The Cadillac Lyriq Is An EV Worthy Of Jamie Lee Curtis

One of the first memories I have of the Cadillac Lyriq is David telling me that he saw Jamie Lee Curtis driving one around Los Angeles. Like all sensible people, I view her as one of the most charming and flexible actresses of her generation. Jamie Lee Curtis may be in some bad movies, but Jamie Lee Curtis is bad in no movie. Clearly, if Jamie Lee Curtis drives a Cadillac Lyriq, it must have some redeeming qualities.

I don’t know why this stuck with me. Every time I’d see the first all-electric Cadillac on the streets, I’d think: “Huh, Jamie Lee Curtis drives one of those, what’s the deal with that?” David’s celebrity recognition is sometimes faulty, so I was hesitant to believe it at first. It turns out that he was right. Jamie Lee Curtis is a Lyriq owner and a big fan of the brand.

I asked for a Lyriq, knowing full-well I was setting myself up for some kind of crushing disappointment if I discovered that it didn’t live up to the fine example Jamie Lee Curtis sets for the rest of us. A long road trip with the Lyriq allayed my fears.

Jamie Lee Curtis is no fool.

The Basics

Sorry, I just wrote “Jamie Lee Curtis” 900 times like a psychopath. Let’s talk about the specific vehicle I drove for a minute.

Price: Starts at $79,985 (Tested Luxury 3 trim $66,994 with $1,395 destination charge and options)

Powertrain: AWD dual-motor 515 hp, 450 lb-ft of torque

Battery Size: 102 kWh lithium-ion

Range: 303 miles (EPA)

Body Style: Five-door crossover.

Option That’s Totally Worth It: $625 Emerald Lake Metallic paint

Expensive Option I’d probably Skip: $3,790 Nappa Leather Package (I prefer the supple hides from Corinth, which is famous for its leather).

Why Does It Exist?

Isn’t it amazing that one actress can play both Donna Berzatto, the frightening yet almost sympathetic materfamilias on The Bear, and also Jess Day’s sweet-but-tough mama on New Girl? That’s range! JLC is unreal.

General Motors has made the biggest push into electric cars of almost any automaker that existed more than 30 years ago, passing both the Japanese and any of its local rivals. It’s also one of the few non-Chinese/non-Tesla automakers that’s reached at least variable profitability with electric cars. Ford makes one electric van, one electric car, and one electric truck. General Motors has done this in a very General Motors way by building a lot of different cars under its various brands. By the end of next year, Cadillac alone will sell the Celestiq, the Escalade IQ/IQL, The Lyriq/Lyriq-V, Vistiq, and Optiq.

Cadillac had to start somewhere, so it started in the two-row SUV category, which was sensible given that it’s the most popular one. It’s also a challenge, because it’s the most popular one, and suddenly there were Polestars, BMWs, Mercedes, and a bunch of other luxury automakers to compete with, to say nothing of Tesla.

How Does It Look?

Most of the Lyriqs I see are Ubers, and most of those are lower spec models in silver or white. In those more basic colors, you lose a little of the genuinely nice details on this car. Modern vehicles can be a little too fussy with their design, drawing attention to exactly the parts of the car they’re trying to hide with false windows, blacked-out trim, or deceptive brightwork. The Lyriq is pleasingly free of most of that bullshit.

You may not like it, but the Lyriq is exactly what it purports to be. It gets Cadillac’s big vertical headlights offset by an illuminated grille that lights up with the same choreographic orchestration as the fountains at The Bellagio in Las Vegas. In profile, the tautness of the lines around the DLO provides a welcome contrast to the smoothness of the Lyriq’s fenders. The rear glass is definitely a mood, as is the boomerang light signature.

It’s a lot. But that’s what I want from a Cadillac. There are enough boring cars and this is anything but boring. It also looks fancy, and not just Renn Cen Fancy. Did I mention I love the color? Emerald Lake Metallic. Most of these photos were taken in front of the Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, New York. On the other side of the building is Otsego Lake, also known as the “Glimmer Glass” lake for its serene, emerald surface.

Pics don’t do it justice, but Cadillac nailed it on this color.

How About The Inside?

I’m choosing to use Cadillac’s photos here because they’re way better and capture just how full-on Jason Momoa Aquaman the interior of this car is. This is the crazy expensive Nappa Leather Package, and I have to admit the color is stunning when you first see it. My daughter is somewhat inured to fancy cars because of my job, though she can still express strong opinions on what she does and doesn’t like. This got a big “wow” from her.

It is one of the best designed interiors on the market today, and everything you touch rewards your fingers with a little bit of opulence. I also like the wider, shorter screen here as opposed to the taller one used on other GM vehicles.

