13 minute read
The Luxe Life Cadillac Lyriq vs. Genesis GV60
WORDS DUNCAN BRADY
PHOTOGRAPHY POVI PULLINEN lectric vehicles may not represent the present for
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Emost of America, but they are the future. The industry agrees; of the two luxury brands represented in this comparison test, Genesis says it will launch only electric models after 2025, and Cadillac promises an exclusively battery-powered lineup by 2030.
Neither manufacturer is new to electrification— Cadillac dabbled in plug-in performance with the overpriced but sneaky-good ELR last seen as a 2016 model, and Genesis recently released a battery-powered version of the G80—but neither has offered a dedicated EV.
Enter the Cadillac Lyriq and Genesis GV60, a pair of critically important electric SUVs that offer a glimpse of what we can expect from these companies’ electron-fed futures.
When we look back at this pair toward the end of the decade, will they represent fumbled first attempts or the beginnings of something special?
The Lyriq is the first Cadillac built on GM’s Ultium electric vehicle architecture, versions of which underpin GMC’s new
Hummers, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, and the upcoming electrified Chevrolet Blazer. Our test vehicle was just the second example to roll off the production line—VIN002, to be exact. More on that shortly.
The Lyriq comes to market with a single-motor, rearwheel-drive trim badged 450E. The 450 designation represents 450 newton-meters of torque, rounded up per
Cadillac practice from 441 Nm, or 325 lb-ft in American torque. The badge is mostly inscrutable to Americans, but we also like big numbers on our luxury cars. Our Lyriq Debut
Edition has a sticker price just shy of $60,000, but these versions are sold out; similarly equipped models are now available for about $63K. Deliveries for dual-motor AWD
Lyriqs are slated for early 2023.
The Cadillac is an obvious looker. Slim, dramatic lighting elements and the large, grille-aping panel up front hint at the Lyriq’s electric powertrain while a lengthy dash-to-axle ratio and vertical, tailfin-esque motifs at the rear communicate pure Cadillac elegance. The production Lyriq is nearly unchanged from the 2020 concept, and we’re thrilled to start seeing these on the road.
Relative newcomer Genesis takes a slightly different approach. The GV60 is the luxury marque’s first take on Hyundai/Kia’s E- GMP platform, which also underpins the excellent Kia EV6 and the 2023 MotorTrend SUV of the Year–winning Hyundai Ioniq 5. Something of a surprise, the GV60 is the stubbiest of that trio, looking more aggro-anime hot hatch than luxury SUV. Genesis deserves praise for its multitude of interior and exterior color options, but the advantage goes to Cadillac in design and sheer presence.
Genesis offers the GV60 exclusively with a dual-motor AWD setup. Upgrading from the base Advanced trim to the range-topping GV60 Performance raises power from 314 to 429 hp and adds a Boost function that unlocks 483 hp for 10 seconds at a time. Base pricing approaches $60,000, and our Performance model in Uyuni White stickers for $69,560.
Looking at efficiency, these two are right on top of each other, but only one breaks the elusive 300-mile barrier. Despite being just as efficient as the Cadillac, the GV60’s 77.4-kWh battery capacity limits it to 235 miles between full charges. GM equipped the Lyriq with significantly more battery capacity—102.0 kWh—which means the Tennesseebuilt Caddy offers 312 miles of range.
Ah, but not so fast; although the GV60 has fewer miles’ worth of electricity in its battery, it can restore them quicker. Hyundai/Kia’s E- GMP vehicles are the only EVs costing less than $60,000 with an 800-volt electrical architecture.
THE CADILLAC LYRIQ AND GENESIS GV60 SPEAK TO EACH AUTOMAKER’S FUTURE
Volts and watts and DC and AC can get confusing, but the GV60’s 800-volt system means it has some of the quickest charging in the industry.
