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Cadillac wants a full lineup of electric autos, and it’s practically there. It has an extraordinary crossover SUV (the Lyriq), an entry-stage mannequin (the Optiq), an electrical version of its flagship Escalade (the Escalade IQ), and even a baroque showpiece (the Celestiq). Nevertheless something’s missing.
For a most modern luxury imprint, a midsize three-row crossover is vital. Clients for whom a Toyota Highlander is too déclassé need something to take their teens to lacrosse practice, but can also no longer favor something as huge as an Escalade. This isn’t the most luscious compose brief, and that’s mirrored in the gasoline Cadillac XT6, which has consistently felt cherish nothing better than a placeholder. Its contemporary electric counterpart, the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq, is anything but.
Esteem Cadillac’s other EVs, the Vistiq feels cherish extra effort was as soon as set into it than the identical gasoline crossover. Cadillac is so proud of the Vistiq, actually, that calls the contemporary EV a “child Escalade.” If that’s the case, then this younger sibling is an overachiever.
Familiarity isn’t a contaminated thing
With a handful of EVs already filling its showrooms, Cadillac didn’t want to spoil contemporary styling ground with the Vistiq. This three-row mannequin contains compose aspects acquainted from these other Cadillac EVs into its outlandish shape, which would perchance accommodate seven passengers or six, reckoning on whether or no longer you to imagine a second-row bench seat or captain’s chairs.
The Vistiq wears the same assured-taking a judge face we’ve been seeing on Cadillac EVs for the reason that Lyriq debuted in 2022. Whereas EVs maintain lower cooling desires than inner-combustion autos, Cadillac soundless insisted on a noteworthy grille, flanked by beefy vertical headlights and thin daylight hours running lights that emphasize the front pause’s width and peak. Right here’s what makes the “child Escalade” tagline fitting, making a first impact correct as solid because the larger Escalade IQ. It’s also noteworthy extra handy than the rear-pause styling, all another time borrowed from other Cadillac EVs, which is a much less-coherent sequence of lights, reflectors, and clear pieces.
Within, the Vistiq aspects three rows of reasonably delighted seats — even the third row is tolerable for medium-sized adults and aspects noteworthy cupholders, USB-C ports, and even its safe glass roof panel. A low window line and thin dashboard construct a feeling of spaciousness up front while providing surprisingly factual forward visibility for a significant, colossal automobile. Nevertheless it’s the form of arena materials and clear alternatives that win the Vistiq in actuality feel cherish a upright luxury automobile. The take a look at automobile — a higher-spec Top price Luxurious mannequin — sported blue leather-primarily primarily based upholstery with white piping effectively complemented by wooden and metallic clear that was as soon as a great swap of tempo from the quite a lot of monochrome interiors accessible.
Drives cherish a Cadillac can maintain to soundless
This electric SUV is a family hauler, but it has specs great of Cadillac’s V-Series efficiency objects. The commonplace dual-motor all-wheel pressure powertrain is basically shared with the Lyriq-V (as effectively because the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS), producing 615 horsepower and 650 pound-toes of torque. That can slingshot you and six companions from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, primarily primarily based on Cadillac. That’s correct 0.1 second shy of a BMW iX M70 xDrive, which isn’t harassed with a third row of seats.
Unlocked in the Velocity Max pressure mode, full power feels as ferocious because the numbers counsel. Nevertheless it’s the handiest thing in regards to the using journey fitting that adjective. Equipped without a longer obligatory air suspension (steel coil springs and adaptive dampers are commonplace), the Vistiq floated over crumbling Michigan pavement — with out the floppiness of stereotypical Cadillac land yachts. It’s straightforward to damp out bumps by merely making the suspension as relaxed as that chances are you’ll judge of, but Cadillac’s engineers retained sufficient firmness to preserve occupants from being tossed about because the Vistiq rides the waves of motorway imperfections.
One more significant probability is a four-wheel steering machine cherish the one in the Escalade IQ. It doesn’t consist of the IQ’s gimmicky Arrival Mode, so you won’t be crabbing sideways into parking spaces, but soundless presents the extra relevant advantages of a tighter turning radius. That no longer handiest made parking more uncomplicated, but also gave the Vistiq a extra stable and proper in actuality feel in corners. Esteem the rush quality, the going via had a Cadillac-appropriate relaxed in actuality feel, with out descending too a ways into imprecision and sloppiness. In other words, the Vistiq’s chassis tuning is precisely what it desires to be.
