2025 Cadillac Optiq Review: An EV That Acts Like a Great SUV

Sorry, Tesla. Cadillac’s New Optiq Is The EV For People Who Hate EV Nonsense

Let’s be real. The EV world is obsessed with numbers. Zero to sixty times. Peak charging kilowatts. Lap times. It’s exhausting. What happened to just wanting a nice car?

I think I found it. I just spent a week with the 2025 Cadillac Optiq, and I have a confession: I kept forgetting it was electric. And that’s the highest praise I can possibly give it. This isn’t a gadget on wheels; it’s a fantastically composed, quiet, and comfortable luxury SUV that mercifully doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel.

Driving It Feels… Normal (Thank Goodness)

Sliding into the driver’s seat, the first thing you notice is the silence. It’s that hushed, library-like quiet that only a well-built EV can provide. Stomp on the accelerator (should we still call it a “gas” pedal?), and there’s a smooth, silent surge of power. The claimed 0-60 mph time is around 5.5 seconds, which in the real world translates to “more than enough.”

It’s quick, but it won’t plaster your passengers to the back of their seats or make your groceries slide around the trunk. It just… goes. Effortlessly. The ride is firm in that modern, European way, but it’s never harsh. It soaks up potholes and expansion joints with a muted thump that made my daily commute on battered city streets genuinely relaxing.

But here’s my favorite party trick: the one-pedal driving. After a few minutes of getting used to it, I was hooked. I drove through 45 minutes of stop-and-go traffic without touching the brake pedal once. The car just slows itself to a perfect, smooth stop when you lift your foot. It’s not just a cool feature; it’s a genuine quality-of-life improvement that makes driving less tedious.

The Interior is a Minimalist’s Dream

Open the door, and the Optiq whispers “premium” without shouting it. Gone are the button-festooned dashboards of old Cadillacs. Instead, you’re greeted by a calming, almost Scandinavian layout. My test car had this gorgeous open-pore wood and a dashboard wrapped in a soft, woven fabric made from recycled materials. It felt special, not sterile.

And then there’s The Screen. Oh, that screen. A single, seamless piece of glass that stretches across half the dashboard. It’s a 33-inch behemoth that displays your gauges and your infotainment. It’s so ridiculously sharp and responsive that it makes other car screens look like old iPads. It’s the kind of tech that feels genuinely futuristic without being annoying to use.

Is it perfect? Almost. The back seat is roomy, but that classic EV bugbear is present: the floor is a bit high, so taller adults might sit with their knees slightly elevated. And that sleek, sloping roofline? It looks great from the outside, but it does shave off a inch or two of rear headroom. For my 5’10” frame, it was fine, but your six-and-a-half-foot uncle might complain.

The Killer Feature? The Price Tag.

Here’s the kicker that makes the Optiq so compelling: the price. The model I drove was loaded and stickered right around $59,000.

Let that sink in.

That doesn’t put it against other electric crossovers. That puts it squarely in the crosshairs of a well-optioned Lexus RX 350h, a Lincoln Nautilus, or an Audi Q5. When you cross-shop it that way, the Optiq starts to look like a secret cheat code. You get that sublime EV smoothness and quietness, a killer tech interface, and stunning interior materials for the same money as the gas-powered competition.

With an EPA range of 302 miles, I never once felt a twinge of range anxiety. It’s more than enough for a week of errands and commuting.

The Final Verdict: The Cadillac Optiq is a quiet revolution. It’s not for the person who wants to win drag races or brag about their 250kW charging speed. It’s for the person who just wants a really, really nice car. It’s comfortable, it’s quiet, it’s beautifully made, and it doesn’t force the “electric” part of its personality on you. It’s just an excellent SUV. And honestly, that’s all most of us really want.


What I Loved:

  • The incredibly serene and quiet cabin.

  • The one-pedal driving is a game-changer for traffic.

  • A stunning interior that feels more expensive than it is.

  • A price tag that battles gas-powered rivals.

What Made Me Scoff:

  • The back seat, while roomy, isn’t the best for super-tall adults.

  • The design is handsome, but it won’t turn heads like a Lyriq.

  • It’s quick, but it won’t satisfy your inner speed demon.


IMAGE SOURCE-www.motortrend.com

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