Yahoo Autos 14 thoughts about the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq, the car that's excited to see you
The Cadillac Lyriq is the “standard of the world,” at least the world of Cadillac electric vehicles, until the $300,000-plus hand-built Cadillac Celestiq arrives. For a full driving assessment of the Ultium-powered Lyriq, be sure to read Zac Palmer’s review from April. After a long delay over software issues, production appears to be in full swing, the local dealerships look stocked up, and we’re getting Lyriqs to drive. (Though the delivery of the tester for today’s article was delayed a day while they addressed, yep, a software update.)
Zac drove the same model as this one, the Lyriq Sport 3 AWD shown above, albeit a red one. Here are some further thoughts after a week in the green Lyriq seen below:
1. A bold look
Cadillac, known for strong design, didn’t hold back. In photos, the Lyriq has seemed a little strange, especially around the C-pillar where a number of panels and lines come together, but it all looks good in person. Parked next to the family Volvo XC90, the Lyriq made the Swede, widely regarded as a handsome car, appear to be a bit dated and conservative. The Lyriq looks modern.
2. What is it?
The Lyriq defies categorization. Cadillac calls it a crossover/SUV. But at 64 inches tall, it has a lower profile than many other SUVs and its length adds to that perception. As someone who hoists kayaks onto vehicles, I appreciated that low roof. The Lyriq drives like a luxury sedan but has a back hatch and spacious cargo area. There was a time when we would have called this a station wagon (audience gasps, Cadillac marketing team groans.) Whatever, it’s a likable configuration.
3. It's not easy seeing green
I was excited to hear that the loaner would be in a color called Emerald Lake Metallic. We love green cars around here. But, some context:
This is Diablo Lake, in the North Cascades of Washington state:
Diablo and adjacent Ross Lake are eerie natural wonders, almost glowing thanks to the glacial flour (sediment) in the runoff from the mountains that ring them. Photos don’t do the color justice, you have to see it to believe it. These are truly emerald lakes.
Cadillac Emerald Lake Metallic, however, is more like the Black Lagoon:
Only in certain light do you get a sense of green; in Seattle overcast, not so much. A few days after the car arrived, I noticed that the Monroney (window sticker) mentioned a contrasting black roof; I hadn’t noticed any difference from the body until then. Later, I encountered a Lyriq of the same color on display in a Costco, and florescent lighting didn't help any. Peering deep into Emerald Lake Metallic, you get the sense it’s a nice color, with a hint of blue. It would be pretty if they just lightened it up. At least the just-revealed Optiq was shown in a vivid red.
4. The car does the happy dance
The Monroney says the Lyriq is equipped with “LED headlamps and tail lamps with choreography.” These lights do some fancy dancing, though not to a soundtrack like a Tesla, unless I just didn’t figure out how to make music play. As you approach with key fob in pocket, the grille's Cadillac badge lights up, then various banks of lights front and back swing into action. Rows of LEDs ripple, door handles illuminate, puddle lights glow. It goes on for several seconds and looks like the Tilt-A-Whirl at the fair.
From all this, you get the sense that the car is excited to see you and ready to go for a ride.
5. Speaking of which
In addition to the light show, as you approach the car, the front ends of the flush door handles pop out. “Are those your door handles, or are you just happy to see me” comes to mind. Once you get in and put the car in gear, the handles stow flush again.
A couple of times, the car didn’t detect the fob’s approach, and the handles failed to deploy. They say it happens to the best of us.
6. Show me your badges
As mentioned earlier, the front Cadillac badge lights up. The back one appears to not, but the light-up feature is probably why the car's badges are drained of the traditional Cadillac crest colors; they’re simply white/translucent, which looks a bit bare. Not sure why a multicolored illuminated badge wouldn’t work just as well.
Fun detail: To open the back hatch, you don’t fumble under the lip of the deck to find the release. You push the badge. Likewise, you push the little badge on the charging door to open that.