Mountainous Cruise keeps recuperating
Most of the Vistiq’s tech carries over from other recent Cadillac objects. The zigzag 33-shuffle dashboard recent is exclusively like these in the Cadillac Optiq and Lyriq, and runs Total Motors’ extra recent Android-primarily primarily based infotainment machine. That methodology you win Google Constructed-in apps, but don’t win Apple CarPlay or standalone Android Auto. A 23-speaker AKG audio machine is also commonplace, with Dolby Atmos tech that’s rolling out across Cadillac’s lineup for the 2026 mannequin one year.
Alternatively, the Vistiq provides an no longer obligatory augmented truth head-up recent that can indicate things cherish tempo, the following distance for adaptive cruise preserve watch over, and arrows projected over lanes indicating where to flip when the utilization of the Vistiq’s constructed-in Google Maps app. Some automakers, cherish Mercedes-Benz, offer a similar aspects, but Cadillac’s are effectively-integrated into the little quantity of apartment accessible. This recent also makes use of tech from GM-backed Envisics designed to chop distortion, but a extra via evaluate in a noteworthy wider form of lights instances will doubtless be wished to with out a doubt take a look at its effectiveness.
The Vistiq also serves because the launch platform for several significant updates to Total Motors’ Mountainous Cruise hands-free driver-attend machine. Mountainous Cruise’s auto lane-swap characteristic can now note routes, transferring the auto into the right kind lane for merges and interchanges. Right here’s a significant enchancment over the previous iteration, which handiest replied to slower autos in front and thus required extra babysitting to steer clear of ending up in the gruesome lane. It worked gorgeous noteworthy on this take a look at pressure, even although it did win pressured in a single state of affairs where the lane markings had been unclear.
Mountainous Cruise’s interface is also streamlined. It’s now that chances are you’ll judge of to pre-pick Mountainous Cruise (or adaptive cruise preserve watch over) sooner than setting off; a urged to spark off the machine will seem in the instrument cluster even as you’ve reached a fair motorway. That takes a step out of the utilization of Mountainous Cruise, while integration with the pinnacle-up recent makes it more uncomplicated to note what the machine is doing as soon as it’s activated.
Restful a Cadillac when it comes to efficiency
The Vistiq makes use of the same 102-kilowatt-hour battery pack because the two-row Cadillac Lyriq. Decent rankings weren’t accessible at press time, but Cadillac expects a minimal of 300 miles of range, and it’ll doubtlessly be lower than the Lyriq’s most attention-grabbing of 319 miles with all-wheel pressure, owing to the Vistiq’s added weight and boxier shape. So cherish its huge sibling, the Escalade IQ, the Vistiq relies on a significant pack—pretty than efficiency—to manufacture acceptable range. It’s taking half in to a stereotype of inefficiency that goes attend to gas guzzling Cadillacs of used.
Charging efficiency is also acceptable, pretty than extraordinary. Cadillac claims the Vistiq can DC hasty imprint at up to 190 kilowatts, sufficient to recuperate 80 miles of range in 10 minutes of charging at a suitably-noteworthy set. The commonplace 11.5-kW AC onboard charger and no longer obligatory 19.2-kW unit can recuperate a claimed 29 miles or 46.9 miles per hour of charging, respectively.
GM is planning to adopt the North American Charging Habitual (NACS), but for now the Vistiq soundless makes use of a Blended Charging Habitual (CCS) connector. An adapter permits it to price at Tesla Superchargers and other NACS stations, and cherish other GM EVs, the Vistiq presents bidirectional charging ability that allows it to support as a apartment backup power provide.
Who desires an Escalade IQ?
Pricing begins at $78,790 for the deplorable Luxurious clear stage — undercutting other three-row luxury electric SUVs cherish the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and Volvo EX90. The Rivian R1S has a lower deplorable imprint, and presents valid off-motorway ability, but deplorable objects maintain a little bit of much less range than the Vistiq. The Lucid Gravity places the the relaxation of the self-discipline to disgrace when it comes to range, going via, and interior usability, but the single Immense Touring clear stage currently accessible begins at $96,550.
As with many luxury autos, on the opposite hand, that deplorable imprint is a little bit of of a misnomer. The Vistiq Top price Luxurious provides the air suspension and 4-wheel steering that made the take a look at automobile so satisfying to pressure, plus the augmented truth head-up recent — but it begins at $93,290. That’s soundless more cost effective than a Gravity Immense Touring, but extra importantly, it’s a lot lower than the $129,990 beginning imprint of the Escalade IQ.
The Vistiq presents the mettlesome styling and three-row utility of the Escalade IQ, but with out the compromises inherent with that SUV’s tall proportions. With its huge weight and oversized battery pack, the Escalade IQ already made no sense. The Vistiq makes it redundant.