2025 Cadillac Optiq Luxury 2
Price As Tested: $66,664 CAD
Colour: Coastal Blue Metallic
As the EV war rages on Cadillac continues its seemingly inevitable push toward all electric all the time. The 2025 Optiq is the latest offering in this regard and while it is unfortunately saddled with the faux-sophisticated “iq” branding, it’s an interesting car. I can’t say I’d go out and buy one, but it does a decent job of mixing it up in this segment. My major problem with this car is that it simply doesn’t spark any major “wow” and that’s a shame.
Power & Performance
The electric drivetrain delivers 300hp and 354 lb/ft through an all-wheel drive system. This is a solid amount of power for a vehicle of this size and class. Put your foot down and the Optiq will respond appropriately. The handling is equally solid while responding to the corners without forgetting this is a Cadillac.
Exterior
Subjective though this statement may be, the Optiq is a good-looking crossover. I think Cadillac is doing the right things with the exterior styling of its EV line as there isn’t a mutt in the mix. This test model also features a two-tone black roof ($825 CAD option) which makes the Coastal Blue Metallic paint really pop.
The influence of Tesla is everywhere in the EV space. In particular their obsession with flush, electrically operated door handles had seeped into a lot of other manufacturers offerings. The 2025 Cadillac Optiq has similar handles that look equally stupid and were indecisive in choosing when to open/close based on the proximity of the key. I miss normal door handles. I’ll eat the 0.3% loss of efficiency. Another odd characteristic of the Optiqs door handles was the lag from when they deploy to when they actually release the door. Almost every time I went to pull the door open it would hold it a beat before unlocking the door. It feels really clunky and unsophisticated and completely unnecessary.
Interior
The interior of the 2025 Cadillac Optiq is an interesting place to be. The upholstery has a Matrix style cascade of code look to them and I liked that a lot. It’s also swathed in fabric everywhere. I’m not sure I like this idea as it would make long term maintenance and cleaning a nightmare if your family is as filthy as mine but it sure looks good when the car is new.
The AKG stereo in the Optiq is a beast. It’s not only loud but provides genuine bass and drew the ire of several of the elderly people in my neighborhood. My synthwave listening habits were on full display for the world to see and I didn’t care as it was a “windows down, stereo up” type of week while I had this car. It was great.
Yes, no Carplay. It sucks. I don’t know what else to say.
The Optiq features very unusual haptic style feedback buttons on the steering wheel. These were very frustrating as the feedback was inconsistent, and I found I had to look down at the steering wheel to carefully line up my chubby fingers with the frustratingly elusive button I was aiming for. Regular buttons my friends, regular buttons.
The infotainment system is similar to what you get in a wide range of other modern GM product. It’s okay but nothing special. The Google system is serviceable and gets the job done. For a vehicle in this price point I’d like to see something nicer that respects the outlay.
Quality
My oldest son is a future automobile journalist to be sure as he was deeply critical of the interior build quality of the Optiq. He supported his criticisms with lots of evidence in the form of “hey, look at how cheap this plastic is” or “I think this trim is going to fall off shortly”. While he’s not wrong it’s the usual GM interior challenges we’ve come to expect.
CQI – 8.
Value
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq is priced right in the mix with its other luxury crossover competitors. The Genesis GV60 (which shares the silly door handles) is one to consider as it’s a quirky but quite good-looking vehicle and you get that top shelf Hyundai group design that wins so often. Another option is the Audi Q4 e-tron. It’s conservative and stagnant exterior design aside, the Q4 e-tron provides all the refinement and cold elegance you’d expect from a vehicle like this. Skip the EX series from Volvo. Too much cost cutting that reflects throughout the vehicle.
Final Thoughts
Here we are again faced with the Cadillac question. Should you buy the 2025 Optiq? Maybe. You could do worse and you could do better. It’s a sold luxury EV crossover with some obvious and regrettable shortcomings. That being said, much like a bar near closing time on a rough Friday night, there are worse choices to be made. Decide then for yourself and live with it.
