Ignore the fact that Cadillac’s XL-sized Vistiq – yes, I’m no fan of the name either – is an EV with a plug and a big pack of Duracells.
What we have here is just a terrific, super-capable, super-luxe, family-sized SUV. With a bunch of cool party tricks.
Top of the party trick list would be its ability to accelerate like a rock emerging from David’s Goliath-slaying catapult.
Here’s an elephantine, 6,163-pound whopper that, courtesy of its 615 ponies delivered from a Grand Coulee Dam of joules, ohms, volts and watts, can rocket from standstill to 60 mph in a mere 3.7 seconds. That’s quick. No, that’s insanely quick.
Then there’s 23. It’s the number of speakers hooked-up to the Caddy’s standard, ear-bleeding AKG Studio sound system with crystal-clear, multi-dimensional sound courtesy of Dolby Atmos processing.
Yes, there are louder vehicular sound systems out there. But the difference here is the whisper-quiet running that comes with the Vistiq’s silent electric power. At 75 mph on I-75 you can hear every finger-pick on the Beatles’ “Blackbird” lullaby.
This new Vistiq sits mid-point in Cadillac’s growing armada of EVs, above the entry Optiq and Lyriq, but below the just-too-huge Escalade IQ.
Vistiq pricing starts at a competitive $79,390 for the Luxury spec and tops out with the all-bells-and-whistles Platinum at $98,490. The mid-range Vistiq Sport we’re driving stickers from right around $80,000.
For all you EV range-anxietists out there, I know the burning question you want answered is “what’s the range?” The EPA estimates 305 miles, which was pretty close to my real-world, full-charge figure of 295 miles. Good, though perhaps no cigar compared to the 465 miles you get with the Escalade IQ.
With its honking 102 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and up to 19.2 kW charging speeds, plugging into a DC fast-charger can give you around 80 miles of range in 10 minutes. And these days, all GM EVs can hook-up to any of the 30,000-plus Tesla Superchargers out there.
Step up into the cabin – and it is a big step up – and you’re greeted by the kind of interior space normally reserved for Madison Square Garden. No wonder they call the Vistiq the “Baby Escalade”.
Take your pick from six or seven-seat configurations with either a middle-row bench or comfy captain’s chairs. Even back in the third row, despite the battery pack raising the floor and stealing some space, there’s limo-like comfort.
Up front, the Vistiq comes with a lovely 33-inch-wide curved, high-rez LED display that looks like something out of your local Cineplex. And I like that Caddy has grouped all the climate controls on a separate eight-inch tablet that sprouts from the center console.
As you’d expect of an upscale Caddy, the cabin materials are top notch, easy on the eye and soft to the touch.
But another of those strange choices is that proper leather isn’t even on the options list; it’s the faux synthetic stuff. Not that you’d know the difference. My favorite? The carbon fiber-like trim with copper-colored inlays. Very cool.
While cargo space behind the third row is a modest 15.2 cubic feet, power-fold the second and third rows and the available space soars to a cavernous 80.2 cubic feet. There are Airstreams with less. But don’t go looking for a “frunk” – that’s EV-speak for front truck – there isn’t one.
Out on the road, the Vistiq is all about smoothness and luxury, quietness and refinement.
It might be worth stepping up to the Premium Luxury and Platinum models to get the standard air suspension which gives an extra-smooth ride. But no matter the model, the ride is magic-carpet-plush, with lumps and bumps nicely absorbed and body lean well-contained.
The steering is precise and nicely-weighted too, though you’re never left in any doubt that you’re helming a 6,000-pound-plus honker. Thankfully there are huge brakes at each corner to slow things down.
As for one more party trick to enjoy, there’s the little red “V” button on the steering wheel. It stands for Velocity Max, and one press raises the electric output to 129 per cent of its peak, unlocking the full 650 lb-ft of torque and that 0-to-60 in 3.7 seconds thrust. Whoa Nelly.
