Test Drive Cadillac Vistiq: Fully Electric With Full Force

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Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

Even though there's no V8 but an electric motor under the massive body: the Cadillac Vistiq is a classic American luxury car. For better or worse.

Power in abundance and endless space—the electric Cadillac Vistiq offers the classic advantages of American luxury cars but also suffers from their typical disadvantages. Especially in terms of consumption, the EV stands in the tradition of carefree gas-guzzling US cars.

The fact that the crossover hails from the land of unlimited space is evident from a distance. With a length of 17 ft, well over 6.6 ft in width, and a roofline somewhere at the height of the average Central European's head, it looks sprawlingly large even next to normal full-size SUVs. This may be inconvenient for parking and maneuvering, but it has two advantages: it’s hard to miss, and you’ll never feel claustrophobic inside. Indeed, the generous dimensions translate into a princely amount of space. At least in the first two rows, there’s plenty of room to stretch out. In the third row, things naturally get a bit tighter, but with some fine-tuning of the other seats, two adults can manage at least for short trips. Access to the third row is achieved either through the gap between the individual seats in the second row or, thanks to a sophisticated electrified rail system, past the folded-backrests through the large rear doors.

Massive Interior Styling

The interior meets high standards. Everything feels solid and carved from a single block; the center console is as hefty as a room divider, and the remaining buttons and switches feel so premium and sturdy that one tends to interact with them more often than necessary. However, most controls are operated via touchscreens. Unfortunately, this includes the climate control, which is adjusted through a screen mounted so low that it requires taking your eyes off the road for a considerable time with every fine adjustment. Beyond that, the operating system is not entirely convincing in every aspect—for example, the steering wheel inevitably obscures parts of the large concave screen that stretches from the door to the passenger area. Alternatively, the most important information also appears on the head-up display, which has its own minor flaw: the navigation's turn arrows, projected helpfully into the driver's field of vision, are so large that they nearly obscure the road behind them. The speed warning system also desperately needs a software update, as it chimes more insistently than competitors' systems and can only be turned off with some difficulty.

Far more than the stop-and-go of city traffic, the Cadillac truly excels in effortlessly gliding over long distances. The muscular 880 Nm of torque from the two electric motors make the roughly three-ton vehicle feel surprisingly agile at all times. Pressing the "V" button on the steering wheel unleashes the full power, turning the Vistiq into an unstoppable force that surges forward as if it weighed half as much. It thunders to 62 mph in about four seconds and reaches speeds of up to 130 mph. Mostly, however, in straight lines, as even the optional adaptive air suspension can't entirely prevent noticeable body roll in corners. At least the powerful brakes behind the 23-inch wheels reliably bring it to a safe stop.

Luxury Costs Range

In another aspect, however, technical tricks don't help: efficiency. While an average consumption of 25 to 30 kWh per 62 mi is not a bad figure considering the sheer amount of automotive luxury offered here, it does drain the 91 kWh battery fairly quickly. Driving at reasonably high speeds on the highway means having to stop at a charging station every 186 mi at the latest, where the Cadillac charges at a relatively modest rate. The maximum charging power is 130 kW—a figure that is no longer even average in today's premium segment. The overall package of limited charging power, battery capacity, and moderate efficiency makes it far from ideal for fast long-distance driving.

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Competitors like a Hyundai Ioniq 9, a Mercedes EQS SUV, or a Volvo EX90 may go further and charge faster, but they don't offer the massive, confident luxury that a Cadillac embodies inside and out. Because the distinct character of the brand hasn't changed in the electric age: Even without a V8, the Vistiq remains a classic US SUV.

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