Here’s one of my crappy photos. There are a couple of reasons why I don’t love the interior overall, and one is practical and the other is preference. All vehicles with SuperCruise have this glossy black strip on the steering wheel that lights up when SuperCruise is being used. It’s a helpful feature, but I have to think there’s a better way to execute this than bright plastic.

The interior looks great, but I don’t love how stiff some Nappa leather usually feels in modern cars. The seats are just a little too firm for my tastes. I’ve heard other people complain about the lack of frunk and trunk space, which is sort of a given due to the vehicle’s aerodynamic design and Ultium platform.

We managed to fit a weekend’s worth of stuff in there without much issue.

How’s It Drive?

Do you ever stop and think about how bad True Lies would be without JLC? This is a movie that relies heavily on believing that Tom Arnold is a top-secret counterterrorist operative. She gives the film just enough of the dramatic tension it needs to land as both an action film and as a farce.

Sort of inadvertently, I managed to drive the Lyriq hundreds of miles on extremely varying terrain, including some twisty mountain roads on the other side of the Shawangunks. It’s not a CTS-V Wagon, so temper your expectations a little bit.

Even with 500+ horsepower in the AWD variant, it has just enough power to push you back in your seat but not so much that it makes you want to hurl. This is maybe the exact amount of shove this particular type of luxury crossover needs. In city driving, the Passive-Plus Premium Dampers absorb any potholes without too much drama. Out on back country roads, the five-link independent suspension keeps the car pointed where you want to go, but the lack of drama is a drawback compared to some truly fast Cadillacs I’ve driven.

To be frank, while making an electric car like this provide the same visceral feel as a gas-powered car is obviously possible because Hyundai did it with the Ioniq 5N, it’s more work and money than it’s probably worth for most buyers. Cadillac has a Lyriq-V coming and, given how good every other V-product is, I bet they’ll figure it out.

How’s It Drive Itself?

This Lyriq was a Luxury 3, which means it has GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driving system. Having driven most of the SAE Level 2 ADAS systems out there (I haven’t done the latest FSD Beta, but I’m planning to drive a so-equipped vehicle next week), GM’s is still my favorite.

What’s great about Super Cruise is that it provides a true hands-free experience by using a camera to watch the driver’s eyes to ensure that they’re actually paying attention. It’s limited to roads that have been thoroughly mapped with LIDAR, since the vehicle itself doesn’t have LIDAR, but this isn’t a bad thing. Right now, these kinds of systems work best on highways and interstates.

It’s not perfect and, in a long stretch of driving, it’ll almost always eventually ask you to take over at some point if it gets confused or enters an area that’s being mapped. What’s great about Super Cruise is that it actually communicates clearly when it is working, is about to stop working, and really needs your help.

Does It Have CarPlay And Android Auto?

Yes, yes it does.

Which One Would You Buy?

I have a feeling that the new Cadillac Optiq might be the best deal right now, as the Lyriq starts at around $60,000 after shipping charges/before any tax credits. I built my own and realized that a Luxury 2 AWD gets you Super Cruise and everything else you want for $69,115 with everything.

By comparison, the cheapest Model X is $84,990, although it goes farther on a charge. The cheapest Mercedes EQE is almost $80,000 out the door and has basically the same range, but that’s only for the RWD model. The closest car might be the quite good BMW iX, but even that’s more money for basically the same range.

This is why people buy Model Ys. A new Model Y Launch Edition costs $60,000, is faster, has more range, and comes with a trunk and a frunk. I haven’t driven the latest Model Y yet, so I can’t compare. There are some big reasons why I’d almost certainly get the Cadillac over the Tesla, and not all of them are political. One big one is that I’d almost certainly lease a new EV, and the lease deals make the Cadillac way more competitive. The current deal out there is a 2205 Lyriq for just $399 for 24 months with $4,929 due at signing. That’s not bad.

What’s The Punctum Of The Cadillac Lyriq?

Did you see the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once? It’s a film full of impossible moments and performances that have to happen at a speed that’s almost impossible to absorb in a single viewing. JLC won the Academy Award for “Best Supporting Actress” for her portrayal of an IRS agent who, at one point, has hot dog fingers. Hot dog fingers!

With the Lyriq, Cadillac had to prove it could build a premium two-row crossover that could compete with the roughly 400 other two-row premium or near-premium two-row crossovers. Not only is the Lyriq competitive, I legit prefer it to the BMW and Mercedes crossovers I’ve driven.

The punctum of the Lyriq is that it’s a car worthy of Jamie Lee Curtis, who got an Oscar for hot dog fingers.

Top graphic images: Matt Hardigree; Jamie Lee Curtis via depositphotos.com