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Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2025 Cadillac Optiq SUV EV shocks with style, features and value
SAN FRANCISCO — The 2025 Cadillac Optiq EV is a road-hugging little SUV, sleek, low, wide and fun. The 2025 Optiq compact SUV is equally at home carving cliffside roads, blasting down the highway and parking in a crowded city center. Cadillac's smallest EV comes with full-time all-wheel drive, 300 horsepower and up to 302 miles range on a charge. I enjoyed a day driving an Optiq from the heart of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge and up the Marin Coast. It's as stylish and fun to drive as any small luxury SUV you'll find, and comes with unexpected goodies, including standard AKG audio with Dolby Atmos capability for a remarkable listening experience. The Optiq is in dealerships now. Luxury 1: $52,895 Luxury 2: $53,495 Sport 1: $55,095 Sport 2: $55,595 Source: Edmunds Prices exclude $1,495 destination charge The Optiq's steering is fast and direct, perfect for diving into a gap in traffic or holding the line and hitting cornering points on windy roads. The twin electric motors deliver smooth, immediate power, while the combination of heavy battery mounted low in the chassis, a wide track and sticky tires keeps the SUV composed and stable. The drivetrain offers two settings of one-pedal driving: conventional freewheeling and a bicycle-style lever on the steering wheel the driver can squeeze to apply varying amounts of deceleration, up to a significant 0.4 G-force. Continental developed dual-compound tires to deliver good range and handling. The tires also contain a sound-deadening foam that contributes to the Optiq's quiet cabin. The Optiq is easy to drive fast, quiet on the highway and practical in city traffic and parking. Audi Q4 E-tron Genesis GV60 Jaguar I-Pace Lexus RZ Mercedes-Benz EQB Polestar 3 Porsche Macan Tesla Y Volvo C40 Recharge At 190 inches long on a 116-inch wheelbase, 84 inches wide and just 64 inches tall, with a steeply raked 24-degree windshield, the Optiq combines sporty looks with easy entrance and exit, and a surprisingly roomy rear seat. For comparison, the base Optiq is 5.6 inches longer on a 4.7-inch longer wheelbase, with a 1.6-inch lower roofline than a Mercedes-Benz EQB compact electric SUV. The Optiq has 12 hp more, but 30 fewer pound-feet of torque. The Optiq's lights enhance its sleek design. The lighted grille is low and slim. The front badge is also lighted, while Cadillac's signature vertical light blades adorn the front and rear. The rear badge also is lighted, and a fast rear window complements the windscreen. The standard AKG audio system includes Dolby Atmos, which allows every element of a recording to be placed precisely in a virtual space around its listeners. Twin electric motors deliver 300 hp and 354 pound-feet of torque to the front and rear axles. Surprisingly, Cadillac doesn't offer performance figures, but I never found myself wanting more muscle. The 85 kWh battery can charge at up to 150kW DC, good for 79 miles range in 10 minutes under optimum conditions. Cadillac declines to offer the more widely used measure of time to charge from 10% or 20% to 80% or 90%, but the Optiq's quick charging should be fully competitive for the long highway drives where DC fast charging is paramount. Home charging at 240v ranges from 24 to 55 miles per hour, depending on the charger. Cadillac offers NACS adapters to use Tesla DC chargers in addition to a built-in CCS port for other fast chargers. The Optiq is likely to be one of the first General Motors EVs to replace the factory-installed CCS port with NACS, later this year. All-wheel drive 300 hp, 354 pound-feet of torque Standard 19-speaker AKG audio with Dolby Atmos NACS adapter available Dual-compound Continental tires 33 inches of continuous screen across dashboard The Optiq's interior is comfortable with supportive seats and surprising rear legroom. It's trimmed largely in attractive, sustainable materials, included fabric door tops and instrument panel made from recycled polyester. A sharp and responsive touch screen controls many features, but climate controls get welcome physical toggles. More toggles on the steering wheel handle some features, including cruise control and the Super Cruise hands-free driving system. Drivers who prefer multifunction rotary controls will find one on the center console. There's also a physical volume dial. Programmable ambient lighting and colorful trim panels complete the attractive layout. More: 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ: This is how you do a big luxury EV More: 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT EV makes a leap with new battery, features customers asked for The 2025 Optiq is a sporty and luxurious compact electric SUV. It's priced competitively and matches or exceeds competitors' performance features. Contemporary and appealing looks, inside and out, complete the package. All-wheel drive five-seat compact electric SUV Base price: $52,895 (All prices exclude $1,495 destination charge) On sale now Model tested: Optiq Sport 2 Price as tested: $55,595 Power: One electric motor on each axle Output: 300 hp, 354 pound-feet of torque Transmission: Single-speed automatic Battery: Lithium-ion, 10 modules, 85 kWh usable power Maximum charging rate 150 kWh/400 volts Maximum charging rates: Level 2, 7.7kW: 24 miles per hour of charging. 11.5 kW: 33 miles/hour. 150kW/400v DC fast charge: Up to 79 miles in 10 minutes. EPA estimated range: 302 miles Wheelbase: 116 inches Length: 190 inches Width: 84 inches (including mirrors) Height: 65 inches Passenger volume: 101 cubic feet Cargo volume: 26 cubic feet cubic feet behind second rows; 57 cubic feet behind front seats Curb weight: 5,192 pounds Assembled in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@ Follow him on Twitter mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2025 Cadillac Optiq EV delivers big on performance, style, features
