Cadillac Lyriq-V Reviews

2025 was certainly the year of the new car brand coming to Australia.

This could be the future of car multimedia.Officially launched in May this year, Apple CarPlay Ultra is the next generation of Apple CarPlay, a smartphone mirroring platform that’s enjoyed by millions of iPhone users every day.Yep, Android owners, this review isn’t for you – unless you’re considering making the switch to Apple’s iOS mobile software.It’s the Apple CarPlay many have come to know and love, but it takes control of all of your vehicle’s screens, as opposed to just its central display.It also assumes control of (nearly) all of your vehicle’s functions, including its climate, camera and radio controls, plus all other general settings.Point being, it’s a complete Apple takeover, which is good news if you’re a fan of its ecosystem.And let’s face it, many car brands’ default multimedia systems are underwhelming for a multitude of reasons, including bad user interfaces and limited functionality.Apple CarPlay and even its Android Auto competitor don’t suffer from those issues as they are literal mirrors of the user-friendly and highly capable smartphones that we love to use every day.Most users will say their primary reason for preferencing Apple CarPlay or Android Auto over their vehicle’s default multimedia system is access to their favourite satellite navigation platform, be it Apple Maps, Google Maps or a third party.Several car brands have either launched or are in the process of rolling out new default multimedia systems based on Android Automotive, which is a car-specific derivative of Android Auto with Google Maps and Google Play built in.Much like Apple CarPlay Ultra, Android Automotive takes over all of a vehicle’s screens and functions – and sometimes even still offers Apple CarPlay support – but it differs by being the default multimedia system.Apple CarPlay Ultra sets itself apart as it can be wirelessly streamed on demand to any vehicle that supports it.Apple CarPlay Ultra’s first problem is availability. The first model to support it was the highly attainable Aston Martin DBX707 large SUV. It’s priced from a lazy $462,500, plus on-road costs, for reference. And yes, I am being sarcastic.You would’ve thought that car brands beyond Aston Martin would’ve jumped at the opportunity to offer the latest smartphone mirroring platform, but they haven’t for several reasons.Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Polestar, Renault, Rivian and Lincoln have either cancelled or said they have no plans to support Apple CarPlay Ultra, with some saying they are not impressed with its first version due to the level of control it gives to Apple.General Motors’ Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC brands are also unlikely to support Apple CarPlay Ultra in its new electric vehicles due to its controversial decision to not even support regular Apple CarPlay.That said, Hyundai, Kia, Porsche and Genesis, as well as Aston Martin, remain committed to adding support for Apple CarPlay Ultra in the 12 months from its launch, meaning they should start to release their versions by May 2026.Nissan, Honda, Land Rover, Jaguar, Infiniti and Acura also announced plans for Apple CarPlay Ultra support when it was previewed at Apple’s WWDC 2022 event, but it remains to be seen if they’ve changed like so many others have.Another sticking point for car brands is the implementation of Apple’s user interface and experience, which differs greatly from their own.However, Apple is open to working with car brands to put their own design spin on their version of Apple CarPlay Ultra, with Aston Martin being the first example.To work out what this actually means, I got the keys to a MY25 Aston Martin DBX707 to give it a red-hot go.First thing’s first, getting Apple CarPlay Ultra set up is a very similar process to that of regular Apple CarPlay, but you have to wait a little bit longer.Once you’re in, the central display has a very familiar look to it, but the home screen features three new apps: Climate, Radio and Vehicle.As mentioned, the Climate and Radio apps do exactly what you think they will and well.But it’s the Vehicle app that is the most interesting, as in the case of the DBX707, it features everything from Individual drive mode customisation to clock settings.That said, while the DBX707’s delightful Bowers & Wilkins sound system has its own setting menu, if you click on it, it will ironically boot you out to an inset version of the default multimedia system to make your adjustments. The same goes for its ambient lighting.Presumably this happens because Apple and the car brand (Aston Martin in this instance) haven’t configured some of these more bespoke settings.And for that reason Apple CarPlay Ultra doesn’t quite live up to the hype for me. Don’t get me wrong, it is very, very exciting for a tech nerd like myself, but it’s also very clearly a first version.When it inevitably becomes all encompassing with a future iOS update, it will be a true game changer due to its ease of use, particularly as drivers move from one car to another.But wait, there’s more! Apple CarPlay Ultra also takes control of the DBX707’s digital instrument cluster and it’s really where Aston Martin gets to flex its design muscle in conjunction with Apple.Different themes for the driver display are available, with the ‘traditional’ one featuring a speedometer and tachometer, which are split by an even more customisable section. It features either maps, current media, adaptive cruise control, the trip computer, tyre pressures or more.The colours and layouts are at the discretion of the car brand, with Aston Martin using its signature hues (think green) in the DBX707.The British marque also goes a step further with the aforementioned tachometer, which features very subtle ‘Handbuilt in Great Britain’ lettering in the top right corner.Another interesting thing about the Apple CarPlay Ultra experience is that every time you turn your vehicle’s ignition on, it automatically activates – but it takes a decent amount of time to do so, during which you get to experience the default multimedia system.It’s still very early days for Apple CarPlay Ultra, but the early signs are very promising. It offers iPhone users an interface that they’re familiar with and an experience that they’ll likely love.But Apple CarPlay Ultra’s success will mainly be dictated by the support of car brands, which need to play ball to roll it out. Also, it’s got a few more vehicle settings that it needs to fully integrate.But there’s no doubt that Apple CarPlay Ultra’s potential is very high.

