The Lyriq is based on the same Ultium battery platform which is the foundation of other GM electric vehicles such as the GMC Hummer EV and Silverado EV. However, the Cadillac Lyriq is the first car to be based on the platform with the other referenced examples being trucks. Cadillac states the Lyriq will have a usable battery capacity of around 100kWh and a range in excess of 300 miles, though EPA test results are yet to be published.
Key Cadillac Lyriq Specs
- Official Towing Capacity – 3,500 lbs
- Availability – Mid 2022
- Price – Starting $59,090
- Range (Cadillac) – 300+ Miles
- Estimate Towing Range (50%) – 102 Miles
- Maximum Charge Rate – 190 kW DC Fast Charger
Cadillac Lyriq HP & Torque
- RWD – 340 HP and 325 lb-ft of torque
- AWD – Specs currently unknown
Cadillac Lyriq Towing Capabilities
When the Lyriq was initially announced by Cadillac in mid-2020 no reference was made to its towing capabilities. However, its not uncommon for manufacturers to only provide such specific details when closer to vehicle production.
Recently I decided to have a look through the Cadillac website to see if I could find any reference to towing capabilities as we are just a few months away from the first customer deliveries in early 2022. Below you can see what I found, a reference to a 3,500lb towing capacity.
The first version of the Lyriq that will go on sale has a RWD drivetrain, the details (power/battery size) of the AWD version have not as yet been announced. Reading the above statement from Cadillac we know the upcoming AWD version in 2023 will get a 3,500 lb towing capacity but what about the initial RWD version?
I wanted to do a comparison section for this article comparing the towing capacity of the Lyriq against similarly sized/priced competition such as the Audi E-Tron and Tesla Model Y. However, that’s not really possible until we get more details, in other words, is the RWD Lyriq rated to tow at all?
What we do know is a future AWD version with currently undisclosed power, range and price will be rated to tow up to 3,500 lbs. Well, that matches the Tesla Model Y but its less than the 4,000 lb towing capacity of the Audi E-Tron.
Another new player which will be available in 2023 (supposedly) will be the Fisker Ocean, also with a 4,000 lb towing capacity for its more powerful AWD variants. As a new company, I’m a little suspicious of when the Ocean will actually be available and what it will actually cost (Rivian cough cough).
Cadillac Lyriq First Impressions
Until there are Lyriq’s in the hands of automotive journalists there are no video reviews I can reference. Therefore, I’ve just included a short video below from Edmunds on their first impressions of the production version of the Lyriq.
As is noted in the video above, while the Tesla Model Y is always going to be used as a reference competitor the Lyriq is quite a bit larger. While we don’t have weight details for the Lyriq as yet, I would guess its going to be quite a bit heavier than the Model Y.
Hence, even though the Lyriq has a large 100kWh battery compared to the Model Y battery at around 75kWh, don’t expect the Lyriq to get a batter range due to the additional weight. Furthermore, Tesla is still ahead of the rest of the EV industry on efficiency, so factor that in as well.
My Thoughts On The Cadillac Lyriq…
As I’ve stated above, we are still waiting on EPA range test results and we don’t know if non-AWD variants of the Lyriq will be given an official towing capacity as yet. That as it is, what are my initial thoughts.
Well, on the face of it, while the Lyriq doesn’t appear its going to offer any exceptional specs/features, it seems to offer reasonable range etc, and while a 3,500 lb towing capacity is not segment leading, its not terrible either.
Likely the biggest question though is how many will GM actually produce in the next few years, as their EV production numbers at the moment aren’t exactly impressive (see here). Anyway, I’ll update this article over time as more details/reviews on the Cadillac Lyriq become available.
