The 2025 Cadillac Optiq Is a Funky Little EV: First Drive Review

There are a few drive modes in the Optiq: Excursion, Sport, Snow/Ice, and My Mode. Sporting activity mode changes the accelerator mapping to be a lot more responsive, and the Optiq has lots of power for its size and weight. I could not securely slam my foot to the flooring in the torrential rain, however when I did strike the pedal, the car fasted adequate to make a typical customer really feel flashy.

I have actually driven two stylish EV crossovers hard on winding roadways recently: the Optiq and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Both made me nauseous. It’s most likely the mix of silence and hefty aesthetic weight in an EV, disorienting my body due to the fact that it anticipates to really feel noise, grunt, and gas.

Inside the Optiq, there are 4 furniture options: black, dark blue, fall orange, and light gray with royal blue accents. I would certainly spec an Optiq with the Sporting activity trim, Emperor Orange paint, and gray-and-royal-blue interior, yet I couldn’t inform you if that’s good or not due to the fact that my “tacky” radar has been made about 29 years. (I’m 29 years old.).

The indoor styling reminded me of a current on the internet pattern where people joke regarding “Millennial hamburger joints” in America. You recognize the place: Appetisers are called “shareables,” the burger begins a slab of timber, the catsup can be found in a steel tin, and desserts are milkshake or smoothies with entire breezes on the top. Millennials like commercialized peculiarity since it makes us really feel distinct, even if we’re all at the very same hamburger joint getting the same thing.

Still, the experience is unique. In my memory financial institution, the very first time I listened to a track in Atmos (in the Optiq, two weeks ago) is up there with the very first time I went to one of those interactive movie theaters that spray water on you. It was that impressive.

The only noise disruptions came from the Optiq’s security systems. In some cases they warned at bollards on the side of the roadway, and sometimes they beeped at parked autos.

There are just 2 drawbacks with this stereo: The initial is that not all tunes are in Atmos, and if you take pleasure in much more unknown music like me, a lot of your playlist won’t be blended for 3D. The 2nd is that not every Atmos mix has the same deepness– a few of them lean greatly on the front speakers, making them seem much more like a typical mix than an Atmos one.

Dolby Atmos is basically 3D noise; pop music are blended in Atmos to be “3D,” where instruments, voices, and beats take place throughout you. Mixers can position them over you, listed below you, in front of you, and behind you They can likewise place the voices and beats in motion, drifting them around your body and head. (On the Optiq’s screen in the Amazon Music app, Atmos tunes had a “Dolby Atmos” tag under the artist and track name. Cadillac says Atmos seem will get on specific versions for 2025, and it’ll be available across the company’s whole EV lineup for 2026.).

In one track, “Hush” by The Marías, there’s an introduction beat that lasts about 10 secs. A normal speaker will just play that beat at you. Yet when I played the Atmos version in the Optiq, that very same beat made a circle around me, as if a sphere of audio was literally orbiting my head.

That’s essential, due to the fact that Cadillac places the Optiq as a sportier version.

Maybe you have actually heard of the 2025 Cadillac Optiq. Maybe you haven’t. Perhaps you identify the -intelligence suffix as Cadillac’s new branding for electric vehicles, however can’t actually inform one -intelligence automobile from the following. I don’t criticize you. But no matter your familiarity with Cadillac’s brand-new “IQ” cars, there’s a hidden thread right here: Cadillac is amazing its schedule, fast.

Possibly you’ve heard of the 2025 Cadillac Optiq. The Optiq is component of a major shift for Cadillac. The Optiq is the cheapest car in Cadillac’s new electrical schedule, with a starting rate of $56,390 with destination charges. Cadillac estimates 302 miles of range, but the EPA hasn’t released official array quotes for the Optiq.

That’s important, since Cadillac places the Optiq as a sportier model. When I drove the vehicle, the business mentioned its flat, wind resistant windscreen angle and large 20- to 21-inch wheels. They additionally motivated us to drive it hard on winding roadways.

But the Optiq isn’t around driving hard. It’s about the indoor experience, and the thing that makes it is the sound system. It has a 19-speaker Dolby Atmos system standard, and I have not stopped considering it.

The Optiq is the cheapest automobile in Cadillac’s new electric schedule, with a beginning rate of $56,390 with location costs. Cadillac estimates 302 miles of range, however the EPA hasn’t launched main array estimates for the Optiq.

I really did not expect to such as the Optiq as high as I do, because as a vehicle enthusiast, it’s tough to really feel something in a deluxe electric SUV. They’re all fancy, quiet, and quickly (often too quick for a normal purchaser). Maybe you feel the very same way, or you simply haven’t found out to tell the -iq cars and trucks apart.

The Optiq is component of a significant shift for Cadillac. Signing up with the Optiq are designs like the Lyriq, Vistiq, and Celestiq.

There are currently just two trims of the Optiq: High-end and Sport, which have similar prices however somewhat different designing. The Deluxe trim has brilliant chrome accents outside, while the Sport is a lot more blacked-out. Luxury-trimmed Optiqs likewise obtain the alternative for an imperial blue paint shade called Coastal Blue Metallic, while the Sport’s special paint shade is a bright-lava shade called Emperor Orange.

The Optiq is different. It might not be a hardcore canyon carver, yet it’s special due to the fact that it selects an ability: making a customer, their music, and their interior feel unique, whether they’re driving to function, home, or that Millennial burger joint.

While driving (or being driven) hard on curvy roads, the Optiq moved its weight forward boldy under stopping and swayed in sharp turns. If you’re a customer who suches as ripping your automobiles on good roads– even electric crossovers– it deserves seeing if they make you unwell first.

The Optiq has a complete collection of basic safety and security devices, including General Motors’ Super Cruise ship hands-free driver-assistance system. The service is totally free for 3 years if you acquire a Super Cruise-equipped vehicle new, and it’s a registration service thereafter.

The remainder of the Optiq’s interior is high-class, too. My tester cars and truck had the light-gray color design with royal-blue accents, and there were all kinds of materials in it: woven thread made from recycled products, timber veneer made from recycled paper, silver speaker covers, and royal-blue towel and plastic.

Driving the Optiq isn’t astonishing, yet it is comfortable. The inside is so peaceful that your ears need to adjust to the silence when you close the doors, and that noise cancellation continues on the roadway: When a severe rainstorm hit the vehicle, I really did not realize exactly how hurricane-like the problems were until I got out. In the automobile, it simply felt like a typical shower.