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Driven: 2025 Cadillac Optiq EV Is Ready for a Fight
"Seeing is believing" only goes so far. At some point, you've got to lay hands on metal and experience something firsthand. And so it is with the new 2025 Cadillac Optiq, a small luxury EV from a storied brand that, for some reason, has decided to append a suffix pronounced "ick" to the names of its electrified vehicles. But as it turns out, there's nothing icky about this new Cadillac EV whatsoever. In fact, they may have a fledgling hit on their hands. It starts with the look, which is pleasingly proportional and free of faff. Compared to most others in the segment, the hood is a bit shorter, the windshield is more aggressively raked, and the rear window is slightly laid back. The resulting vehicle is uncommonly long, with a 116.3-inch wheelbase and an overall length of 189.8 inches. Compare that the Audi Q4 e-tron's relatively stubby wheelbase of 108.7 inches and somewhat short length of 180.6 inches. Or the Mercedes-Benz EQB, which has a 111.4-inch wheelbase and is 184.4 inches long. Meanwhile, the Genesis GV60 is only a couple of inches shy in the wheelbase department but is a whole foot shorter from stem to stern. But the wheelbase in question gives the Optiq more than just a sleek profile. It enables the fitment of an 85.0-kWh battery, the biggest in this group. This in turn gives it the most range of the bunch, a particularly strong EPA-estimated 302 miles, which is a big chunk more than you'd get from the EQB (207 miles), the Q4 (258 miles), or the GV60 (264 miles). Two electric motors lie under the skin, one at each end. The front one is a permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PSM) that is always on duty, while the unit at the back is an induction motor that chips in when necessary—including acceleration, thankfully. We have no problem with the use of one induction motor, because there's no need for a clutch to take it offline. But the Mercedes and Audi have their PSM at the back and induction motor up front, which seems wrong-headed. You want your primary PSM where Cadillac puts it for the stabilizing effects of regeneration at the front. Regardless, the Cadillac makes 300 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque at full boil. That's not quite as much as the Audi, but solidly midpack. We haven't yet taken the Optiq to our test track to time its 60-mph sprint, but it feels like a 5.2-second car. On the braking front, the Cadillac feels smooth and linear when you press the left pedal. Regeneration works as expected, and the limits are high enough to encompass most normal driving. But occasionally, you might have to supplement the recuperation with friction braking because it's not quite as predictable as other systems. Still, we sailed through a tricky winding descent using nothing but regen. The Optiq has all the steering feedback you could ask for. When driving straight it delivers the subtle feel necessary to keep it subconsciously on your desired path, and when you turn in you get a nice increase in effort. It was, in a word, faultless. The Cadillac's price point is not the place to find a height-adjustable air suspension and adaptive dampers, but the Optiq's passive setup is expertly tuned. There's nothing wrong with steel springs and passive shocks, especially on the Optiq, which uses something Cadillac calls Passive Plus dampers. These units have a second valve inside that makes their response frequency-dependent, which means the damper will stay firmer at the sorts of low-piston speeds that characterize cornering, but they'll open up to soften the impacts of discrete bumps. All dampers attempt to do this, but this second valve gives the suspension tuning engineer a much more definitive tool for dialing everything in. It absolutely works, because while the ride felt sporty in corners, it also breathed fairly well on rough sections. Meanwhile, that long wheelbase makes the Optiq's cabin a nice place to spread out. There's plenty of room in both rows, and the furnishings are surprisingly spectacular. The star is the coarse-weave fabric that sits atop the doors and dash. It looks luxurious rather than cheap, and it's made from recycled materials. The fabric lies next to stitched faux-leather armrest panels and matching seats. Before you is a 33-inch screen as seen in the larger Lyriq, with manually adjustable climate vents located elegantly in a slot below. There's one drawback to the drawn-out look, though—that sloping rear roofline does take a wee bite out of cargo space. Still, 26 cubic feet is pretty decent in this segment, and Cadillac placed the charge port on the front fender to preserve as much as they can back here, albeit at the expense of a frunk. The real star of the cabin show is the standard AKG Studio system with Dolby Atmos, which includes 19 speakers behind stainless-steel grilles sprinkled throughout the cabin. Atmos allows Dolby's engineers to place different instruments in precise points in 3-D space, and