I drove Cadillac's entry-level EV. It hits Caddy's affordability sweet spot.

The Cadillac Optiq is a convincing entry point into Cadillac's EV lineup because it delivers the brand theater. Ben Shimkus/Business Insider I tested the Cadillac Optiq, the cheapest EV in GM's luxury lineup. Its elegant design and supple ride make it properly Caddy-ish. The Optiq isn't the fastest EV, but that's OK. The interior materials, though? Some aren't great. Cadillac's entry-level EV doesn't feel particularly entry-level. The Optiq is the cheapest way to get into an EV with GM's luxury badge. It's a crossover-like SUV with a base trim that starts just under $50,000 — or, less money than the average American car. I spent a week and about 400 miles in a 2026 Cadillac Optiq Premium Sport, driving from New York City to upstate New York and back with up to three passengers and several large suitcases in tow. My rear-wheel-drive tester stickered at $58,976 with options, including 21-inch wheels, two-tone exterior paint, and Cadillac's warm brown Autumn Canyon leather interior. That package is hardly pocket change — but after a week behind the wheel, I wondered why buyers would spend more for some other Caddys. Easy on the eyes and on the throttle The Optiq has stage presence. Ben Shimkus/Business Insider The Optiq nails the first impression. Stacked LEDs in the front and back give the crossover a recognizable signature at night. They also put on a dazzling welcome light show as you approach. Inside, a curved 33-inch display stretches across the dashboard, caramel-colored seats look properly expensive, and — praise be — Cadillac kept physical climate-control buttons underneath the screen. It looks like a Cadillac. More importantly, it drives like one, too. The interior and exterior both carry Caddy's star quality. Ben Shimkus/Business Insider The steering was accurate, the suspension softened rough pavement despite those huge wheels, and road noise was virtually nonexistent. Optiq also benefits from GM's SuperCruise assisted highway driving. It was impressive on my highway-dominant drive upstate, automatically pulling into an open passing lane when I caught slower traffic. It, however, occasionally moved over when faster traffic was approaching from behind, a trait that I'm sure drew the ire of other New York drivers. Off the line, this Optiq takes a rather leisurely approach to acceleration. That's not a bad thing, especially compared to other EVs I've recently driven that are faster than they need to be. The RWD Optiq still had enough verve to merge comfortably onto the highway. And, if you absolutely need bone-chilling speed, Cadillac now sells the sport-oriented Optiq-V, which launches to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds — nearly half the time my tester took to get there. The Optiq handled the less glamorous parts of EV ownership well, too. At a Level 3 charger, I added 41.47 kilowatt-hours in 20 minutes, taking the battery from 32% to 72% — roughly enough time for any trip's necessary restroom-and-snacks stop. Some of the luxury is better from a distance There's a lot more hard plastic in this picture than you'd think. Ben Shimkus/Business Insider Live with the Optiq long enough, though, and some of the luxury sheen fades. There's a lot of hard plastic inside. The floating center console, for example, has a black appliqué that looks like wood. It isn't. The silver rings around the cupholders look like hammered metal, but those are plastic, too. Similar trim details appear throughout the dash and doors. Then there's the infotainment screen… …Have an iPhone? I have bad news… Ben Shimkus/Business Insider … where there's no Apple CarPlay. Cadillac's Google-based system is perfectly usable, and the enormous display is well organized, but for plenty of drivers I talk to, losing CarPlay is a dealbreaker. There are also moments where GM's Silicon Valley-ish ambitions become a little too obvious. The best example is the glovebox: There's no normal latch. Instead, you open it via the infotainment screen, so it only works when the car is on or in accessory mode. Verdict: Luxe appeal and a price that's less than your mortgage The Optiq is one of Cadillac's best efforts. Ben Shimkus/Business Insider Cadillac has a surprisingly crowded EV showroom. The Optiq is joined by the slightly larger Lyriq, the three-row Vistiq, the hulking Escalade IQ, the even bigger Escalade IQL, and the built-to-order Celestiq. The Optiq isn't as extravagant as an Escalade IQ or as dramatic as a Lyriq. That's kind of the point. It's the entry point — although, at just a few inches shorter than the Lyriq, it doesn't feel meaningfully smaller from behind the wheel. (Although the Lyriq is the only GM EV with Apple CarPlay…) Long drives, though, have a way of cutting through luxury-car theater. On the trip upstate, I pulled into a rest area starved. My best option was an Impossible Whopper from Burger King, which I ate in the driver's seat. There I was, surrounded by caramel-colored seats and Cadillac's enormous curved display, with tomato juice running down my arm. The Optiq projects opulence. I was its foil, and I'm okay with that — the burger was worth it. Read the original article on Business Insider

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