One glance at the 2027 Cadillac Optiq-V shows it has all the right optics, even if it is the baby of the Ultium platform-based Cadillac electrics.
Just over two years after the base Optiq, Chevrolet Blazer EV and second-gen Acura ZDX-based 5-doors that share this specific Ultium platform came out, Cadillac gives us what the marque has bestowed upon others of the marque – V – as in the 124-year-old carmaker’s 22-year-old high-performance V Division – which initially got its oomph via Corvette engines.
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Optiq-V’s Styling Evolves Cadillac’s Earlier ‘Art & Science Design Language
The Optiq’s look modernizes Cadillac’s angular Art & Science styling language, born in the late 1990s – light blade headlight and taillight shapes as echoed in their other EVs – Lyriq, Vistiq and Escalade IQ, which EV Rider has tested extensively. And that design meant that this Optiq-V got serious looks at a recent Caffeine & Octane Jacksonville, parked among C7 and C8 Corvettes.
The Cadillac shield-shaped grille is smooth and backlit with LED accents as befits a radiator-less EV. A smoked chrome upper bar extends into the side light blades that glow as you walk up with the key fob. The blades pierce fenders as they cascade down, framing stacked 9-element LED headlight clusters and faux side vents athwart the smooth grille elements. You can see the light show in action in the video review at the top of this post.
A gloss black fascia lives below a slim body-color bumper, framing a real lower intake over carbon fiber splitter that marks this as a V, and which wraps a bit around the lower corners.
Body color flares tightly frame meaty P275/40R21-inch Continental SportContact rubber wrapping around buff black 6-spoke alloys. Blue Brembo brake calipers are visible between the spokes.
The overall design is tight and angular, fairly low and ground-hugging. The look is accented by gloss black windshield pillars and fixed tinted glass atop a low, rounded roof line.
Rear side windows with unique see-through design lines end in LED light blades framing the semi-fastback. The rear glass has a long sunshade, while fenders end in more tall, slim LED lights. There’s a finned carbon fiber splitter down low, under the bumper. One last carbon fiber piece lives on the tail as a tall lip spoiler.
And while the flawless paint job looks light blue under cloudy skies, in the sun there’s a pearlescent glow to what Cadillac calls Nimbus Metallic.
2026 Cadillac Optiq-V Interior Tour
Part of what you do at a Caffeine & Octane is to let folks look inside. And what they saw was quilted Sky Cool Gray leather seats combined with Santorini Blue piping. More than one person noted that only the driver’s seat gets the embroidered V emblem, matching those alloy badges outside.
The Optiq-V takes a page from its bigger Lyriq brother when it comes to visible tech, something else lots loved – 33 inches of gently curved digital display that combines configurable gauges, trip computers, headlight controls and more. Audio, battery range, and driver assistance details can be toggled in. Then comes a widescreen navigation display, or segmented slices of map and other information.
Slim air vents get bright blue ribbed plastic accents that some thought were too blue. There’s gloss black accents, and unique gray cloth weave on the dashboard, door tops and inserts, the last with threaded stripes. Mercedes-Benz-like ergonomic power seat controls live in the cloth door inserts with heat, cooling, massage and memory presets that are easy to use.
The thickly-padded, stitched leather steering wheel gets manual tilt and telescope. It’s the only Cadillac EV that doesn’t get power adjust. It has audio, phone and other controls in front, and a single alloy paddle shifter behind the left side. That paddle is sort of like a downshift control. Real buttons for climate control live under that central vent’s blue accent, with digital displays.
The floating center console hosts a knurled alloy twist/tap knob for main screen navigation, audio and other uses, joined by a volume knob and other buttons. It’s neatly trimmed in carbon fiber and some basic soft-touch plastic
There’s an inductive phone charger slot between it and a usable storage area under the armrest, with more rubberized storage under the floating console. There’s also a storage nook under the climate buttons.
The back doors open wide to more quilted leather on a comfy bench seat with good leg and headroom, plus rear air vents, outboard seat head and neat stitched leatherette on the hard front seatbacks. Those seatbacks split 60/40 to expand the 26-cubic-feet of cargo space there to 57-cubic-feet with the rear seats folded down
There’s a tiny storage nook under the floor, next to tools, but there’s no frunk. This performance Cadillac fills the under-hood area with electronics and fluids. The rear hatch is power operated, and rises high enough to clear my head.
It all works very well with easy to use the touchscreens and buttons except for a few things.
When I turned off the Optiq-V sometimes, it would turn back on as I was stepping out. If you want to be sure it’s turned off there is a off button on the touchscreen. And a few times, it dialed my cellphone by itself after I started it. The Optiq-V does not have HD Radio, Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Instead, it uses a native Android Automotive infotainment system. And to access some functions like surround-view camera and vehicle status, including performance info, requires a tap or two on the main screen to get to those menus. That said, the 19-speaker AKG Studio system with Dolby Atmos sounded great, and the long fixed glass moonroof has a power sunshade. But it needs a rear wiper.
