2025 Cadillac Lyriq : Luxury, LEDs and a Lot to Prove

You know how every luxury SUV these days seems to come with a German accent, a brochure thicker than a Tolstoy novel, and a price tag that makes you wonder if you accidentally bought the dealership? Well, Cadillac has finally decided it’s had enough of watching from the sidelines. Enter the 2025 Cadillac Lyriq, a five-metre slab of electric Americana that promises to be posh, powerful, and just different enough to tempt you away from Bavaria or Gothenburg. The question is, though, has Cadillac built a genuine alternative?

Price, Specs, and the Versions You Get

Cadillac hasn’t come here to muck about. The 2025 Cadillac Lyriq arrives in Australia with two trims, both designed to make you feel like you’ve made a clever, slightly rebellious choice over the predictable Germans. But don’t expect it to come cheap.

• Entry-level Luxury: starts at a chunky $115,000 AUD before on-roads.
• Sport model: a few grand more for slightly angrier wheels and less shiny bits of trim.

Now, on paper, even the so-called “basic” version is far from basic. You get things that would usually be buried deep in the options list elsewhere:

• 21-inch alloys that look like they’ve been nicked off a concept car
• A panoramic glass roof big enough to let in every UV ray from Bondi to Broome
• Proper leather trim, not that half-cow, half-plastic nonsense
• A 33-inch curved display
• Heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and tri-zone climate control, basically everything but a heated glovebox

And if you’re still not convinced it’s “luxury”, they’ve chucked in:

• Active noise cancellation (so you can’t hear yourself justifying the finance)
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Keyless entry with the sort of LED light show that could guide planes into Sydney Airport

So yes, on spec it looks like Cadillac has done its homework. But whether it feels like $115k-plus of SUV, that’s another matter entirely.

A Design That Splits Opinion

The 2025 Cadillac Lyriq doesn’t so much arrive as it looms. At over five metres long with a wheelbase longer than a small paddock, this is not the sort of thing you casually slot into a Coles car park. It looks like someone gave a Cadillac Escalade a digital detox and then stretched it until the neighbours complained.

Now, whether that’s good or bad depends entirely on your taste buds. Personally, after a week with it, I still can’t decide if it’s handsome or just plain odd. Cadillac clearly wanted drama, but ended up with something that feels a bit like it’s been sketched by committee.

• Front end: lit up like a Christmas tree thanks to Cadillac’s obsession with LED strips.
• Profile: sleek-ish
• Rear: well… it’s there. Angular, busy, and slightly apologetic.

The Sport version tones down some of the shiny chrome, swaps the wheels, and generally looks less like your grandfather’s retirement car. But even then, I’m not convinced. It’s certainly different, but so is a platypus, and you don’t see many of those parked in Toorak.

Boot Space, Storage, and Practical Bits

Press the Cadillac badge and the tailgate whirrs open like you’ve just unlocked a bank vault. What greets you is… well, Cadillac reckons it’s 793 litres of space. In reality, it looks a bit optimistic unless you’re measuring all the way to the roof lining and including the gaps between atoms.

Still, it’s not without its party tricks:

• Buttons for folding the rear seats – one press and they obediently flop down, electronically of course.
• Hidden underfloor storage – handy for stashing charging cables, or snacks you don’t want the kids finding.
• Tie-down hooks and a 12V socket – practical enough for the weekend IKEA run.

What you don’t get:

• A spare wheel – naturally. Because who needs one when you’re 200km from civilisation?
• Shopping bag hooks – apparently Cadillac thinks Australians just balance their Woolies bags on the parcel shelf.
• A frunk – pop the bonnet and instead of useful storage you’ll find a giant bit of plastic pretending to be an engine cover, plus a random firefighter helmet symbol. Cheers for that.

So yes, the Lyriq has a big boot, but it’s not quite the practical marvel Cadillac’s marketing department would have you believe. It’s more “good enough” than “best in class.”

The Interior – Plush or Pretend?

Step inside the 2025 Cadillac Lyriq and Cadillac clearly wants you to believe you’ve just walked into a six-star Vegas lounge. Leather, ambient lighting, and a dashboard dominated by a 33-inch curved screen that they’ll tell you about every five seconds. Trouble is, once you start poking and prodding, the magic wears off faster than a cheap Airbnb.

First, the good stuff:

• Heated, ventilated and massaging seats – both front seats, with memory functions, because who doesn’t want to argue with their partner about seat positions in style?
• Speakers in the headrests – neat party trick, though you’ll spend half the time trying to make them work properly.
• Hidden wireless phone charger – finally, somewhere you can dump your phone and forget about it.
• Ambient lighting with colour options – great if you’ve always wanted your SUV to double as a nightclub.

