2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V review: International first drive

It’s easy to overlook Cadillac’s appetite for what might traditionally be called a muscle car, or certainly a modern performance car.

Even some American buyers remain unaware that Cadillac has a fleet that features some bona-fide performance vehicles, let alone those of us all the way over here in Australia. To many, Cadillac is a luxury brand aimed at older drivers.

To assume Cadillac is only focused on luxury, though, is to shortchange its intention to deliver cars that can take on some of the most performance-oriented competitors in their respective segments. 

Enter, the 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V… Ask Cadillac for the headline, and they will tell you it’s the quickest Cadillac ever. 

You’re no doubt familiar with the Lyriq nameplate, with it having been on sale in Australia since late 2024, but this variant steps performance up quite a notch.

V for Velocity reads right, too, when you look at the performance figures, and historically, when Cadillac adds the -V suffix, there's a chunky addition to the performance ability. The Lyriq-V is a fast SUV in every sense of the word – generating more than 440kW, something of a mythical figure in the not-too-distant past. 

Our news story runs through more of the detail, but the raw numbers are impressive – 459kW, 880Nm, dual electric motors and all-wheel drive, and a US-quoted 0–60mph time of 3.3 seconds. On the subject of performance cars from Cadillac, the Lyriq-V is faster than the manufacturer’s previous flagship, the CT5-V Blackwing, which is powered by a 498kW 6.2-litre supercharged V8.

The step up from regular Lyriq to Lyriq-V is appreciable – 388kW/610Nm and a 4.7-second run to 100km/h are the key figures for the standard Lyriq variant. With 880Nm, the Lyriq-V delivers a whopping serve of torque, and despite the hefty weight and power available, the 102kWh battery still offers a US EPA-claimed 459km range from a full charge. 

Cadillac hasn’t just wound the wick up on the electric motors to deliver a party headline, though. New dampers have been fitted, tuned specifically to work with this platform and this much power, the ride height is lower, steering has been tweaked, and beefy Brembo brakes have been added up front. 

Styling tweaks will – subtly – separate the V from the regular Lyriq, which fits nicely into the ethos of not screaming your intentions to all and sundry. You’ll notice the differences if you park the two side by side, but the average punter won’t know how fast the Lyriq-V is just by appearances.

Our quick drive not far from GM’s headquarters in Detroit forms part of a broader study of three new models making their way Down Under. You can read our review of the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq, with a review on the Optiq still to come. While our drive of the Lyriq-V is brief, it’s deep enough to illustrate the ludicrous performance on offer – performance that has been matched with Cadillac’s focus on comfort, cabin design and luxury.

We’ve said for some time at Drive that it’s easy to make an electric vehicle fast. Easier than a conventional internal-combustion powertrain for sure. What’s not so easy is to package everything else around that performance to deliver the whole vehicle experience we’d expect when we’re spending a large chunk of money on a new car. 

For Cadillac, the fact that the Lyriq-V had to feel like a Cadillac, had to deliver the cabin experience you’d expect from a Cadillac, and must deliver the American definition of luxury like a Cadillac, was all non-negotiable. So, while pace and power are obviously key, so too is the all-round experience. 

Taking on the established luxury crowd in Australia is no easy task, either, but with the Lyriq-V, Cadillac now has an offering that adds to the already impressive Lyriq platform if buyers want more than style and luxury. How fast is it? Engage ‘V mode’ and the Lyriq-V will snap your head back if you nail the accelerator pedal. Do that a few times, though, and the fun wears off as you start to consider all the other things a luxury car needs to do well.

So, the numbers on paper are impressive, but what’s the Lyriq-V like on the road? Because, as stated above, that’s perhaps the most important aspect of the Lyriq-V’s portfolio. In regard to the power on offer, the Lyriq-V is savage – if you want it to be. Certainly not in an unhinged way, but the way it shoves you back in the seat and piles on speed is well beyond the boundaries of a public road. Head out into the cut and thrust of regular traffic, though, and the Lyriq-V is very much a Cadillac in every sense of the word. 

It’s quiet, refined, insulated inside the cabin over any road surface, and comfortable. We’ve covered the reality that luxury means different things to different people many times before, but for mine, cabin ambience and insulation are absolutely key to the experience. Even on a coarse-chip section of back road at 80km/h, the Lyriq-V is quiet inside the cabin, the 22-inch rubber dealing easily with the choppy surface. The dampers were tuned toward performance, certainly, but not at the expense of ride quality, and even nasty ruts or potholes are dealt with effortlessly. 

The custom steering wheel design is different to the regular Lyriq, and the aluminium paddles and choice of materials feel premium and high quality, as does the cabin as a whole. Touch surfaces and interaction with the vehicle are key in delivering a luxury experience, and Cadillac’s concentration on the finer details is evident. There has been real attention given to the details that connect the driver to the vehicle.

Pricing will be key for our market – as it so often is – but on face value, the Lyriq-V is an excellent large SUV if you want an electric performance vehicle. It's an intriguing segment, because you could argue that the large SUV buyer – certainly when it's electrified – doesn't need or want such a heavy hit of performance. However, if you do want that, the Lyriq-V has it in spades.

In its home market, Lyriq-V starts from just under $80,000 before on-road costs, and we don’t yet have final pricing for Australia. That will be announced closer to its release date in the first half of 2026.

We were surprised by how competitive the regular Lyriq was priced when it landed in our local market, and if General Motors Australia can nail the price of the Lyriq-V, there will be a compelling case to consider if you’re looking for a large, performance-focused electric SUV.

Trent Nikolic has been road testing and writing about cars for almost 20 years. He’s been at CarAdvice/Drive since 2014 and has been a motoring editor at the NRMA, Overlander 4WD Magazine, Hot4s and Auto Salon Magazine.

Read more about Trent Nikolic