Even though there are plenty of old cars we’d love to see Jay Leno driving, it’s always a pleasure to see what he thinks about the latest, the most groundbreaking cars that are coming out of American manufacturers. The latest is the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq. And even though this is the first true EV from the Escalade brand, the denim-clad presenter reassures us it’s very much a Cadillac down to its core.
All of Jay Leno’s reviews of modern cars have an eye on the past, and this is something nobody else does. In the case of the Lyriq, we’re reminded that he owns a lot of other Cadillacs, from 1918, 1925, 1957, and let’s not forget his CTS-V Coupe. In his words, at one point, this may have been the greatest car brand in the world, but it lost its way.
Obviously, the Lyriq is nothing like a Coupe DeVille, but it’s a return to strength for the manufacturer, and it’s got plenty of those cool features that made Cadillacs so great back in the day. Here to walk Leno through all of them is Bryan Stewart, Program Engineering Manager at Cadillac.
“Pricing is genius”
The powered charge port and power-opening doors are the initial party tricks of the Lyriq. The interior is also surprisingly well made, not for a Cadillac, but for a car that costs around $60,000. Remember that you can buy a Kia for that kind of money, not to mention most internal-combustion SUVs cost more in this segment. It’s Cadillac’s effort to put the best foot forward while it transitions to fully-electric vehicles by 2030.
The driver is met with a gigantic 33-inch curved OLED screen that displays gauges and infotainment. One of the most advanced features of the car is Super Cruise, Cadillac’s version of self-driving which enables hands-free driving on more than 200,000 miles of divided highways across the United States. And even though EVs are pretty quiet, the Lyriq integrates speakers in the headrests with active noise canceling.
It certainly looks like a modern Cadillac. The electric SUV is very striking with a wagon-like sloping roof. The Lyriq wears some 736 LED lights that illuminate around its grille to create a modern appearance, generate lighting patterns, and aid with safety. It also rides like a Cadillac, according to Jay Leno, although I don’t think he means a luxobarge.
The first Lyriq model to hit the road features a 102 kWh battery system with a single motor at the rear producing an estimated 340 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. It’s designed to compete with things like the Tesla Model X, Audi e-tron, and the EQS SUV from Mercedes. There will be more powertrain options with AWD and extra power.
