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EDMONTON, CANADA APRIL 13: A 2025 Cadillac OPTIQ on display at the Edmonton Motor Show on April ... More 13, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Some of the most impressive features of new Cadillac Optiq are the ones that come standard. One of those is General Motors’ impressive AI-based Super Cruise that rivals Tesla’s AI driver assist, Autopilot.
The brand new compact Caddy EV nameplate for 2025 – which I’m test driving for a week – matches the newest Tesla Model Y feature for feature in key areas. In a first for a mainstream General Motors EV, the Cadillac Optiq boasts both all-wheel drive and GM’s driver assist system, Super Cruise, as standard. These two features match the recently-released Tesla “Juniper” Model Y Long-Range All-Wheel Drive with Autopilot.
Compact: right sized
It’s a compact EV, which is pretty rare these days. It slots below the mid-size Lyriq and the very large Escalade IQ in Cadillac’s EV lineup. Compactness in an EV is a good thing. EVs keep getting bigger and bigger and heavier and heavier, requiring bigger battery packs, which means higher prices.
Range: hits the 300 sweet spot
The Optiq is rated at 302 miles. That’s another plus. In 2025, if an EV isn’t rated at 300 miles and above, I would think twice unless you’re absolutely sure you won’t be taking any long trips. (I speak from experience. I’ve purchased inexpensive EVs in the past thinking I won’t need the range. Wrong!)
Performance: switch on “Sport Mode”
I’ve been driving the Optiq with Sport Mode toggled on. That delivers more than enough performance for me. It’s a close match to the 2025 Subaru Solterra EV, which (surprisingly) has some of the most impressive torque I’ve experienced in a compact EV (and which also has AWD standard). Remember, EVs already have a torque advantage over gas cars so anything like the Optiq’s Sport Mode is icing on the cake.
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