{"id":8225,"date":"2025-06-02T14:51:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T14:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/06\/02\/2025-cadillac-optiq-electric-suv-car-review\/"},"modified":"2025-06-02T14:52:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T14:52:05","slug":"2025-cadillac-optiq-electric-suv-car-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/06\/02\/2025-cadillac-optiq-electric-suv-car-review\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 Cadillac Optiq Electric SUV Car Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 2025 Cadillac Optiq. Courtesy Cadillac\/GM-DESIGN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to try these new electric Cadillacs,\u201d a semi-reliable source told me on a recent car press trip. But I was skeptical. Typically, this is how it goes with electric cars: newer brands like Tesla<\/a>, Polestar<\/a>, Lucid<\/a> and Rivian<\/a> do all the work to change the automotive narrative, and then legacy manufacturers play catchup, trying to mold existing models and ideas around a powertrain that\u2019s not their specialty, and that their customers don\u2019t especially desire. So you end up getting cars that, while technically electric, feel more like a homework assignment than something inspirational.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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So I was surprised when Cadillac, GM\u2019s luxury division<\/a> that hasn\u2019t made an interesting or relevant car in at least a decade, delivered the Optiq, their baseline new electric SUV, to my door\u2014it was fresh, cool and even fun. Cadillac<\/a> has done its homework again, but with the Optiq, they aspire to more than a passing grade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cadillac is gearing the Optiq toward younger buyers. Courtesy Cadillac\/GM-DESIGN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We can start with the first impression. A lot of SUVs, even electric ones, have a stuffy, family-hauler vibe to them. But Cadillac is gearing the Optiq toward younger buyers, so there\u2019s a streamlined windshield and D-pillar, giving the front of the car an aerodynamic feel. It has a long stance, too, with a 116-inch wheelbase, making it look both smooth and roomy at the same time. The one I drove had a \u201cCrystal White Tricoat,\u201d a much nicer look than the usual test cars I see, which are often off-brand colors that no sane consumer would want. People will want this one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The interior design is quite nice, too, though mine was colored \u201cAutumn Canyon,\u201d which is maybe car manufacturer-speak for \u201cBarf Pink,\u201d and not what I would choose. But the cabin had a nice flow, and was full of soft-touch materials. Cadillac seems to like its full-dashboard 33-inch screen, which accommodates Apple CarPlay. That feels a long way off from the purported automotive trend of going back to knobs and buttons, a direction that\u2019s so prominent that the newly-announced Slate electric truck will feature roll-up windows. This version of the Optiq is not that. Driving it feels as immersively digital as sitting in the captain\u2019s chair of the USS Enterprise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The interior interface embraces the digital. Courtesy Cadillac\/GM-DESIGN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But what a drive. With Cadillac, the Optiq has done far more than just slap an electric motor in a slightly prettified, pre-made chassis. It has synchronized front and rear electric motors that generate 300 horsepower, which isn\u2019t a lot by contemporary car standards, and also gets you more than 300 miles of electric driving range, which is pretty good. But it makes the absolute most of every erg it generates. The Optiq accelerates to 60 m.p.h. in five seconds\u2014not extraordinarily fast, but good for an SUV, and, most notably, it\u2019s incredibly relaxing. Driving it was a roomy pleasure, and I drove it at times with two large, hungry Zoomers in the back. It was my son and his friend. I don\u2019t know any other twentysomethings at this point. This car, they declared, is sick.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the main takeaway from driving a good modern electric car. They\u2019re all sick in the right way, but also usually mellow to drive, unless they\u2019re an electric sports car expressly tuned to rattle your bones. With most of them, there\u2019s never a hitch or a wheeze, no uncertainty, just a smooth luxury cruise. And the Optiq provides the smoothest suspension in the segment. GM calls its internal hands-free driving system \u201cSuperCruise,\u201d and that\u2019s exactly what driving the Optiq feels like: A flawless SuperCruise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"View\"View
Gen Z approved! GM-DESIGN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve been praying for electric vehicles to take over the highways for years now, but politics, infrastructure, and a general reticence on the part of legacy manufacturers have slowed that inevitability. I would rather drive almost any car than Cadillac\u2019s previous base electric model, the XT4. It was lousy across the board. But the Optiq is a completely different story, and a huge turnaround for the brand. The version I drove had a base price of slightly more than $55,000, but topped out at $63,510, with an options package that included 21-inch black alloy wheels. The \u201cBarf Pink\u201d interior was an extra $1,100, though. If you\u2019re looking to trim costs, that\u2019s where I\u2019d recommend cutting down. <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"2025<\/p><\/div>\n