Cadillac Lyriq vs Mercedes-Benz C350

What's the difference?

General Motors Australia & New Zealand (GMANZ) has recently expanded its full-electric Cadillac SUV range in Australia from one to three models, with the new Optiq and Vistiq joining the pioneering Lyriq in the company's local line-up of luxurious US-sourced SUVs and pickups.

The five-seater Lyriq is now the happy medium of the Cadillac trio, as it’s positioned between the smaller Optiq and larger Vistiq; the latter with a unique seven-seat design.

We recently spent a week aboard the Lyriq to see if its opulence, practicality, performance, driving range and price provide a compelling alternative to full-electric or combustion-powered rivals for high-end luxury SUV buyers.

If you’re picturing the premium mid-size segment in Australia, you’re almost certainly picturing Mercedes-Benz. Honestly, the premium carmaker has the kind of powerful and unquestioning stranglehold on the segment that would have despots and dictators turning green with envy.

The C-Class often outsells its nearest competitor by a factor of two to one. Even more impressive, that nearest competitor is another Mercedes, the CLA. Audi and BMW are left off in the middle distance, duking it out for third and fourth place.

So yes, the C-Class is a very important car for Mercedes. And this new one, updated for 2019, is even more so. It’s the first major update in the current car’s four-year lifespan, with a handful of exterior tweaks, some new key cabin technology and, most importantly, a new and clever engine option for its top-selling version.

So is that enough to keep the C-Class at the top of the mid-size pile?