive-plus tech works. Sure, we would love to see an optional Magneride damper setup, one that stiffens itself up properly when duty calls. And we probably will if/when Cadillac builds an Optiq V. But for what most customers are going to use their Optiqs for most of the time, Passive-Plus works well, even on the optional 21-inch wheels (20-inchers are standard). Also standard is GM’s industry-leading hands-free driving system, Super Cruise.
Sounding Off
Do you like music? Because if you do, that might just be the most compelling reason to buy a 2025 Cadillac Optiq all-electric SUV. The brand announced previously that all Cadillac EVs will have Dolby Atmos audio standard, and the Optiq is the first product to get the sound giant’s excellent high-end tech. And guess what? The Optiq is the first-ever vehicle engineered with Dolby Atmos in mind. Yes, Lucid, Mercedes-Benz, and Rivian all offer Atmos software (though not all are Dolby 7.1.4 systems, which is needed for true Atmos), but the little Caddy is the first to come with the proper hardware. How nuts did Cadillac go? The bizarrely placed passenger grab handle is poorly located where it is (on the A-pillar) because Cadillac put a speaker in the roof where it was supposed to reside. We listened, and the Atmos install is nerdy audiophile listening-room quality. Plus, there’s no droning 2.0-liter turbo engine to wreck the experience.
Inside Details
Speaking of the interior, it’s quite nice. Cadillac is rapidly improving from the days of carbon-fiber stacked randomly on leather that is for some reason stacked on aluminum. It now makes calmer, richer cabins. All sustainable interior materials discussions tend to blur together, but at least some of what you see is made from recycled fishing nets, we think. A net positive at any rate. Most notable is the 33-inch curved dash screen. GM is sticking to its no Apple CarPlay guns, and the native Google software works quite well. Sure, you might get into a fight with the Google assistant, but that’s the nature of voice commands at the moment. For what it’s worth, it’s the exact same fight you’d have with Siri. One fight you may not have is one about who gets to sit up front; the Optiq’s large wheelbase (116-inches, compared to, say 113, for a Tesla Model Y) means there’s plenty of room in the rear seat. There is good storage behind the rear seats, too.
Outside Lines
Finally, back to the exterior, and like all electric Cadillacs, it’s gorgeous. We’re unsure what was in the water cooler at the GM design center when Brian Smith’s team worked up the electrified Cadillacs, but we hope they saved some of the magic ingredients. With the exception of the jury’s-still-out Celestiq, the Optiq, Lyriq, Vistiq, and Escalade IQ are stunning and as good as SUV design gets. Now, it would have been easy to simply take the Lyriq and shrink it to make an Optiq. You can even be forgiven for thinking that’s exactly whatCadillac did here at first glance. But take a longer look and you see the Optiq’s windshield and D-pillar are both quite raked—Cadillac calls them “fast”—and are meant to appeal to a younger buyer and connote sportiness. It all works, and so does the etched body panel between the C and D-pillars. The latter is meant to be a play on the revised, stylized Cadillac badge. Either way, no one would fault you if you just bought an Optiq for its looks alone.
Job Well Done
Overall, we’re impressed. We went in with low expectations (perhaps unfairly informed by the Cadillac XT4), as Cadillac historically has rarely done a good enough job with its entry-level products. The Optiq changes all that. From its good looks to its no-compromise interior to great standard tech (Atmos, Google, and Super Cruise) to the solid range, good performance, and surprising handling, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq is far removed from the bad old days. Putting aside the no CarPlay crybaby argument, you could legitimately critique the Optiq’s $54,390 starting price as being on the high side. However, for what you get we think it’s totally inline with the realities of today’s premium segment. Cadillac appears to be resisting the temptation to sell a decontented Optiq (one motor, smaller battery, no Super Cruise, no Atmos), and we applaud the strategy. Cadillac is, after all, meant to be the standard of the world. The new Optiq is a step in the right direction.
When I was just one-year-old and newly walking, I managed to paint a white racing stripe down the side of my father’s Datsun 280Z. It’s been downhill ever since then. Moral of the story? Painting the garage leads to petrolheads. I’ve always loved writing, and I’ve always had strong opinions about cars.
One day I realized that I should combine two of my biggest passions and see what happened. Turns out that some people liked what I had to say and within a few years Angus MacKenzie came calling. I regularly come to the realization that I have the best job in the entire world. My father is the one most responsible for my car obsession. While driving, he would never fail to regale me with tales of my grandfather’s 1950 Cadillac 60 Special and 1953 Buick Roadmaster. He’d also try to impart driving wisdom, explaining how the younger you learn to drive, the safer driver you’ll be. “I learned to drive when I was 12 and I’ve never been in an accident.” He also, at least once per month warned, “No matter how good you drive, someday, somewhere, a drunk’s going to come out of nowhere and plow into you.”
When I was very young my dad would strap my car seat into the front of his Datsun 280Z and we’d go flying around the hills above Malibu, near where I grew up. The same roads, in fact, that we now use for the majority of our comparison tests. I believe these weekend runs are part of the reason why I’ve never developed motion sickness, a trait that comes in handy when my “job” requires me to sit in the passenger seats for repeated hot laps of the Nurburgring. Outside of cars and writing, my great passions include beer — brewing and judging as well as tasting — and tournament poker. I also like collecting cactus, because they’re tough to kill. My amazing wife Amy is an actress here in Los Angeles and we have a wonderful son, Richard.Read More
