Cadillac Optiq 2026 review: Australian first drive

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

8 / 10

The Cadillac range has undergone a pretty epic price repositioning recently. The Lyriq launched in Australia at around $117,000, before on-road costs, but it has been chopped back to $90,000, making room for the flagship Vistiq, which is $116,00, BOC. The Optiq then slots in beneath both, starting at $80K.

Depending on where you see the Cadillac, that can be pretty good value. The BMW iX3 will start at $89,900, the Genesis GV60 is $88,300 and the Lexus RZ – itself the recent recipient of a significant price adjustment – is $84,500.

So, cheaper than those. But the big dog in the fight is still the Tesla Model Y, and you can have an all-wheel drive version of that for less than $70K. Is the Tesla a bona fide premium car? Is the Cadillac? These are questions best left to the buyers of each.

Anyway, the Optiq ditches any single-motor powertrains to launch exclusively in dual-motor, all-wheel drive guise, called the Sport, and you want for little on the equipment list.

That starts outside with cool-looking LED lighting and DRLs, what the brand calls its '3D etched crystal shield' grille, significant 21-inch alloys and a sizeable glass roof with a powered sun shade.

Inside, there's a lovely mix of premium-feeling cabin materials, with seats that offer heating, cooling and a massage function up front, and heating for backseat riders.

There's also dual-zone climate control, ambient interior lighting, a heated steering wheel and wireless device charging.

Tech is a strong point here, with the Optiq's cabin dominated by a massive and curved 33-inch display that stretches from the centre of the cabin to the driver's door and does double duties as your multimedia and driving info screens.

There's wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too, but the brand is making the biggest deal of the Optiq's stereo, which Cadillac says is unrivalled, and is the result of a five-year partnership with Dolby.

The Optiq gets 19 AKG speakers with Dolby Atmos, effectively the same surround sound developed for theatres, and the brand says listening to Atmos-mastered music (which is most tracks on paid streaming services, apparently) gives you music studio-level audio. So much so, Cadillac says, that producers for Mariah Carey and Fleetwood Mac have purchased models in the Cadillac electric family.

Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

8 / 10

I really like the exterior of this Optiq, and especially the front-on view, with its vertical DRLs and that bold Cadillac grille delivering real medium SUV street presence. 

You could argue the side profile is a little more vanilla (discounting the big wheels, of course), but it looks swept-back and sporty, and not as though it has been designed exclusively for aerodynamics above all else. That's a compliment, not an insult. Cadillac's engineers say every line and crease has been developed to help it slip through the air, but it does it without looking like a science experiment. 

The material choices inside are lovely, too. The brand says it has focused on sustainable and recycled materials (the centre console is made from tulip wood and recycled newspaper, for example), but the highlight in my test car was the fabric derived from recycled polyester fabric that lined the door panels and much of the dash. It's a refreshing (and comfy) departure from the norm.

Less positive is the level of Mar-a-Lago bling dotted elsewhere in the cabin, like the chrome ringed centre console and silver-tipped vent controllers. They jar with the otherwise dark, calming and modern-feeling space.

There are physical buttons galore, controlling all your climate settings along with steering-wheel controls as shortcuts for key functions, but there is also still a bit of on-screen action for things like quick access to your driving modes.

The tech looks fab, though, with the curve through the screen looking intentional and elegant and way nicer than the tablets plonked in a lot of EVs these days.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside?

8 / 10

The Cadillac Optiq is around 4.8m long, 1.9m wide and 1.6m high, which is slightly longer than your average mid-size SUV. And I would argue most of that extra space is located in the back seat, where – at 175cm – I had no problem stretching out behind my own driving position. There was plenty of knee room and, thanks to a virtually flat floor, no bulky tunnel getting in the way for the middle-back rider, either.

Headroom could be a touch more challenging. It was no issue for me, but there wasn't a ton of clear air between the top of my head and the raked roofline, so six-foot-plus passengers might be stooping. Still, if your kids are six-foot-plus, get them into the NBA and have them buy you a car instead.

Elsewhere in the back there are cupholders in the pull-down seat dividers, ISOFIX attachment points in each window seat and twin USB-C ports. There are air vents but no temp controls for backseaters.

The boot is sizable, too, with Cadillac promising 744 litres of cargo space with the rear seats in place and 1603 litres with the rear seats stowed flat. And kudos for not just providing a neat charging cable space under the boot floor, but also giving you a little zip-up suitcase to store it in.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its motor?

7 / 10

There is only one trim level and powertrain on offer in the Optiq, called the Sport AWD, and with it comes dual electric motors – one on each axle – delivering a total 224kW and 480Nm. 

That's enough, says Cadillac, to push the Optiq to 100km/h in a hot-hatch-feeling 6.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 210km/h.

Efficiency – What is its driving range? What is its charging time?

7 / 10

The downside of the Cadillac EV experience arrives here, with surprisingly slow charging speeds for a vehicle in this class. Remember, Australia's fastest DC chargers are rated to 400kW, and a vehicle like the BMW iX3 will accept it, taking you from 10 to 80 per cent charged in 21 minutes.

The Optiq, though, is rated to just 110kW, which feels a bit odd. The brand doesn't quote a 10 to 80 per cent time and instead says you'll accrue "up to 94 kilometres of range in 10 minutes".

Still, most people charge at home, and there the Optiq can be plugged into anything from a regular wall socket to a super-fast 22.1kW three-phase AC wallbox. 

The brand is promising a total 425km WLTP driving range with a fully charged battery.

Driving – What's it like to drive?

8 / 10

First things first, this was a limited test of the Optiq, mostly stop-start Sydney traffic, so you’ll have to wait 'til we get the Caddy through the CarsGuide garage for a full and thorough test for a detailed driving review. But on first impressions, the signs are good for the Optiq.

The power delivery is rich and plentiful, and while it’s not aggressively fast, there’s more than enough punch from the line to get you up and moving in traffic.

It rides well, only feeling a bit brittle over properly rubbish road surfaces, and it offers a refreshing sense of connection to what’s going on beneath the tyres.

The steering can feel a little vague on-centre, however beyond that it feels direct but not darty, with a nice weight to the movement. 

The active noise cancellation and sound deadening appear to be doing their roles well, too. I drove past a roadworks site, and most of the drilling occurring outside was banished from entering the cabin. Impressive stuff.

Again, I want to spend more time with the Optiq before passing full judgement, but so far so good – it's my favourite of the Cadillac products to date.

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

8 / 10

The Cadillac Optiq wears a maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, which will likely translate to an Australian ANCAP five-star score.

The standard inclusions list is long, and probably too laborious to go into in detail here, but things like seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking (forward and reverse), lane centering and pedestrian and cyclist detection are all present and accounted for. The Optiq also has rumblers in the driver’s seat pad, rather than an annoying chime or alarm, which is a far more peaceful way of delivering a safety message.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

7 / 10

The Cadillac Optiq is covered by the brand's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which lags the similarly sized and priced Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Kia EV9, but is on par with the Germans. There's also five years of roadside assistance, while the battery is co vered for eight years or 160,000km. 

Service intervals are 12,000km or 12 months, and the brand says it is still finalising service pricing, so that’s something to ask about before you commit.

Rather than conventional dealers, Cadillacs are typically sold online with hands-on inspection at 'Experience Centres' - currently one in Sydney and one Melbourne. Service and test drive sites are also in place in Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart.

Verdict