Cadillac’s electric vehicle rollout got off to a strong start with the Lyriq, but now the General Motors luxury brand is looking to tackle the all-important three-row family SUV segment with the 2026 Vistiq. As with the current gasoline XT6, Cadillac won’t be the first to market. But it hopes to compete with its own distinctive design and tech.
Arriving next year, the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq merges the slab-sided appearance of the XT6 with a new version of the front-end treatment from the Lyriq, which designers nicknamed “The Mandalorian” because of its resemblance to a certain bounty hunter’s helmet. Some tricks were applied to hide the Vistiq’s tall roof, and it has a rear-end treatment inspired by the cult classic Cadillac CTS-V wagon, but this is still a beefy-looking SUV that’s almost Escalade-like in appearance.
The Visitiq launches with a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain rated at 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, which will get this seven-seat SUV from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds using a launch control mode called Velocity Max, Cadillac estimates. Not bad for a 6,326-pound vehicle. Available air suspension and rear-wheel steering should help to further mask that bulk, while a road-noise cancellation system aims to limit the ambient sounds that become more apparent when you don’t have a gasoline engine under the hood.
Cadillac estimates 300 miles of range, which is the minimum to justify the Vistiq’s large 102-kilowatt-hour battery pack. An available 19.2-kilowatt onboard charger can add 46.7 miles of range per hour of charging, and like other new GM EVs, the Vistiq has vehicle-to-home (V2H) functionality that allows it to serve as a home backup power source.
For family road trips, The Vistiq can replenish up to 79 miles of range in about 10 minutes with DC fast charging. Cadillac did not specify whether the Vistiq would ship with a Combined Charging Standard (CCS) port like the Lyriq or a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, but it’s launch timing overlaps with the period when GM has said it would switch to NACS. Even if it doesn’t get the Tesla port, Vistiq owners will be able to charge at Tesla Supercharger stations via an adapter.
Inside, the Vistiq has a 33.0-inch display for the driver, with smaller 8.0-inch touchscreens for both the first and second rows to handle functions like the available five-zone climate control and 23-speaker AKG audio system. The Vistiq has the same Google-based infotainment system as other GM EVs, meaning it doesn’t have Apple CarPlay or standalone Android Auto. A frunk is also absent from the equipment list, but Cadillac notes that the Vistiq already has more space behind its third row than the gasoline XT6.
Production starts early next year at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee, factory, which also builds the Lyriq and once made cars for the defunct Saturn brand. Deliveries are scheduled to start next summer, with pricing set at $78,790. That’s about where the Vistiq needs to be to compete against other high-end three-row electric SUVs like the Rivian R1S, Volvo EX90, and Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Mercedes-Benz G580 first drive: old-school off-roader goes electric
American car buyers mostly know Mercedes-Benz as a luxury brand. But for decades, the automaker has also produced the tough, rugged G-Class (also known as the Geländewagen or G-Wagen), an SUV not afraid to get its leather upholstery muddy. And now, this iconic Mercedes is going electric.
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology — the final name of the SUV previously known as the EQG — isn’t the first electric off-roader. The Rivian R1S and R1T and GMC Hummer EV have proven that electric powertrains and off-roading are a great combination. But the electric G-Wagen is different because it’s based on an internal-combustion model — and a very traditional one at that.
Read more
Fake engine noises in electric cars need to die
You finally get that notification that the electric car you ordered months ago is ready for pickup. You get to the location, sit in the car and turn it on. Pulling out into the road, you hear something -- a strange noise you didn't quite expect. You expected the sweet quietness of a full electric vehicle. But is that ... engine noise?
It is and it isn't. As humans, we've been so used to the sound of an engine for so long that carmakers think we've associated that low-frequency rumble with performance and quality. So, what are they doing? That's right -- they're pumping fake engine noises through the speakers in your electric car.
Read more
Mercedes G580 electrifies an off-road icon
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is Germany’s answer to Jeep, Hummer, and Land Rover. Combining traditional Mercedes luxury with serious off-road capability, the G-Class, or Geländewagen, as it’s formally known, is right at home on the trail or the valet stand. And now it’s going electric.
Mercedes has been teasing an electric G-Class since 2021, and now it’s finally arrived in the form of the G580 with EQ Technology. Expected to go on sale in the U.S.as a 2025 model alongside refreshed gasoline G-Class variants, it uses electric powertrain tech to update a classic design and enhance off-road capability.
Read more