I Got A Sneak Preview Of The 2026 Cadillac Vistiq 3-Row Electric SUV. Here Are My First Impressions

With the Vistiq, Cadillac is replaying a product strategy it first employed almost six years ago with the XT6, its first 3-row crossover.

At that time, the brand took the midsize, 2-row XT5 and put a new longer and taller top hat on it while retaining the same wheelbase. The overhangs grew a bit longer and the boxier rear roofline allowed for a third row that could reasonably accommodate a pair of average-sized adults without hunching over.

Let’s Look At The Design

For Vistiq, the starting point is the two-row Lyriq which already has a surprisingly long 121.8-inch wheelbase and 196.7-inch overall length. The Vistiq body grows to 205.6 inches and the roofline is lifted by almost seven inches to 71.02 inches. Those are similar to the gaps between XT5 and XT6.

From a design perspective, the Vistiq shares a similar front-end visage with its other electric Cadillac siblings including fancy signature lighting in the faux grille and the vertical waterfall headlamps that cascade into place as you approach. From the A-pillar back, it bears more of a resemblance to the gargantuan Escalade, including a D-pillar that is thicker at the roofline and tapers inward toward the belt line. Cadillac designers say that appearance is a callback to the dearly departed CTS-V wagon, and while that particular element is true, the rest of the proportions are quite different. That however is the cost of providing a three-row layout with seating for up to seven.

The Vistiq does get a neat little design feature that we first saw on the Optiq for the rear quarter windows. Graphic elements that give a hint of motion are integrated between the layers of safety glass. They are visually interesting without obscuring visibility much at all.

How Big Is It?

Relative to luxury three-row electric competitors, the Vistiq is substantially longer, at about 4, 6, and 7-inches longer than the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Tesla Model X, and Volvo EX90 respectively. It’s even 1.6-inches longer than the GMC Acadia Denali. On the other hand it’s 6-inches and 19-inches shorter than the gas Escalade and electric Escalade IQ.

What’s The Battery Size, Horsepower And Weight?

Down below the top hat, the common wheelbase with the Lyriq means the Vistiq carries the same 12-module battery pack with 102-kWh usable capacity as the two-row utility. The Vistiq does get a fairly significant power upgrade from the Lyriq. In standard, two-motor, AWD form, the current Lyriq produces 500 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. The bigger, heavier Vistiq gets 615 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. In metric, that torque number equates to 880-Nm which gets rounded up to yield the 900e badge on the tailgate.

Cadillac recently teased a Lyriq-V coming in 2025 as well, and it seems a reasonable bet that vehicle will have similar power and torque figures to the Vistiq.

The big downside of the extra size and volume is a corresponding increase in mass, which jumps nearly 500 pounds from the all-wheel-drive Lyriq to 6,326 pounds. Cadillac hasn’t yet announced how far the Vistiq will go on a charge, but with the same battery, more power, weight, and frontal area, physics tells us it will be less than the current 319 miles for the 2025 AWD Lyriq.

No doubt, over the coming months between now and the spring launch, Cadillac engineers will be working overtime to try to squeeze at least 300 miles per charge with at least the base 21-inch alloy wheels. Optional rolling stock includes 22-inch or 23-inch alloys. Cadillac is projecting that the Vistiq will get from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds with the Velocity Max mode engaged. If the Lyriq-V gets the same output, it’s lower weight should allow it to hit the low 3-second range if not even in the high twos.

How Quickly Can It Charge?

Like the rest of GM’s current EV lineup, the Vistiq has a nominal 400V electrical system. Even the full-size trucks and utilities operate at 400V although they use a clever trick with their giant dual-layer batteries to enable charging at 800V. In this case, a voltage splitter is used to feed 400V to each layer, essentially treating it as two batteries charging in parallel for an equivalent of 350-kW.

Like the Lyriq and other GM EVs with a single-layer battery, the Vistiq can charge at about 200 kW with a suitable and functional DC fast charger. On AC charging, the standard setup will charge at 11.5-kW which will add roughly 28.5 miles per hour of charging. The Vistiq is also available with an optional 19.2-kW AC onboard charger that increases that to 46.7 miles per charging hour. The Vistiq also has support for bidirectional charging that can be utilized with the GM Energy vehicle to home bundle when the power goes out.

What Does The Inside Look Light?

