After several failed bids with partially-electrified models—neither the plug-in hybrid CT6 sport sedan nor the ELR, Caddy’s version of the Chevy Bolt, lasted more than three model years—GM’s luxury marque looks to have finally plugged in with the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq.

The large crossover is sold out for its inaugural year’s entire production. Order one today and it might be delivered by late spring 2023, Cadillac Vice President Rory Harvey told Forbes Wheels. 

That first year’s production isn’t a tremendous volume, but it’s the beginning of a major change for the brand. Cadillac won’t reveal the numbers but industry analysts at Wards Auto have reported that LMC Automotive, a vehicle production forecaster, estimates it at 3,000 units for calendar 2022 followed by 19,000 for all of 2023.

Still, Cadillac says it has received more than 250,000 “I’m interested” e-mails and sold the first year’s production in just a few hours of online ordering.

The Debut Edition, offered in a one-day sale in September 2021, sold out in 10 minutes. The rest of the 2023 model year’s production was spoken for in a few hours when online ordering reopened in May 2022. In mid-June, Cadillac told the thousands of 2023 Lyriq wait-listers they now are waiting for 2024 models.

Cadillac uses all capital letters when it writes about its new EV, but we’ll stick to Lyriq. The name, the automaker says, is a tribute to the fact that Cadillac is the most mentioned brand name—all brands, not just automobiles—in song lyrics stretching from jazz and R&B up through country, pop, rock and into rap and hip-hop. From Chuck Berry to Trace Adkins, Ariana Grande and Shakira, the hits don’t lie.

A numeric badge on the rear represents the metric measurement of the Lyriq’s 441 Newton meters of torque, rounded up because “450” looks better than “441.” The “E” stands for “electric.” In an American garage, 441 Nm equals 325 pound-feet of torque.

The upcoming all-wheel drive (AWD) version likely will get a different numerical rating because it will get a second motor to drive the front axle and thus will have more torque (Caddy hasn’t yet released figures).

The Lyriq’s modern good looks, a boatload of features and luxurious cabin with its sweeping 33-inch digital display certainly helped drive those sales. 

As did the price. The Lyriq is likely going to compete against other luxury electric crossovers and Caddy’s pricing situates the Lyriq as the least expensive choice. 

The rear-drive version started at just $59,000 for the Debut Edition and is $62,900, including destination, for the rest of the 2023 run—there’s only one trim level for the first year. The electronic AWD version, not slated for delivery until the end of the year, starts at $64,900.

The competition—Jaguar’s i-Pace, the Audi e-tron, the Tesla Model Y and the new BMW iX—all come only with all-wheel drive and, except for the Model Y, start thousands of dollars higher than the AWD Lyriq. The iX tops the list with a starting MSRP of $83,200 and soars to nearly $110,000 in M60 form.

The Lyric is designed and engineered for comfortable cruising with a slight bias toward sporty handling, and that proved to be the case in a few hours of driving in the hills around Park City, Utah, where traffic, speed limits and police patrols made it difficult to break the half-century mark on the speedometer.

Unfettered, the 340-horsepower, 325-pound-foot, rear-wheel drive Lyriq is quick enough, with what Brewer said is an elapsed zero-to-sixty time of “just under” 6 seconds. Except for the 5.5-second Audi e-tron, the rest of the segment boasts sub-5-second times. The Lyriq AWD version will get an additional 160 horsepower from a front-mounted motor, giving it a total of 500 ponies, So far, though, acceleration numbers aren’t available. 

Like an old luxury cruiser, Lyriq is extremely quiet regardless of the road surface, thanks to active noise canceling and a wealth of sound attenuating materials. It is also extremely comfortable, with a ride that’s firm but not jolting, and seats that cushion and support without engulfing.

It corners well, albeit with a bit of body roll not unexpected in a SUV-like crossover. Self-tuning dampers and five-link suspension front and rear help smooth out the ride. As do the very low center of gravity and its nearly 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution.

Steering was tight and responsive, but with a lack of road feedback that’s all-too-common with electric power steering systems.

Official EPA range and efficiency numbers haven’t been posted yet, but Cadillac is estimating that the Lyriq’s 102 kWh battery pack can deliver 312 miles of range for the EV equivalent of 105 miles per gallon—a number bested in the segment only by the Model Y’s 112 mpg-equivalent.

