I Spent A Week With The Cadillac Vistiq. Here’s Why I Didn’t Want To Give It Back

There’s a core compromise you have to make with most electric vehicles. There are startup companies like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid that have cutting-edge software and EV-specific features, but come with steep learning curves, and, in some cases, limited support networks.

If that’s not acceptable, alternatives from the traditional brands often come with half-baked software, old-school design choices and frustrating navigation setups. More simply, it too often feels like you must choose between “spaceship” and “gas car stuffed with batteries.”

If you feel caught between those worlds, the Cadillac Vistiq is the luxury EV for you. Charmingly old-school in how it rides, handles and feels inside, but with sophisticated software and excellent EV-specific manners, the Vistiq is one of the best daily-driver electric cars on sale.

The Rivian R1S is a lot more exciting, and the Hyundai Ioniq 9 is a lot cheaper, but the Vistiq’s sumptuous interior and relaxed demeanor make it the most luxurious option of the bunch. 

(Full Disclosure: Cadillac loaned me a Vistiq for a week for this review. It arrived fully charged, and for reasons you’ll see below, it did not go back fully charged.)

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Source: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs

2026 Cadillac Vistiq: Specs And Features

A big deal, though you’d hardly know it. Cadillac’s onslaught of new models with “-iq” names feels like it buried the Vistiq. While the Lyriq has gotten its flowers, and the Optiq is the cheapest way in, even many industry watchers don’t know where the Vistiq sits.

That’s a shame for the Vistiq. I think it’s Cadillac’s best EV yet. Positioned as the three-row alternative to the hulking Escalade IQ, the Vistiq feels like what the Escalade would have become, had Americans been a bit more rational. With its three rows of seats and 206-inch-long body, the Vistiq is every bit as imposing as the first-generation Escalade from the Nineties, and actually a few inches longer.

It’s positioned against existing three-row options from upstarts and old competitors alike, including the Rivian R1S, Tesla Model X, Lucid Gravity and Mercedes EQS SUV. With the EQS on borrowed time and the Model X dead, though, it’s the only luxury option from a brand with a fully built-out service network and a financial position that ensures its own survival.

That alone makes it compelling, as the step-down options are the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9. Neither brand has a well-reputed dealer network, and while both look great, neither is as classy as black Vistiq with silver accents.

The Vistiq’s spec sheet also comes correct. It comes with 300 to 305 miles of EPA range (depending on wheel size), standard all-wheel drive, an available 19.2 kilowatt onboard charger with vehicle-to-home support and an absolute buffet of power and torque. Its 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque may not match the Rivian R1S’ Dual Motor Performance Upgrade’s numbers, but it’s still in the same galaxy speed-wise., With a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds, this three-row behemoth can dust any gas-powered family hauler.

The price for all of this: $79,390 to start, and $95,415 as-tested for a loaded Premium Luxury model. 

How Is It As A Car?

Delightful. I’m not one of those car journalists who always wants to be in a six-figure press tester, because I find most fancy vehicles to be more annoying than my personal car. But the Vistiq was different. From the second I got in its big plush captain’s chair, I just felt at ease.

Part of that is the excellent cabin design, which feels the right amount of modern. It’s got enough flourish to save it from the Spartan feeling of a Tesla or a Rivian, but enough polished screens and tech to feel like a proper luxury flagship. Credit, to, to the smart decisions GM has made with its control scheme. 

The Vistiq’s blue interior was a lovely place to spend time.

Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs

Like all GM EVs, it eschews a stop-start button, functioning instead like a Tesla or Rivian. It’s on when you get in and step on the brake, and it’s off when you get out. If, for some reason, you want to keep it on, there’s a persistent software button that keeps it running for 60 minutes. If—by getting in and out without moving, for instance—you somehow leave it on, it will turn itself off in short order, anyway. I love this about my Blazer EV, and every time I get in an EV that still needs me to turn it on and off, I’m baffled by the choice.

The shifter, turn signals, mirror controls, seat adjustments and essential controls are all less fussy than in a Rivian, Lucid or Tesla. There’s also still a volume knob, and while the HVAC controls are on a touch panel, at least it’s a separate, persistent touch menu, not a buried sub-menu.

Yet get on the highway and enable Super Cruise and you’d swear you were using something out of Silicon Valley. Super Cruise isn’t just more confident than rival systems, it’s also the best at showing you when you need to have your hands on, and when you can go hands-off.

Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs

Combined with the Vistiq’s divine ride quality and whisper-quiet cabin, Super Cruise makes this one of the most pleasant highway cruisers I’ve ever driven. It’s spacious, smooth and effortlessly fast. Miles just disappear.

Take it to a twisty road, though, and you’ll realize that this is a lot more than a 1970s Caddy reboot. Despite its 6,326-pound base curb weight, the Vistiq handled rapid California canyons with complete composure.