In the front row of the cabin, there is a lot of visual similarity to the Lyriq and Optiq with the same steering wheel and 33-inch curved LCD display. A small touch area on the left end lets the driver switch display modes for the instrument cluster between standard, augmented reality, and night vision. On the right in the center section is the same Android Automotive-based infotainment with Google services found on all other new GM models. As with other new GM EVs, those who prefer their Apple Carplay or Android Auto smartphone projection interfaces are out of luck.

However, I’ve personally found that I don’t actually miss it, and would just as soon use the built-in system with apps running directly on the vehicle and never lose connection to my phone. Of course, I’m an Android user so I have most of the same apps on my phone and media apps automatically sync to the same place I left off on the phone. Most of the apps in the Google Play store in vehicles are also available for iOS such as PocketCasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Hoopla, and many others. However, if you are using Apple Music or Messages, you’ll have to rely on a Bluetooth connection to the phone. If you are a Carplay diehard though, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

One notable interface change from the Lyriq and Optiq is the addition of a touchscreen that angles up from the front edge of the center console, which provides access to climate control functions. This is similar to the layout on the Escalade and Celestiq, and while physical controls are preferable, at least elements like temperature are easily controlled by voice with Google Assistant. Thankfully, Cadillac has not followed the terrible pattern set by Tesla and repeated by Rivian and Lincoln with digital vent controls. Driver and passengers can just reach out, grab a little handle, and point the airflow wherever they want.

As with other Cadillac models in recent years, the premium audio system on the Vistiq is provided by AKG and features up to 23 speakers including some in the front headrests but this setup comes standard on all trim levels. Hands-free Super Cruise driving assist will be standard on all trim levels of the Vistiq with three years of service included in the price.

The base Luxury trim level gets a bench seat in the second row while Sport and Premium Luxury get captains chairs. A button on the back of those seats allows one-touch slide forward and tip up for relatively easy access to the third row. Like the similar second-row seats in other models like the Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60, a child seat in the second row can be left in place when doing this although the kids should be removed first.

The added height and length mean the third row is surprisingly roomy and my 5-foot-10-inch frame fit without issue back there. The higher floor necessitated by the battery means the seating position is a bit more knees up than you’ll get in the XT6, but unlike the EQS, Model X, and EX90, I could easily sit back there without whinging too much. The feeling of roominess in the back is augmented by the standard fixed moonroof over the third row. A sliding glass roof covers the first two rows.

Adding a third row with a relatively modest overall increase in length means that something has to give and that is rear cargo space. The 28 cubic feet in the Lyriq shrinks to 15.2 cubic feet in the Vistiq including a nice deep well under the floor in the back. Like the rest of GM’s non-truck EVs, there is no front trunk in the Vistiq. With the third row folded down, cargo volume expands to 43 cubic feet, and with the second row seats folded it maxes out at 80.2 cubic feet with a flat load floor.

How Much Can It Tow?

Along with passenger capacity, the Vistiq also has improved towing capacity compared to the Lyriq with the ability to haul 5,000 lbs vs 3,500 for the 2-row model. The usual caveat applies here when towing with an EV, or any other propulsion system. A large trailer can cause energy consumption to double or more, in turn slashing the driving range. That 5,000-lb capacity means you’re not going to be pulling a giant camper trailer as you might with a truck, so anything that fits that constraint is also more likely to fit within the aerodynamic wake of the Vistiq, thus having somewhat less impact. Internal combustion vehicles have the same problem of range degradation with a trailer, but they are obviously easier to refuel.

How Much Will The Vistiq Cost, And When Does It Go On Sale?

The Vistiq will be going on sale in spring 2025 as a 2026 model with a starting price of $78,790 including destination. That’s a jump of nearly $19,000 from the base rear-wheel-drive Lyriq. At that price, it also gets a lot of the optional equipment from the two-row model such as the AKG Studio audio and Super Cruise as standard equipment. You would have to step up to the $68,490 Luxury 2 trim on the Lyriq to get those. It’s also more than $50,000 less than the entry price of an Escalade IQ. On the other hand, that starting price is from nearly $2,000 to more than $20,000 less than the price of the Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, or Volvo, and at the base price, it is still eligible for the IRA tax credits assuming those haven’t been repealed by the time the Vistiq goes on sale in the spring. The Vistiq will be built at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee assembly plant alongside the Lyriq, XT5, XT6 and Acura ZDX.