they have remixed thousands of albums available through dozens of streaming services. But there is a catch, of course. To get the proper experience, you'll need to play your music through the infotainment's built-in apps. (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, for those who prioritize mirroring over music fidelity.) Cadillac has priced and contented the Optiq quite aggressively. Every single piece of active safety equipment in the catalog is standard, as is Super Cruise, massaging seats, and the AKG Dolby Atmos system. You get your choice of Luxury or Sport themes, which cost $54,390 for Luxury 1 with chrome trim or $54,990 for Sport 1 for body-color trim and different wheels. You can step up to Luxury 2 or Sport 2 for $56,590 or $57,090, respectively. The jump from equipment-level 1 to 2 nets you quite the bundle: For the $2100 or $2200 extra (depending on trim), you get a color head-up display, heated rear seats, ventilated front seats, eight-way power seats instead of six-way, fancier LED headlights and taillights, an air-quality sensor, and a cargo-area cover. Standalone options include a faster 19.2-kW Level 2 onboard charger (11.5 kW is standard, which is more than sufficient), 21-inch wheels instead of 20s (meh), and special interior and exterior colors (natch). Did we mention that the Optiq contains all this stuff and still costs less than similarly equipped versions of the Audi Q4, Mercedes-Benz EQB, and Genesis GV60? As we said, Cadillac seems to have a proper hit on its hands. Despite the unfortunate naming scheme, the 2025 Optiq gives us zero ick. 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Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla Model Y vs Audi Q4 e-tron: Which small EV SUV is superior?
When it comes to an EV SUV that's a cut just above the rest, most buyers turn to Audi and Tesla. Both offer a pleasantly upscale take on the electrified SUV, each beholden to an established manufacturer that wants to keep its vehicles familiar to loyal buyers. Tesla dusted off a fatigued design with the New Model Y, giving it a touch more style along the way. The Audi Q4 e-tron is the automaker's electrified variant of a popular SUV and will be immediately familiar to the Audi faithful. We've identified a few considerations that might help you make the right decision about which to pricing is relatively straightforward, while Audi has many options that might be confusing. Here's how things stack up: Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive: $44,990 Long Range All-Wheel Drive: $47,990 Performance All-Wheel Drive: $51,490 New Model Y Launch Edition: $59,990 Premium: $49,800 Premium Plus: $53,600 Prestige: $61,800 Audi also offers two engine options, the rear-wheel drive Premium 45 e-tron, and all-wheel drive Premium 55 e-tron on the two premium trims. The '45' is standard, while the '55' is a $5,000 upcharge. The Prestige trim is only available with the Prestige 55 e-tron Quattro all-wheel drive drivetrain. Naturally, each vehicle has upgrades that scale the price accordingly. Overall, the only real 'budget' option is the Tesla Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive, which costs nearly $5,000 less than the entry-level Audi Q4 Tesla Model Y carries a tried-and-true exterior design language that shares similar lines with the Model X, Model 3, and Model S. The Model Y has a unique sloping rear roofline and a friendly fascia. Tesla updated the Model Y this year, but the only significant changes are the different light bars across the front and rear of the vehicle. The Audi Q4 e-tron feels a touch wider and a bit lower, and it has a more traditional SUV appearance. It's a Q4, after all. However, when we look at the specs, we find that the Model Y is technically two inches wider. The Q4 e-tron is also classier, with squared exterior lines and subtle curves that almost insist on being valet-parked. The roofline is less sloped in the rear than the Model Y, and the front grill area is much bolder. Overall, it looks more like an SUV than the Model Y. Inside, the Q4 e-tron sports a dual-display dash arrangement, hardware buttons for seat heating, cooling, and air conditioning, as well as a center-mounted drive mode selector. It's all subtle and indicative of the Q4's SUV heritage. The Model Y's interior is sparse. It has a simple steering wheel and large dash-mounted screen, but little else. The center console has cup holders and a charging pad. The Audi's seats are much more premium and far more comfortable. Neither vehicle is plush, per se, but we prefer the Audi's front and rear seats. The Audi's faux leather is also nicer. The Tesla Model Y offers a more comfortable 2.5 inches of headroom front and rear, but legroom and shoulder room are almost identical overall. The Audi Q4 e-tron has more cargo space thanks to its horizontal Model Y has notably sporty handling. It dips and dives through traffic with aplomb, but some feel the ride is stiff. It's worth noting that it's the 'stiff' ride that makes it responsive. The Audi Q4 e-tron is also responsive but is clearly designed for cruising. The German automaker has provided a solid level of ride comfort with the Q4 e-tron, which we prefer for most driving conditions. The Q4 e-tron's driver's seat is a touch low for our liking, and it's just not as spritely as the Model Y. If you want a more responsive driving experience, the Model Y is the better choice. Here are the range estimates for each vehicle: Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive: 