The Lyriq’s charging power tops out at 190 kW, but the GV60 can charge at up to 235 kW, a nearly 25 percent advantage. Eventually, the GV60’s peak charging power could swell to 350 kW with overthe-air updates, widening the gap even more. Cadillac counters with either two years of unlimited public charging at EVgo stations or a credit of up to $1,500 for home charging installation through Qmerit.
Interior appointments separate the premium from the pedestrian, the luxury buyer from the layperson, though the gap is smaller than it once was. Each of these electric SUVs distinguishes itself from its respective parent company’s lesser products, to mixed results.
The first thing you notice with the Genesis is the deep teal upholstery with tennis-ball-green contrast piping and stitching; your eyes then cast over a crystal ball in the center console that, upon starting the vehicle, flips to reveal the GV60’s rotary shift knob. Some patterned plastic trim and switchgear are borrowed from the Hyundai/Kia parts bin, as is the specific type of silvery plastic used throughout, but the material quality is strong overall.
Everything in the GV60’s interior is round—door handles, climate controls, mirror adjustments, air vents, the novel fingerprint reader—meaning there’s not a sharp corner in sight beyond the infotainment display’s bezels. The design comes off as cute and bordering on gimmicky. We’re reminded of the design-first ethos of cars like modern Minis or the 2000 New Beetle. This cabin likely won’t age well, and it feels disjointed from the exterior’s better execution.
Even if the design is a little much, the Genesis cabin is supremely usable. The infotainment system is responsive and easy to navigate with redundant controls from the center rotary dial and touchscreen. Paddles behind the steering wheel adjust regenerative braking strength, and there are physical buttons for high-frequency actions like adjusting the climate system or activating the heated and cooled seats.
As for the back seats, Genesis didn’t skimp out. The materials are just as nice as what’s up front, and while the floor is a little high (typical of skateboard-chassis
EVs), head- and legroom are acceptable even for full-size adults. Sun shades, a panoramic roof, USB ports, and ample storage space improve the back-seat experience. The cargo area is on the tighter side, though, and you can’t remotely fold the rear seats from the hatch area.
In the Caddy, first impressions are strong. Unlike the Genesis, color is used sparingly—the center console’s drawer and a floor storage tray are lined in embroidered royal blue leather, and that’s about it—but the artfully perforated leather seats make for commanding thrones. You sit higher in the Cadillac, too. Laser-cut wood, brushed metal door handles, and sculpted speaker grilles are especially impressive at the Lyriq’s relatively modest price point.
Cadillac upped its switchgear game, too. Where recent Cadillacs pulled heavily from the rest of the General Motors catalog, most Lyriq pieces are unique to the brand. The seat controls, window switches, and turn signal stalk feel weighty and expensive, but there are a couple misses with the flexible regenerative braking paddle (borrowed from the Chevrolet Bolt EV) and a center rotary controller that takes too much effort to click and makes an unpleasant noise when doing so.
As for infotainment, the Lyriq combines the center display, digital instrument cluster, and a second auxiliary touchscreen left of the steering wheel behind a single 33-inch piece of curved glass. This is a much more impressive array than Mercedes-Benz’s Hyperscreen, as we found it near impossible to discern where one display ends and the next begins.
The digital suite is outstanding from a design perspective; we just wish it worked better. Basic vehicle functions like opening the glove box or toggling the headlights are buried behind menus. The Cadillac’s three regenerative braking modes require diving into driving settings, too. There are strengths here—the Google Maps integration with charge-location planning comes to mind—but Genesis’ infotainment system is easier to live with.
The Cadillac’s rear seats are more generously padded, provide additional support, and offer a couple extra inches of kneeroom compared to the Genesis. Headroom is similarly tight but acceptable. Materials and design are just as strong as what’s up front, to the point that one editor is counting the days until a Lyriq is their new airport taxi.
Cargo room is more generous than what’s in the GV60, plus there’s usable underfloor storage that even includes a spot for the retractable cargo cover. For what it’s worth, the Lyriq can tow up to 3,500 pounds compared to the GV60’s
2,000-pound limit, and the Cadillac has nearly an inch of additional ground clearance.