The Lyriq’s range positions it in the middle of its segment, well ahead of the e-tron and i-Pace but bested—although not by much—by the Model Y, at 318 miles, and the iX, at 324 miles.

For DC fast charging at up to 190 kilowatts, the Lyriq can take on an 80% charge in about 30-minutes. It can also add 76 miles of range in just 10 minutes when topping up a nearly depleted battery. The Lyriq comes equipped with a dual-level 120/240-volt charging cord set that can refill a 90% depleted battery in about 13 hours on a Level 2, 240-volt outlet.

For more powerful Level 2 home charging, the 2023 rear-drive comes with a 19.2 kW charger that can add 52 miles an hour for a roughly 6-hour refill. The AWD version will have 11.5 kW Level 2 charging capacity, good for 31 miles per hour or about 10 hours for a full recharge.

Cadillac is providing its Lyriq buyers with the choice of a $1,500 credit toward home charging system installation, or two years of unlimited fast-charging on the EVgo network.

The Lyriq is big but racy looking, with a rearward sloping roofline flowing back from a long hood and steeply canted windshield. The body is slab-sided, the slabs are broken up by bulging wheel arches and strong character lines. It draws these cues from some of Cadillac’s nicest concept cars of the last decade and doesn’t seem to water down the design as some models have in the past.

The short, steeply slanted rear window gives the Lyriq a fastback appearance, and a split spoiler on the trailing edge of the roof is angled to sweep air down across the glass, eliminating the need for a rear window wiper. 

The roof is black glass and will make three of the four available color schemes two-tone, with steel gray, a rich blue or a bright white body under the black roof. The fourth exterior color is black, and only it and the steel gray are available on the 2023 models.

The electric crossover’s front end and front light treatment are particularly striking and probably helped sell more than a few of the 2023 models.

The Lyriq’s welcome to drivers is a choreographed light show using the backlighted grille and the all-LED front lighting. The rear lights don’t dance, but their layout repeats the strong vertical layout of the front lights. 

At 196.7 inches overall, the Lyriq is the longest of the five electric crossovers in the segment, and it has the longest wheelbase. That, along with a flat floor—because there’s no central driveshaft—opens up the interior floor space. As a result, boasts it plenty of head and leg room front and rear, although it’s not the segment leader in any of those categories.

Cargo capacity—28 cubic feet behind the seats and 60.8 cubes with the split rear seats folded—is mid-pack. There’s no front-trunk, or frunk, but there is a deep well under the cargo area floor. 

An array of climate control system switches is lined up in the lower center portion of the dash, and a giant 33-inch digital display screen in a gently curved housing dominates all. It is a mono-screen—not divided into several smaller displays as other wide screens are—and many of its elements can be juggled around to suit a driver’s preferences.

The right half is set up for maps, vehicle settings and audio and other infotainment stuff, the left half for driver-oriented information.  Infotainment is android-based and the ”Hey Google” voice controls work well. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported but require cords.

The ventilated and heated seats are very comfortable and very adjustable, and the faux-leather upholstery definitely feels more “leather” than “faux.”

There’s a cantilevered two-level center console with an open bin on the bottom. The top piece is home to cupholders, a wireless phone charger slot, a covered cubby, a thumb-wheel for the audio system volume control, and the infotainment system’s rotary controller. The 19-speaker premium audio system can be controlled by voice, from the steering wheel or via the touchscreen.

The Lyriq was designed to accommodate over-the-air software updates for many infotainment and vehicle settings functions, and some things omitted in the push to begin production nine months earlier than initially planned can be added later.

GM’s hands-free SuperCruise highway driving assist system is an example. The hardware’s on the 2023 models, but the Lyriq-specific software won’t be ready until closer to the end of the year when it will be added as an “OTA” retrofit.

By then, it’s possible the Lyriq itself will have been mentioned in a pop song.

Cadillac provided lodging, meals and travel to enable us to bring you this first-person report. Although Forbes Wheels sometimes participates in manufacturer-hosted events, our coverage is independent, unbiased and aimed at offering consumers an objective view of every vehicle we test.

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