But then reality slaps you:

• The “33-inch” screen doesn’t actually fill the frame – cue massive bezels that look like a budget flat-screen.
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work, until they don’t – constant disconnects mid-drive make you wish you’d packed a paper map.
• The controls are scattered – gear shifter on the column, volume dial buried in glare, and even the glovebox only opens with a button on the screen. Why?
• Materials feel mixed – some leather here, some scratchy Commodore-spec plastic there. At $130k, that’s pushing it.

So yes, it looks the part at first glance. But scratch the surface and it feels less Bentley, more flashy showpiece with mood lighting.

Rear Seat Reality Check

From the outside, the Lyriq looks like a rolling skyscraper. Step into the back, though, and you quickly realise Cadillac spent more time measuring the bonnet LEDs than the headroom.

I’m 6ft, and with the seat set for me, here’s what I found:

• Knee and foot room: decent enough, you won’t need to fold yourself up like origami.
• Headroom: not so much. Anyone over six foot will be brushing the panoramic glass roof with their hair gel.
• Child seat friendliness: ISOFIX points and three top tethers are there, but they stick into the cushions so much that even without a seat, the middle perch feels like you’re sitting on a toolbox.

Amenities are sprinkled about like confetti:

• Heated outboard seats with their own controls.
• Rear climate panel with fan speed and temperature adjustments.
• USB-C ports to keep TikTok running for the entire drive.
• Fold-down armrest with cup holders for the civilised ones in the back.

But the door trims and plastics? Think more family sedan than high-roller Cadillac. And for a $130k luxury SUV, that is a bit of a mood killer.

So yes, it’ll carry your family, but if they’re tall teenagers or adults, prepare for complaints louder than the car’s fake motor sound.

Power, Range, and Charging

Cadillac hasn’t skimped on the numbers. The Lyriq packs a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup that’s meant to remind you this isn’t just a leather-lined lounge on wheels – it can actually move.

• 388 kW and 610 Nm – enough shove to get this two-and-a-half-tonne beast from 0–100 in 5.3 seconds. Not Tesla Plaid quick, but plenty fast enough to spill your latte.
• 102 kWh battery – the big kind you brag about at BBQs.
• 530 km WLTP range – on paper. In the real world? Closer to 500 if you’re lucky and keep your right foot civilised.

Charging is where it claws back some credibility:

• 22 kW AC charging – excellent if you’ve got three-phase power at home, otherwise you’ll just stare at it crawling along on a normal socket.
• DC fast charging – capable of the usual 10–80% top-up in a “reasonably quick” time. Cadillac quotes numbers, but in practice it’s competitive with BMW and Volvo.
• Charge port party trick – the flap opens with a theatrical flourish. Entirely unnecessary, yet oddly satisfying.

What you don’t get is a frunk. Pop the bonnet and instead of extra storage you’ll find a fake engine cover and, bizarrely, a symbol telling firefighters where to put their helmets. Charming.

So yes, the Lyriq has power and range figures to impress your mates, and charging that won’t leave you stranded. But is it efficient? Not really – more on that later.

On the Road

The Lyriq might look like a futuristic spaceship, but behind the wheel it feels very… General Motors. And if you’ve ever driven one, you’ll know exactly what I mean: big, comfortable, predictable, and not particularly bothered about cornering like a Porsche.

• Steering: nicely weighted, reasonably responsive, but if you push it hard the front end starts to wash wide like a Labrador on wet tiles.
• Ride quality: plush enough for long-distance cruising, though there’s no adaptive suspension to tailor things to your mood. What you get is what you get.
• Acceleration: punchy, yes, but not seat-bending. Plenty of cheaper EVs will leave it for dead in a drag race.
• Noise: instead of engine note, you get two artificial “motor sounds”, Sport and Tour.

And then there are the quirks. Cadillac has fitted a driver monitoring system that insists on telling you when you’re “distracted”, even when you’re staring straight at the road. To really hammer the point home, it vibrates your backside. Yes, you get an electric bum massage every time the car thinks you’re not paying attention. Lovely.

In short, the Lyriq is not a thrilling drive. It is not meant to be. It is a big, heavy, comfy cruiser with a massive battery and more LEDs than a Christmas tree.

Efficiency, or Lack Thereof

Cadillac claims the Lyriq can sip energy at a reasonable rate, but the truth is it is a thirsty beast in EV terms. With two motors, a massive body and enough weight to squash a small town, efficiency was never going to be its party trick.

