The midsize 2023 Cadillac Lyriq crossover is Cadillac’s first luxury electric vehicle. It will offer sharp styling and a modern cabin, with a driving range of more than 300 miles. Let’s compare it to the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid.
Design
The new Cadillac Lyriq will feature seating for five and a center console that divides the two front seats and a bench rear seat with a touchscreen for the rear seat passengers. The cabin is spacious for passengers to be comfortable, with plenty of legroom and a large storage area for handbags near the floor; as well as two storage cubbies on the dash. The Lyrig has 28 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 60.8 cubic feet with the seats folded down. The Lyriq has new vertical signature lighting and a transparent crystal black pseudo grille motif with pinstriping and the Cadillac crest that lights up. There will be four choices of trims: Luxury, Premium Luxury, Sport, and Platinum; with a starting price of $59,995 for the Luxury that ranges to an estimated $90,000 for the Platinum.
The RAV4 Hybrid seats up to five people in this SUV, with enough head-and legroom in both rows for most people to be comfortable. Cloth upholstery is standard and synthetic leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated rear outboard seats, and a leather wrapped heated steering wheel are available. A sunroof and a power liftgate are available. Higher trims add two-tone paint with black trim. It holds 37.6 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats and a total of 69.8 cubic feet behind the front seats when all seats are folded down. The RAV4 Hybrid comes in five trims: LE, XLE, XLE Premium, XSE, and Limited, with a starting price of $28,500 for the LE and ranging to $37,030 for the Limited. For an additional cost, there are packages that include added features.
Safety and Technology
A 33.0-inch LED digital touchscreen display with an array of colors and a 19-speaker AKG Studio audio system with headrest speakers will be in the interior of the 2023 Cadillac Lyrig. This will feature GM’s new android Automotive-based infotainment system that will display Google Play store for downloading apps, the Google Assistant and Google maps in the cluster directly in front of the driver. The Lyriq also offers available Super Cruise, GM’s highway hands-free driver-assistance technology with automated lane change capability. Key safety features will include automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, available lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, and available adaptive cruise control with semi-autonomous driving mode.
Every RAV4 Hybrid offers Toyota’s Safety Sense 2.0 suite of driver safety systems, including lane keep assist, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high-beam headlights. Also included are lane trace assist, pedestrian detection, rearview camera, and road sign recognition. Available advanced safety features include blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, surround-view parking camera system, and front and rear parking sensors. It comes standard with a 7-inch touchscreen display, with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa smartphone integration, and one USB media port. Additional USB ports and an 8-inch touchscreen, partial digital instrument cluster, wireless charging pad, navigation, and premium 11-speaker JBL audio system is available.
Power
The Lyriq will come standard with an electric motor on the rear axle and rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive will be optional, with a second motor added at the front. The rear-wheel drive model is said to produce 340 horsepower. Cadillac claims that the Lyriq will offer a battery with about 100-kWh worth of capacity, with a driving range of more than 300 miles per charge. DC fast charging capability will be standard, as well as using home power outlets with 19.2-kw Level 2 charging modules. With fast charging, the Lyriq can add about 76 miles of driving range in 10 minutes. The Lyrig will have a one pedal driving mode that relies on regenerative braking for most deceleration.
All RAV4 Hybrid models have two electric motors and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that makes 219 horsepower, and is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. This power helps the Hybrid accelerate quickly from a stop and pass at higher speeds. The second electric motor powers the rear wheels when traction is necessary, making this Hybrid standard with all-wheel drive. It has decent handling, though there’s a bit more sway than the non-hybrid RAV4. Estimated gas mileage is rated at 41/38 mpg city/highway.
Conclusion
Cadillac’s first ever electric luxury crossover will deliver a high-performance luxury experience in its new 2023 Lyriq. Drive in style and luxury, with enough power to compete with current forthcoming luxury electric vehicles. The Toyota RAV4 hybrid has some appealing traits among the hybrid and electric class. It features impressive mpg ratings, a roomy and upscale cabin, quick power, and plenty of standard features.