This weekend’s Bathurst 1000 may not be the ‘race that stops the nation’ but it's still a major event on every car-loving Australian’s calendar. However some of the lustre has worn off ever since the 2022 event, because that was the last with Holden.

US manufacturers have poured cold water on a promising battery technology.Chinese researchers recently revealed that solid-state batteries could revolutionise the electric vehicle game.However, US manufacturers are yet to be caught up in the excitement of the innovative system, citing its underdevelopment.General Motors Vice President - Battery, Propulsion, and Sustainability Kurt Kelty told Detroit's Automotive News that GM has no plans to adopt solid-state batteries.“Solid state is still years away,” Kelty said.“But we are definitely looking at solid state because we can’t ignore it.“If the technology does show promise, then we are going to invest in getting those in our vehicles quickly,” he said.Solid-state batteries use a different mechanical separator and ion conductor between the anode and cathode. This contrasts many conventional batteries that contain a liquid or gel electrolyte.Better energy density stores more electricity to provide significantly longer range for vehicles. Solid-state could also be safer by reducing the risk of cell-failure induced fires for batteries and offer a longer lifespan than conventional lithium ion packs.GM has taken a different three-pronged battery approach to account for its diverse range of EVs. GM’s EVs range from the small hatchback Chevrolet Bolt to the powerful GMC Hummer ute.Its battery line-up includes lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries, but the majority of GM’s fleet will utilise a lithium manganese rich (LMR) battery.GM has just launched its electric range of Cadillacs in Australia.According to Kelty, LMR batteries currently provide better chemistry and performance, while being more cost-effective.Ford has taken a similarly cautious approach to solid-state batteries, not committing to using the technology just yet.“It’s a possible future technology,” Ford Battery Research Manager Alvaro Masias told Automotive News.Other car companies have been investigating solid-state batteries. German powerhouses BMW and Mercedes-Benz have fitted prototypes, while Honda, Nissan and Toyota are also working on solid-state options. But the technology remains in its infancy.With solid-state batteries still several years away from serious consideration for manufacturers, GM has been looking into silicon alternatives.Silicon graphite blend batteries can store more lithium ions to achieve greater battery density.“Silicon, to me, is the closer technology that’s going to be commercialised,” Kelty said.“Combinations of silicon graphite blend will achieve similar results to solid state technology but at lower cost and using existing manufacturing equipment,” he said.

It's unusual for the cheapest and smallest member of a car company's line-up to be the most impressive. Indeed, it's like preferring the acting of the Hemsworth whose name no-one can remember, but there's just something surprisingly attractive about Cadillac's Optiq, which will be the entry point for Cadillac's all-EV offering when it arrives later this year. We went to Detroit for a drive.

