2025 Cadillac Optiq Review: Unexpectedly Good Value

General Motors offers three distinct flavors of electric vehicle. There are big goofy trucks/SUVs like the GMC Hummer, Sierra EV, Cadillac Escalade IQ, and Chevy Silverado EV. Under those monsters are the midsize Cadillac Lyriq and Chevy Blazer. Lastly, Chevy has the Equinox EV, and Cadillac has the Optiq. There are other EVs for sale under GM brands, but those three categories occupy most of the range. With the demise of the Chevy Bolt, the Optiq and Equinox are as small as you are going to get within GM's stable.

Having already familiarized myself with the biggest and baddest of electrified General Motors product, the Hummer EV, the much smaller and more subtle Cadillac Optiq seemed like a logical next step. Unlike the Cadillac Escalade V which rumbled its way down the street like a herd of angry, patriotic elephants, the Optiq arrived in my driveway in a much more Cadillac appropriate way. It glided in without making much noise and sat in a mostly dignified matter. 

The Escalade was a lot of fun, but quiet and confident fits the Cadillac brand a lot more. From first impression, the Optiq, with its fancy grille and light bar, had no problem fitting into the upper crust of society like other Caddys. But I'm not hear to comment on the Optiq's ability to sit in a valet lot at Madison Square Garden, I'm here to see how it drives.

Much like how it arrived at my home, the Optiq silently moved into Cadillac's lineup very recently. In fact, the driving impressions embargo for journalists only lifted a few days before I took delivery. Mechanically, the Optiq is similar to the Equinox EV. It's a dual-motor all wheel drive setup (there is no option for a single motor setup as you can spec on the Equinox). Cadillac says that both motors together generate 300 horsepower and a fairly beefy 354 pound-feet of torque. Its 85 kilowatt-hour battery offers a range of 302 miles; I found that number to be pretty accurate.

If Cadillac's mission with the Optiq was to normalize EVs in the luxury market, I'd say it was a success. As far as actually driving the Optiq is concerned, it's quiet like an EV should be, comfortable as a luxury car should be, and at least a little bit flashy, as to not betray the Cadillac badge on the front. Mission accomplished. Print it.

A lot of electric cars have some sort of gimmick that ensure you never forget you are driving an EV. At best, there might be a silly animation that plays on the infotainment screen; at worst, the range, power, and size are arguably a detriment to the whole experience (like the Hummer). Aside from the entirely subjective standpoint of exterior styling, the Optiq, on the other hand, was almost (more on that later) bereft of any goofiness that sometimes infects the segment. It was, for all intents and purposes, a normal Cadillac.

The interior was very Cadillac-like in that it didn't try to smother you with weirdness or unfamiliarity. The shift lever, for example, is the same as the one that's used by gas-powered GMs like the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. GM probably did that to save money, but it has the added benefit of not scaring people off who don't want a lot of wackiness.

The Optiq I drove was fitted with an "Autumn Canyon" leather interior that, at least according to my own set of aesthetic sensibilities, complimented the exterior. It's a flat-out comfy cabin that doesn't try to do anything wild like you might find in a BMW, and it doesn't attempt to be sporty either like a Mercedes. It's like driving a living room. Cadillac has been around for a century and — the Celestiq notwithstanding – it doesn't need to play games with the area you spend all of your time in as a driver.

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That effortless feeling is further enhanced by the fact that it's an electric car. It's deathly quiet on the inside, with only the occasional whir of the motors to remind you that you're on Earth with all the other poors. There isn't even an on/off button. As long as you have the key fob with you, the car just turns on when you get in. Just flip it into drive and you are ready to float to your destination.

However–and that's a big "however"–there is no ignoring the big screen that sprawled across the dash. Software wise, it's actually very good. The Google integration works well and the menus are pretty easy to navigate after a little familiarization time. I wasn't scrambling to find directions. The seat controls are a little finicky as they're controlled by both a knob on the door and options on the screen, adding its own little learning curve, but relatively minor in the face of the biggest issue I had with the infotainment system.

That was the lack of Apple CarPlay (and, indeed, Android Auto for those not using an iPhone). Cadillac's own system is good, don't get me wrong, but it just doesn't offer the same functionality as CarPlay, a feature available in nearly every other new car currently for sale. It seems like a deliberately bad choice to forgo including it. Drivers want choice, and keeping the infotainment limited doesn't work with that idea.

The infotainment system was really my only issue with the Optiq, and that was more of problem of omission than glitchiness or software issues. Otherwise, the Optiq is really quite good. I also understand that I am not the demographic of the Optiq. What I might perceive as a little bland, could be seen as a benefit to existing Cadillac customers who don't want to be wowed.

Now there's the cost question. Surprisingly, for a Cadillac and an EV, the 2025 Optiq is almost reasonable. The base model Luxury 1 trim has a different LED light setup and its own set of available extras. That trim starts at $54,390. You're looking at $55,095 for the Optiq Luxury 2 trim, the model I was driving. For that you get heated and ventilated front seats, a heads-up display, and a panoramic sunroof. On top of that were added two options: the $3,995 "Onyx Package" which included 21 inch wheels, mirror caps, and puddle lamps; and the $1,100 "Autumn Canyon" interior color. The $1,495 destination charge brings the total to $61,685.

That price is a relative bargain compared to something like the $75,150 BMW iX EV. The Mercedes-Benz EQB is much less expensive at $53,050 to start, but you only get a maximum range of 250 miles and you have to sacrifice a motor. Adding in another motor brings the price up to $57,200 and drops the range to a not very competitive 205 miles. Within the relatively small luxury compact SUV EV market, the Optiq is hard to ignore, just as long as you don't mind going without CarPlay.