V8 Is Ditched For Dual Motors In Cadillac’s 2026 Optiq-V
Some walked up to the Optiq-V at Caffeine & Octane to look at its performance bits. One pointed assuredly at the “V” badge and carbon fiber aero and said, “That’s the one with the supercharged Corvette V-8.” Despite what the enthusiast thought, this Cadillac comes in three flavors of EV only.
The first has a single rear motor (rear-wheel-drive) with 315 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, and can get to 60 mph in about 6 seconds, according to Cadillac. Next up is a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with 440 hp and 498 lb-ft, of torque –60-mph in under 4.5 seconds. Then there’s Optiq-V, with the two bigger electric motors used in the Lyriq for 519 hp and 650 lb-ft. of torque.
In real-world driving, the Tour drive mode is just fine – lots of passing power in daily cut-and-thrust. There’s also Sport, Snow/Ice, a driver-selectable My Mode, and the “all the people in the pool” V-Mode, also known as Velocity Mode.
Tour mode has a moderate launch and acceleration to save juice, but there was a solid power feel to make our 3,000-mile-old test vehicle do all we needed, with a quick 4.5 seconds to 60 with no wheelspin. It is also very quiet at highway speed with just some tire noise.
Then we tapped in V-Mode/Competitive, which puts all power down. We were shoved in our seats by a full torque launch as we hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Again, no drama – just performance, time after time with no depreciation of power.
There’s a performance display that includes a G-force meter – we pulled a solid .9Gs accelerating in V-Mode.
In almost every driving situation, the Optiq-V was near-neutral in corners, due to its almost 50/50 weight distribution and all-wheel-drive. We didn’t really feel its 5,445-lb. weight. The summer performance tires gripped well. It was no illusion – in a sweeping corner, the Optiq-V pulled a very respectable 1G with no drama, neutral and fairly flat. There’s also a tight turning radius.
Daily driving saw the Optiq-V, even in heavy rain, track true. Power steering had a nice direct feel in Tour mode, feeling natural for an EV. In Sport or V-Mode, the steering tightened up, with more road feel, still precise and natural in feedback.
And with 15.35-inch front/13.6-inch rear disc brakes with Brembo calipers, we had a bit of wooden pedal feel until it modulated nicely to stop short, straight and no nose dive, pulling 1.2Gs. And when we didn’t need that pedal, the regenerative throttle setting at max was easy to modulate, and slowed me to a stop when and where I wanted.
Cadillac says a standard Optiq can charge up to a maximum range of up to 317 miles, while our Optiq-V muscle car loses a bit to top off at 250 to 278 miles. After a number of Level I (120 volts) and Level II (240 volt) chargings, we only saw 250 miles at 100% charge. The V is heavier with that second motor – 5,445 lbs. vs. the base Optiq’s 5,192.
At a DC public charging station the Optiq-V gains about 70 miles of range in about 10 minutes at its 150 kW maximum-rated charge speed. The Optiq also comes standard with NACS DC charging so no adapter is needed at Tesla Superchargers. At a Level 2 station with 19.2 kW charging Cadillac says it can add about 59 miles of range in about an hour, and 36 miles of range in an hour at a 11.5 kW AC charger.
One afternoon on Level II, it went from 72%/182 miles range to 100%/ 250 miles of range in just over five hours for about $7 at my local charger. On a standard 3-prong home outlet, Cadillac says the Optiq can add up to 4 miles of range per hour of charge – we gained 30 miles of range after 14 hours on a household outlet. And when we did a hot morning’s worth (24 miles) of driving, mostly in Tour mode with a few miles in V-Mode, the Optiq-V showed 49 miles of range used, so play wisely. The V’s extra 79-hp means less range.
The base RWD Optiq starts at $50,900; this Optiq-V starts at $67,300, and included options like a $5,700 carbon fiber package; $2,555 for a faster charging package with 19.2-kW module vs. the standard 11.4-kW unit. With all options it’s MSRP $78,926.
Bottom line: the Optiq-V is the right size, with just the right touch of V aggression in looks. It’s quick, agile and very close to unflappable in daily driving, and even in the twisty bits. But a touch more range to go with the sporting drivability would be nice.
2026 Cadillac Optiq-V Specifications
Vehicle type – compact 5-passenger all-wheel-drive EV sports crossover
Base price $67,300 ($78,926 as tested)
Engine type – Dual motor w/10 Lithium-ion NCMA cathode, blended graphite anode battery modules and 85 kWh of useable battery energy
Horsepower (net) – 519
Torque (lb-ft) – 650
Transmission – direct drive
Wheelbase – 116 inches
Overall length – 190 inches
Overall width – 84 inches
Height – 65 inches
Front headroom – 39.6 inches
Front legroom – 41.6 inches
Rear headroom – 38.7 inches
Rear legroom – 37.8 inches
Cargo capacity – 26 cu. ft./57 w/2nd row folded
Towing capacity – not available
Curb weight – 5,445 lbs.
Max estimated range – 275 miles est.
Mileage rating – 83-MPGe combine