It may be missing a couple of letters, and a lot of cylinders, but GM is effectively bringing back the HSV brand with the launch of its super fast, seriously sporty Cadillac Lyriq-V, which it describes as “turning all the knobs up to 11”.Sprinkled with blacked-out bits and covered in carbon fibre, the Lyriq-V is Cadillac’s first performance EV, and will be, by far, its fastest accelerating car with its whopping 600-plus horsepower (that’s how they say it, we’d call it 459KW) and 880Nm hurling it to 60mph in 3.3 seconds (let’s add a tenth for the 0 to 100km/h dash, it’s still fast).It’s also faster than the properly shouty Cadillac we can’t get in Australia, the CTV-5 Blackwing, which can hit 60mph in 3.4 seconds using a 6.2-litre supercharged V8. Sigh.The standard Cadillac Lyriq — and keep in mind, we’re talking about a two-tonne plus large SUV here — takes 5.5 seconds to reach 100km/h, despite sharing the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive set up of the racier V variant.CarsGuide spoke to the Program Engineer for this car in Detroit, Christopher Carino, who said this slightly ludicrous Lyriq represented the brand’s first chance to show Australian buyers what the V means to Cadillac.“So it’s got the same motors as the other Lyriq, but they're tuned a little bit differently in order to give that performance upgrade for the V series, and so we get that 3.3-second time, which really is phenomenal for this vehicle,” Carino enthused.“We really have turned all the knobs up to 11 on this car, we wanted to give the customer just everything we could throw at it, from a performance standpoint, and we’re super excited about it being our first electric vehicle for the V series, which has got a long brand history with General Motors, and with Cadillac.“This vehicle lives up to all of that, and more.”Carino said no other car company has a variant that can compete directly with the Lyriq-V (Tesla’s Model 3 Performance can hit 60mph in 2.9 seconds, but it’s a mid-sized sedan, while the Model Y Performance claims 3.5 seconds). What sets the Cadillac apart is its ability “to live in both the luxury and the sport simultaneously.”Carino puts this down to the fact the V offers so much customisation. He said most drivers will use its My Mode to set up the suspension, steering, brake feel, motor sound and so on for the way they want to use the car 90 per cent of the time.“Then you press the V button and you get V Mode, which allows you to exercise all the bells and whistles from a performance side, and then you can go even one step further with a hard press of the V button, which gives you Velocity Max mode, and then that gives you this top-level acceleration on top of everything else you've already set for the vehicle,” he explained.“And the from there, you can use Launch Control, say if there’s someone next to you at the stop light, and you really want to get ahead of them, and that will give you that 3.3 seconds. Boom!”We resisted the urge to ask Carino whether he could have come up with a more American name than “Velocity Max”, and asked him, as someone who’s been driving a Lyriq V every day for months in the US, how often he engaged that mad mode.“So I have a family with three kids, and when I put it in Velocity Max, they're like, ‘Dad! It's too much! Too much. Too much,” he guffawed. “So I enjoy it when I’m by myself.“You guys are going to love it when you get it down there.”The Lyriq-V boasts a 102kWh battery pack, and if you drive it as it’s clearly intended its unlikely you’ll get anywhere near its claimed range of 459km (according to US EPA testing numbers).The standard Cadillac Lyriq is already on sale in Australia, priced from $117,000, and the brand’s local arm won’t say yet just how much the vicious V will be when it arrives early in 2026.“Pricing and specification for ANZ will be announced later this year and customer deliveries will commence from early 2026,” a spokesman from GM ANZ said.

A luxury, three-row, six-seat SUV that packs more punch than a Porsche 911? It must be an EV, and one with quite the battery and aggressive dual motors - meet the very large, very impressive-looking Cadillac Vistiq, coming to Australia in early 2026. We flew to Detroit for a preview drive.

American giant GM, which is in the midst of launching Cadillac as an EV-only brand in Australia, is determined to take on China, and win, when it comes to battery technology, announcing a new way of “layering” its batteries, which can reduce the number of cells by as much as 75 per cent, reducing both weight and cost.

Before I talk about how Super Cruise — the hands-off self-driving system that’s being used by hundreds of thousands of Americans every day in GM and Cadillac vehicles — almost killed me, I’d like to say how impressed I was by its work.

Cadillac has created a hand-made luxury EV with proportions that it admitted “look impossible to achieve”, a price tag that can run well north of $1 million, and an Active Roll Control system it claims can deliver “zero degrees of roll, which is better than any sports car out there”.