- The Cadillac Optiq-V will leave most gas-powered performance SUVs in the dust.
- Its dual electric motors churn 515 horsepower and help it sprint from 0-60 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds.
- General Motors is moving to the Tesla-style NACS charging port and the Optiq-V is the first GM EV to get that right from the factory.
When General Motors recently announced a $1 billion investment in next-gen V8 engines, The Daily Wire declared the company was “shifting its focus away from electric vehicle motors and back toward horsepower and torque.” That line has since disappeared from the story, but today’s news might really sting for the skeptics: Cadillac just unveiled the Optiq-V, which ranks among the fastest GM vehicles ever, gas or electric.
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Source: Cadillac
The standard Optiq is no slouch, delivering 300 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque from a dual-motor AWD setup. But the Optiq-V cranks things up: 515 horsepower, 650 lb-ft and a 0–60 miles per hour time of just 3.5 seconds in Velocity Max mode—just two-tenths shy of the Lyriq-V that debuted earlier this year.
Driving range is impacted by the extra power, as the Optiq-V is expected to deliver 275 miles of GM-estimated range from its 85 kilowatt-hour battery. The standard Optiq gets an EPA-estimated range of 302 miles. It also comes loaded with features you won’t find on the base model, including a configurable V-Mode (think Hyundai’s N Mode or BMW’s M1/M2 settings), a track-optimized Competitive Mode, Launch Control and Brembo brakes with red or blue calipers. GM’s Super Cruise advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) comes standard.
Photo by: Cadillac
The Optiq-V will also be the first GM EV to roll off the line with a Tesla-developed North American Charging Standard port. That means access to many more charging stations, but there’s a catch. The Optiq-V’s charging port is on the front-left fender, while Tesla Superchargers are optimized for ports in the back-left or front-right. And most of the V3 stations have short cables initially designed for Teslas only. So double parking will be required until Tesla upgrades all its chargers to the newer V4 dispensers which are optimized for all EVs and have longer cables.
As InsideEVs Deputy Editor Mack Hogan recently noted, the NACS transition isn’t a silver bullet solving all charging problems just yet and you still need to be well-versed in EV charging knowledge.
Other than that, the changes are mostly aesthetic. The front bumper, lower lip and the 21-inch wheels are blacked out and look sharper and more aggressive. Cadillac is also offering a carbon fiber package for the front splitter, rear diffuser and the spoiler. It will also be offered in two limited edition metallic colors: Magnus Metal Frost (gray) and Deep Ocean Tintcoat (blue).
Photo by: Cadillac
It will start at $68,795 including destination, which is $14,405 more than the based Optiq AWD and about $11,000 cheaper than the Lyriq-V, which starts at $80,090.
The Lyriq-V still holds the crown the quickest road-legal Cadillac, but between it, the Chevy Blazer EV SS, and now the Optiq-V, GM is making it clear that high performance isn’t going out with the gas engine, as some outlets may have you believe.
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