It feels compromise-free, right up until you hit the dirt. I’ll be direct here: This isn’t designed for much off-pavement utility. On an unmaintained but paved forest road, pocked with giant cracks and wheel-swallowing potholes, the Vistiq’s 23-inch wheels worked against it. It was far crashier and more dramatic than anything else I’ve driven on that road, including tame options like the Mercedes EQE 320+ SUV and my Blazer EV. If you ever want to hit dirt, or live in a city with three-foot potholes, do yourself a favor and order your Vistiq with 21’s. Or, you know, just get a Rivian. 

The Vistiq is sublime on the road. But don’t expect to take a long crossover with 23-inch wheels down any trails. 

Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs

On tarmac, though, there’s little to complain about. The excellent one-pedal driving calibration made it easy to drive smoothly, and the AKG audio system—now with Dolby Atmos and Apple Music support—simply rocks. Some customers may be turned off by a lack of Apple CarPlay, but after nearly two years with my Blazer EV, I find native Apple Music and Spotify support combined with Google Maps negates the need. Sure, the built-in system requires data to work, but GM throws in eight years of free music and maps connectivity. That seems fair to me. 

How Is It As An EV?

When I mentioned how much I liked the Vistiq to editor-in-chief Patrick George, he repeated his oft-quoted mantra: “Every GM EV I drive is better than the last one.” The Vistiq comes at the tail-end of a full on product blitz from the General, and you can feel all of that experience here. There were no software bugs. The interior was beautiful. The chassis, throttle and brake calibration were perfect.

Despite that, all of the GM EVs share some core shortcomings. The Vistiq can fast-charge at speeds up to 190 kilowatts. That’s behind many luxury competitors in the 200-plus and even 400-kW range, but it’s reflective of the not-exactly-groundbreaking fast-charging performance from most cars this company makes. . At least the Vistiq does better than the Blazer, Equinox and Optiq EVs, here, as with GM EVs the bigger the battery the batter the charging curve, generally. 

Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs

Cadillac doesn’t quote a 10-80% charging time, and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to complete my own charging test. My Vistiq tester seemed to have a problem with the charge-cable latching mechanism. I heard it actuate and try to secure the plug a half-dozen times, only for it to give up, and default to its fail-safe charging rate of 33 kilowatts. Estimates suggest that a 10-80% charge should take somewhere in the 30-40 minute range, which is fine. But the charge fault isn’t too encouraging.

On the plus side, GM’s route planner is among the best in the industry. You get full, native Google Maps, along with active routing and live information about stall availability. Like all modern GM EVs, it now has access to Tesla Superchargers, too. Unlike the Optiq, though, the Vistiq still comes with a Combined Charging System (CCS) port, not the new Tesla-style North American Charging System (NACS) plug. An adapter is included.

Efficiency, too, is so-so. My drive route involved 5,000 feet of climbing, 20 miles of high-speed canyons, and two miles on heavily degraded pavement that was more or less off-road. That makes the numbers pretty useless, but GM EVs are heavy, and the big-bodied Vistiq is far from an electron-sipper. Given its power, practicality and range, though, I don’t think most consumers will worry.

Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs

It’s got enough range and fast enough charging to tackle the occasional road trip. It’s got good enough software to find your stops along the way. And its available 19.2-kilowatt AC charging system and V2H support make it a great everyday EV.

Should You Buy One?

I certainly would. I mean, obviously $95,000 is a ridiculous amount to spend on a car. It’s Monopoly money at that point.

But I have driven a lot of $100,000 EVs, and few are as charming and polished as the Vistiq. I’d take this over a Mercedes EQS SUV without question, and the last one of those I drove was about $20,000 more expensive. The Lucid Gravity is certainly better to drive, more spacious and more efficient, but it’s far more annoying to live with, and far buggier. The Ioniq 9 and EV9 are cheaper, but they’re slower and don’t feel nearly as upscale as this. They’re also dogged by software that’s behind the curve from a usability perspective.

Of all of those cars, the Vistiq is the only one I was genuinely sad to part with. It feels exactly like a Cadillac should: Opulent, large, potent and uncompromised. The only car that matches its well-rounded charm is the Rivian R1S, by far and away my favorite EV on sale. 

Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs

That’s the car I’d take on a grand tour across America, or down a twisty road, or deep into the desert. But that’s not what life is for most people. Most of our driving happens around town, in traffic, and on the freeway. For that work, I’d rather have the Caddy. It’s not the EV you want for your most exciting moments. It’s the one that best fits into the messy, boring realities of life. It’s a guaranteed way to show up anywhere refreshed and in style.

Watching the Vistiq drive away, I understood why you’d cut a $96,000 check. In a world that only values the excessive and the absurd, it was refreshing to drive something so purely, completely nice. A confident whisper, not a silly shout.

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com. 

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