337 miles Long Range All-Wheel Drive: 311 miles Performance All-Wheel Drive: 277 miles New Model Y Launch Edition: 327 miles Depending on your trim level and powertrain option, the Audi Q4 e-tron can travel an estimated 258 to 288 miles on a single charge. However, it's a touch slower to accelerate from 0 to 60. Where Tesla really stands out is in fast charging. The Audi Q4 e-tron is capable of fast charging on capable DC connections, and Audi claims it can get from 10 percent to 80 percent in 28 minutes at 175kW. When paired with a supercharger, the Tesla Model Y adds 162 miles of range in about 15 minutes. Of course, home charging speeds will vary depending on your you're an Android Auto or CarPlay die-hard, the Model Y doesn't support either. Tesla has also created a software platform that shines bright when you subscribe to the $99/year Premium Connectivity package. Audi's dealer network makes servicing a Q4 e-tron far easier than getting a Model Y fixed. EVs tend to have fewer minor issues than their ICE counterparts. However, service is still a factor when considering your next vehicle. The Audi Q4 e-tron is more premium, has a more comfortable ride, and just plain looks better—but it has poorer range and middling charging speeds. It's also more expensive. The Tesla Model Y charges quickly and has a better range, but it's not nearly as nice as the Audi Q4 e-tron. Unless you're routinely taking long day trips, we think the Q4 e-tron is better. While we don't overlook Tesla's dominance in range and charging, the Model Y's tired design and stiff ride can't compete with the Q4 e-tron. Love reading Autoblog? 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Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volkswagen's manufacturing facilities prepare for production cuts
If you've even glanced at automotive news in the past year, odds are you already know Volkswagen narrowly avoided plant closures late last year. At the final hour, the union and works council reached a compromise with Volkswagen to avoid plant closures and mass layoffs. Now, part of that compromise is about to come into effect, and VW's manufacturing facilities are preparing for production to the Financial Times, Volkswagen's production is set to be slashed as a part of the compromise that also prevented layoffs and facility closures until 2030. VW plans to halve its production capacity following a statement by Arno Antlitz, CFO of VW Group, that the company would only invest in competitive plants and that German facilities are fair game. With production capacity getting cut in half, plants like Zwickau, Volkswagen's first all-electric facility, will soon have to compete with other factories. Some facilities, including Zwickau and Dresden, will need to cut costs by 20% to keep production lines open. Overall, Volkswagen will cut its production from 1.5 million units to just 750,000. Last year, VW's German plants produced around 900,000 vehicles. Such a dramatic cut is a clear sign that VW doesn't expect its European sales to grow, especially with Chinese competitors breaking into the market. '...we have a market that is no longer growing and probably, in the future, will stagnate,' David Powels, Volkswagen CFO, told the Financial plans to keep its facilities open and workers employed until 2030, but the German automaker still plans to cut 35,000 jobs via early retirement and voluntary redundancy. Even so, VW's production will certainly experience a dramatic change over the next five years. Wolfsburg will take over the ID line's production from Zwickau in 2027. As a result, Zwickau will only produce the Audi Q4 e-tron, but there's still a future for the all-electric facility. Volkswagen has promised to repurpose the Zwickau plant for a future in car recycling, which will save roughly 1,000 jobs. The future for VW's Dresden facility is uncertain but not as bleak as it could be. Car production will come to a halt after 2025. Likewise, the Osnabrück factory will cease production after 2027. Notably, Volkswagen has stated they plan to find an alternative use for both facilities, but what that use could be is up in the production capacity getting slashed in half, Volkswagen is looking for ways to make up for declining sales in Europe. As a result, Volkswagen's executives haven't ruled out partnering with emerging Chinese EV manufacturers to fill their production lines. Powels, VW's CFO, has stated that they're keeping all of their options open. With Chinese automakers like BYD racing ahead of legacy automakers when it comes to EVs, a partnership to keep production lines open could benefit both sides. Last year, Volkswagen AG saw its European sales drop by two million vehicles compared to five years ago. Up until last year, China had been Volkswagen's most profitable market, but rapid growth by Chinese manufacturers has put the German manufacturer between a rock and a hard place. Barring a turnaround in sales, it seems Volkswagen may be fading into the background as new automotive companies take the lead. While tariffs will prevent Chinese automakers from breaking ground in some countries, the fact of the matter is that China itself is crucial for success on a global scale. If legacy automakers fail to keep pace, they may find themselves quickly overcome by up-and-coming foreign manufacturers. Love reading Autoblog? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get exclusive articles, insider insights, and the latest updates delivered right to your inbox. Click here to sign up now!
