Nearly three years after revealing the concept of the flagship version Cadillac Celestiq EV, GM finally released the real thing: an electric “Mid-$ 300,000” electric vehicle that eliminates luxury and an external come-gawk-at-me designed to attract passers-by.
But is this custom EV enough for Cadillac to regain his position as a “model of the world”? I spent one day navigating this grandeur around Los Angeles in an effort to learn.
The slip behind the steering wheel of the new Fastback flagship is a good start.
I am surrounded by butter -skinned skin – my rear end comforted by the seat, which is adjustable in every way and then some. The application and finish are accurate and elevated as a Richard Mille watch and everything I touch has this unique aesthetic. And yet in 115 cases, these parts have been printed 3D, including the steering center, window switch, console decoration sections and even some structural pieces.
Cadillac clearly wanted to build an EV with zero compromises. The battery layout, however, presented some design challenges.
The modules in the battery pack of Cadillac Celestiq are not uniform. Unlike LYRIQ, which features a flat battery, Celestiq has different unit configurations in the battery package that are different heights. The modules under the front seats are about nine inches high, but those under the rear passenger Footwell are only six inches in height. The rear seats emerge with sections that are 12 inches high.
Engineers needed to place some modules under the center console to reach a 111 kWh battery with 303 miles of range. The result is a shallow storage that is almost large enough to fit my wallet and glasses.
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Cadillac Celestiq EV: The drive
The eyes I received during the Celestiq test that was the storage of the Teeny Center console. There is nothing on the road that this cute looks, with the signature of LED dance at the front, a long nose and a sculpture rear end. In a city full of made of beauty, the real Celestiq stands out.
I start on the rough roads of Hollywood, where I deliberately target broken pavement and well covers. My controller is a 22-inch shod-if 23-inch wheels are available-and Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires with very small side wall.
Having this little rubber between the car and the sidewalk often leads to a hard ride, but Celestiq athletic a compatible air suspension that keeps everything under control. Larger events such as potholes make their presence known, but driving in the city is quiet and smooth.
Don’t make any wrong, this car is a biggun. Cadillac Celestiq has a larger footprint than a two chevrolet Silvedo door, which became slightly more agile with the rear steering wheel. Sure, it’s a little difficult to find a parking lot in this bad boy, but this car is more likely to be in Valet.
Leaving Hollywood, I head to the hills to see exactly what the 655 hp and 646 pounds-feet can do on a curved road. Here the magnetic control of the ride shines, reacting quickly on the road as well as the weight transfer of the car to provide a sure sense of control. Assisted by active control of the cylinder, the car feels flat through turns despite the proportions of Zaftig.
The steering wheel here is a bit of numbness, but it has been beautifully weighted and the Regen brake provides a new skill to conquer. I think in Max Regen, if I can timed my butterfly, I should never hit mechanical brakes before heading to a corner. The weight still carries on the forehead so that I have the handle to turn, but I also get free electrons at the same time.
I like it.
I turn to the Dolby Atmos audio system that throws from 38 AKG internal speakers – there are four outside the car that produce cool EV sounds for those unlucky enough to walk – and head to the motorway. Of course, the GM Super Cruise Advanced Driver-Asdance system is here, so I take my hands off the steering wheel and let the car take over for a while.
Cadillac Celestiq EV has a problem
And there is the biggest problem with Celestiq. I’m not necessarily crazy that all GM electric vehicles run google built through Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Google maps are excellent in this vehicle, accurately anticipating my area when I reach a location, offering charging stations and preparing the batteries if needed. It’s just that I can’t reliably get the system to connect to my phone for texts and phone -free phone calls.
And it’s not just in Celestiq. In both Optiq and in the Escalade IQ, the process was personal. There are many settings on my iPhone that should be correct, sometimes I have to reconnect if I turn off the car and sometimes just refuses to tell me that I have an incoming text.
High -level customers require simplicity and ease of use. This smartphone integration system is not either.
The internal Cadillac Celestiq EV
But at least the screens look great.
Stretching the width of the hyphen, there are 55 inches of good resolution. The passenger gets his own display for the means of flow and browsing the internet and all climate controls are on a smaller screen under the dash.
I would give my kingdom for some natural HVAC buttons, but in a car like this I will install for a separate screen where at least I don’t have to move through a pile of menu just to activate the air conditioning.
Massage seats are here, of course, and seem to stay a little more than in other luxury vehicles I have driven. There is no heated and cool cup holder, an omission I think is equivalent to forgetting to serve Crème Fraîche with your caviar, but Cadillac told me that he could add the trait if someone really wanted it.
I take out the glass roof that can reduce up to 20% opacity in any of the four zones. Each person in the car can adjust how much light wants to leave in the part of the vehicle.
I do not sell 100% to power doors, as my mind simply goes to the worst scenario of the stuck in the car throughout the food parking or something. Still, it is a bit cool to push the brake pedal and close my door automatically. There is also an icon on the bottom screen that will close the doors, so passengers can enter the high -tech, low -tech complex.
Experience Cadillac EV Experial
Each Celestiq will be done by hand at the General Motors worldwide technical center in Michigan.
I have a little taste of what customers will experience as I worked with a designer to choose my favorite colors and materials. Choosing from what could be 50 shades of all was a bit overwhelming, but I went out with my dream Celestiq in Kingfisher Tricoat, a brilliant blue that I think goes well with the long wheelbase and fastback profile and an interior of pure gray and bahia orange with Phantom Blue. What can I say? I look blue and orange.
As the day went by, we faced the Cadillac concierge service that customers will experience as they go through the purchase process. Someone makes sure that I always had a cold diet Dr Pepper in my hand and the lunch options were tailored to my immature gastronomic preferences. In other words, I had tater tots for lunch and I’m not even embarrassed about it.
While Celestiq’s customers will probably use their concierge in logistics in the field and will not ask for plenty of quantities of carbohydrates and caffeine, the point is that they will have someone to cover every whim that they buy cars.
There aren’t too much out there on the Uber-Luxury EV market. Cadillac Celestiq’s primary competition can be the Rolls-Royce Specter EV with the cool headliner Starry-Night. Still, Celestiq is mostly only in the ultra-state-of-the-art, electric battery sector.
Bentley does not yet have a full battery offer, only hybrids, and even Mercedes has not fully electrified the Maybach S-Class sedan, although you can get a SUV Maybach EQS.
If you want one in your garage, good, good luck. Cadillac will produce a limited 25 -vehicle course for 2025 and almost everyone is talking. The company will not give specific numbers for 2026, only saying that production will be covered in less than two Celestiqs a day.