If roads are curvy and you enjoy driving quickly or showing off the acceleration of your new EV to your pals, the GV60 is a better tool for the job. Chalk it up to the rear torque vectoring, Boost mode, and a near 800-pound weight advantage. The Genesis also offers quicker steering response than the Cadillac; there’s nearly a full rotation less when turning lock to lock. This augments the agility advantage inherent to the GV60’s chassis and powertrain tuning. To put its performance in numerical context, the GV60 lapped our figure-eight course in 26.9 seconds at 0.63 g average versus the Lyriq’s 27.2 seconds at 0.64 g.
The Cadillac is a different, far more luxury-oriented creature. Instead of the “check this out” off-the-line acceleration some EVs boast, the Lyriq glides away gently upon accelerator tip-in before metering out a generous, seamless torque tide. EVs’ potential for instantaneous throttle response and torque can expose a jerky right foot, but it’s a challenge to be anything but smooth in the Lyriq. As for handling, the Cadillac exhibits notable body roll, though thankfully it’s one motion and done, with no wallowing or instability. Unless you drive a mountain road with constant quick transitions, it’s unlikely to bother anyone.
Neither car’s ride is overly firm, but the Genesis has notably more tire and wind noise, as well as some head toss you won’t experience in the Cadillac. Blame its shorter wheelbase and larger wheels. The Cadillac’s ride can feel slightly floaty at times—this RWD model lacks fancy active dampers, instead relying on traditional passive shocks—but it’s a byproduct of its creamy, cushioning quality. Rougher surfaces infiltrate the cabin more than we’d like, though. Given GM’s otherworldly talent at tuning its air suspension and magnetic damper systems, we imagine any uncouth behavior will be addressed when those technologies arrive on the later uplevel models.
Cadillac includes the hardware necessary for GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driving system on every Lyriq. When operational, we think it’s the best driver assist system in the industry—yes, better than Tesla’s “full self-driving ” Autopilot— and Super Cruise should be available in the Lyriq following an over-the-air update slated for right about the time you read this. The use-anywhere lane keep assist, meanwhile, ping-pongs between lane lines, and the cruise control regularly exceeds its set speed on downhills.
Hyundai/Kia’s Highway Drive Assist lane centering and adaptive cruise control isn’t perfect, but it represents an obvious advantage over the Cadillac until Super Cruise arrives. The Genesis system provides strong steering assistance and is capable of following gentle curves; however, it consistently rides the outside lane line. Under certain circumstances, the GV60 will even change lanes for you (with your hand loosely gripping the wheel) with a tap of the turn signal stalk. Genesis’ system also works on any road, whereas proper hands-free Super Cruise functions only on pre-mapped highways.
Before we wrap, we must mention our test Lyriq’s concerning build quality; the example loaned to us was simply unfinished. The problems we encountered included but were not limited to: an interior panel that came loose to expose foam and adhesive, a flimsily attached charge-port door that flapped around in windy conditions and shuddered while it motored up and down, obvious spray lines in the paint finish, and constant vibration through a loosely attached rearview
The Lyriq’s AKG premium audio system’s 19 speakers include a pair in each headrest.
POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS
2023 Cadillac Lyriq 450E (Debut Edition) 2023 Genesis GV60 AWD (Performance)
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT MOTOR TYPE
POWER (SAE NET) Rear-motor, RWD Front- and rear-motor, AWD Permanent-magnet electric Permanent-magnet electric 340 hp 215 hp (front), 215 hp (rear), 429 hp comb
TORQUE (SAE NET) 325 lb-ft 258 lb-ft (front), 258 lb-ft (rear), 516 lb-ft (comb)
WEIGHT TO POWER 16.6 lb/hp 11.3 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION(S)
1-speed automatic 1-speed automatic AXLE RATIO 11.60:1 10.65:1/10.65:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO 18.5:1 12.6:1
TURNS LOCK TO LOCK 3.2 2.3
BRAKES, F; R 12.6-in vented disc; 13.6-in vented disc 14.2-in vented disc; 14.2-in vented disc
WHEELS 9.0 x 20-in cast aluminum 8.5 x 21-in cast aluminum
TIRES
DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 265/50R20 107H Michelin Primacy All Season (M+S) 255/40R21 102W Michelin Primacy Tour A/S (M+S)
121.8 in 114.2 in TRACK, F/R 65.9/65.9 in 64.1/64.4 in LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 196.7 x 77.8 x 63.9 in 177.8 x 77.4 x 62.6 in
GROUND CLEARANCE 7.0 in 6.1 in APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 18.9/23.4 deg 15.3/25.4 deg
TURNING CIRCLE 39.7 ft 39.2 ft CURB WEIGHT (DIST F/R) 5,654 lb (49/51%) 4,863 lb (50/50%)
SEATING CAPACITY 5 5
HEADROOM, F/R LEGROOM, F/R
38.6/37.7 in 39.0/38.1 in 41.4/39.6 in 42.3/37.6 in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 58.9/58.6 in 57.5/55.9 in CARGO VOLUME BEH F/R 60.8/28.0 cu ft 54.7/24.0 (frunk: 0.7) cu ft
TOWING CAPACITY TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 3,500 lb 2,000 lb
2.5 sec 1.5 sec
0-40 3.4 2.1
0-50 0-60 4.5 2.8 5.7 3.6
0-70 0-80 0-90 7.2 9.0 11.3 4.6 5.7 7.2
0-100 14.1 8.9
PASSING, 45-65 MPH 2.5 1.6
QUARTER MILE 14.2 sec @ 100.5 mph 12.1 sec @ 113.2 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 134 ft 127 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.79 g (avg) 0.85 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.2 sec @ 0.64 g (avg) 26.9 sec @ 0.63 g (avg)
CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $62,990* $68,985 mirror that made it difficult to use. We reached out to Cadillac, whose representatives said the issues we encountered were early-build problems, and the company is working to refine its parts and assembly processes to resolve the issues. Hopefully customers won’t experience the same things we did.
These vehicles represent rather different first swings at a dedicated electric luxury SUV, but their excellence ups our expectations for these automakers’ varied EV lineups due to arrive by the end of the decade. One is colorful, playful, and quirky, the other stately, elegant, and restrained. Both achieve their goal, which makes it difficult to choose a winner. Had Cadillac delivered a Lyriq with sorted build quality and functioning Super Cruise, it would have had a real shot at the top spot. Until that promise becomes reality, though, Genesis gets our nod.
2ND PLACE 2023 CADILLAC LYRIQ 450E PROS
•Elegant, knockout styling • Plush ride • Spacious and comfortable cabin
CONS
•Head-scratching infotainment • Build quality concerns • No Super Cruise yet
VERDICT
An outstanding Cadillac and a great EV, but one we’d recommend for 2024.
PRICE AS TESTED AIRBAGS
$62,990* $69,560 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front center, driver knee BASIC WARRANTY 4 years/50,000 miles 5 years/60,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 8 years/100,000 miles 10 years/100,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 6 years/70,000 miles 5 years/unlimited miles BATTERY CAPACITY 102.0 kWh 77.4 kWh EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 97/82/89 mpg-e 97/82/90 mpg-e
EPA RANGE, COMB 312 miles 235 miles
RECOMMENDED FUEL 240-volt, 480-volt electricity 240-volt, 480-volt, and 800-volt electricity
ON SALE Now Now *Current Lyriq pricing; when built the price was $59,980.
1ST PLACE 2023 GENESIS GV60 PERFORMANCE PROS
•Intuitive infotainment system • Quick charging • Fun to drive
CONS
•Disjointed design • Unimpressive range • Doesn’t offer much utility
VERDICT
A youthful, engaging EV that portends good things for Genesis electrics to come. Q