• Official WLTP figure: in the 20s kWh per 100 km, which already tells you this thing is not exactly frugal.
• Real world results: closer to that figure than you would like, especially in traffic or when cruising the motorway.
• Range reality: despite the hunger, the big battery means you can still manage about 500 km on a charge, provided you are not driving like your hair is on fire.

So yes, it will cover plenty of distance between plug-ins, but it is not efficient in the way a smaller EV might be. This is a big, comfy electric truck wearing a Cadillac badge. And like any truck, it prefers a heavy meal over a light snack.

Safety Tech and That Vibrating Seat

On paper, the Lyriq is armed to the teeth with safety features. It has not yet been ANCAP or EuroNCAP tested, but Cadillac clearly specced it to impress the crash testers when the time comes.

You get the full catalogue:

• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Lane keeping assist that is more aggressive than a parking inspector
• Adaptive cruise control with speed sign recognition
• Blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert
• A surround view camera system and parking sensors all round

Airbag coverage is as comprehensive as you would expect, with dual front, front side, front centre, driver’s knee and full curtain bags.

But the star of the show, or perhaps the villain, is the driver monitoring camera. It watches your eyes and decides whether you are paying attention. Sounds fine, until it gets it wrong, which it does often. Some days, it told me I was distracted while I was staring straight at the road. And instead of a polite bong or a flashing warning, the Lyriq does something entirely different.

It vibrates your backside. Yes, Cadillac has fitted a bum shaker that fires up every time the car thinks you are not paying attention. It is odd, it is startling, and it is not the kind of massage you want while trying to merge onto the freeway. You can turn it off, but only each time you start the car. Which means you will either get used to it or lose your patience.

So yes, the Lyriq has the safety kit to tick every box, but it delivers it in the most Cadillac way possible: by shaking your trousers instead of dinging in your ears.

Warranty, Servicing, and Ownership Costs

Cadillac has gone in with a package that sounds reassuring on the surface. The Lyriq is covered by a 5 year unlimited kilometre warranty, and the battery gets its own 8 year or 160,000 km warranty. That puts it in the same ballpark as most rivals, which is exactly where it needs to be.

Servicing is where things get a bit peculiar. The Lyriq asks for a pit stop every 12 months or 12,000 km. That is more frequent than many other EVs, but Cadillac softens the blow by including 5 years of free scheduled servicing. So at least you are not coughing up cash every time you hand over the keys.

Other bits to know:

• Roadside assistance is included, which you will appreciate the first time the driver monitoring system accuses you of nodding off and scares you half to death.
• The biggest cost is likely to be resale value, because while Cadillacs have heritage in the US, in Australia they are as rare as a cricket bat in a baseball dugout.

So yes, Cadillac is trying to make ownership painless, and on paper it has. The worry will be whether Australians want to buy your used Lyriq when you are done with it.

Final Verdict – Does It Really Feel Cadillac Enough?

The Lyriq is Cadillac’s bold swing at Australia’s luxury EV crowd, and on first glance it delivers plenty of the right numbers. It is quick, comfortable, crammed with equipment, and it certainly stands out from the sea of German badges.

But peel back the surface and the shine fades a little.

• The styling divides opinion rather than uniting it
• The cabin looks impressive at first, but some of the finishes feel more middle-of-the-road than high-end
• Efficiency is only average, no matter what the brochure says
• And that vibrating seat safety system is just bizarre

Where it wins points is on value. For the money, Cadillac loads the Lyriq with kit that rivals will happily charge extra for, the ride is plush enough for long trips, and the range is decent for such a large SUV.

So, does it feel Cadillac enough? Almost. It nails presence and comfort, but it still lacks the polish and refinement that would make it a true rival-killer. A distinctive alternative, yes. A class leader, not quite.

Would We Buy It?

If you are sick of German SUVs and want something that looks different, feels different, and comes with enough gadgets to keep you entertained, then yes, the Lyriq has appeal. It is comfortable, loaded with features, and has the sort of presence that will turn heads at the school pick-up.

But if it were my money, probably not. For the same $115k-plus you could have a BMW iX with more polish, or a Volvo EX90 with extra space and Scandinavian cool. The Lyriq is interesting, bold, and undeniably American, but it is not yet the no-brainer Cadillac wants it to be.

So would we buy it? Nice to visit, nice to borrow, but for long-term ownership, we would be looking elsewhere.

Want more? Click here for Life With the 2025 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport

Zachary Skinner

Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.