2026 Cadillac Vistiq Is No Escalade IQ, But It’s Still An Excellent Consolation Prize

Ford gave it a solid effort the last time it redesigned the Lincoln Navigator (and the new 2025 model looks even better), but the Cadillac Escalade still dominates the full-size luxury SUV segment. So when Cadillac began electrifying its lineup, it only made sense that we’d get an electric Escalade. But while the Escalade IQ has plenty of room for kids and their stuff, not everyone who wants an electric three-row luxury SUV wants something as big as the Escalade IQ or has $130,000 sitting around to pay for one.

With a starting price of $79,715 including destination, that’s where the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq comes in. It’s bigger than the Lyriq, comes with that coveted third row and still costs substantially less than the electric Escalade. Cadillac also promises the Vistiq offers 300 miles of range and an entire Lyriq-V’s worth of power. You can definitely find more powerful electric crossovers out there, but even in a world where the Hummer EV can be had with 1,000 horsepower, the Vistiq’s 615 hp and 650 pound-feet of torque is still a whole lot of power.

The question is, does the Vistiq really deliver on the “Baby Escalade” nickname that Cadillac’s been pushing, or will Vistiq buyers find themselves constantly reminded that they’re too poor for an Escalade IQ? Ultimately, if you really want your car to say “Escalade” on the back, then only an Escalade will do, but after a little time behind the wheel, it really does seem like Cadillac’s done a great job giving three-row luxury SUV buyers exactly what they’re looking for.

Full Disclosure: Cadillac wanted me to drive the new Vistiq so badly, it paid for a flight to Detroit and drove me to Ann Arbor, where it put me in a brand-new hotel for the night and paid for my food and drinks.

It wasn’t too long ago that you’d climb into a new Cadillac, and even with nicer leather and trim pieces, it was impossible to escape its Chevrolet roots. Thankfully, that’s not the case anymore. You may see a little Chevy in the Vistiq’s overall shape, but it has a distinctly Cadillac look, and more importantly, it has an interior that feels not just nice and luxurious but also distinct from other GM brands.

If you aren’t a fan of Cadillac’s current design language, I can’t imagine you won’t also be put off by the Vistiq’s appearance, but personally, I like the look even if big three-row SUVs aren’t exactly my thing. Does it look a lot like a bigger, boxier Lyriq? Sure. But it’s also literally a bigger, boxier Lyriq, riding on the same Ultium platform. It also looks like an electric XT6, even if it’s about six inches longer overall than the XT6. That extra size means there’s plenty of room for normal-size adults to fit in the third row, even if they may not want to ride back there for more than an hour or so.

Climb inside and you’re greeted with a curved display that may be smaller than you’re used to on luxury EVs these days, but that just means it doesn’t stretch from one door to the other like what the Escalade IQ gives you. It’s still plenty large, clocking in at 33 inches across, including both the driver display and center touchscreen. There’s also a third screen lower in the console dedicated to seat and climate controls that does a decent enough job of making up for the general lack of physical controls.

From the leather to the trim and the buttons and switches, it all feels nicely put together and appropriately luxurious, even down to the turn signal and wiper stalks. Plus, there’s a digital rearview mirror that definitely helps with rear visibility in a car that has more than 10 feet of wheelbase. Unfortunately, either my body is too oddly proportioned for the Vistiq, or there’s something just a little off about the ergonomics. For example, I struggled to find a position that was both comfortable for me and also didn’t still block information on either side of the driver display with the steering wheel. A little more reach from the steering wheel might have helped, but it may just be an issue inherent to Cadillac’s decision to use such a wide screen for the driver.

I also got a very noticeable reflection on the windshield from the back of the screen that proved to be pretty distracting. You may get used to it if you buy the Vistiq, and it wasn’t nearly as bad once the clouds covered the sun, but I also don’t remember the last time I noticed something like that in a press car. Then again, that could have also been partly a result of my seating position.

That said, higher-trim versions of the Vistiq include a head-up display that uses augmented reality to show you where your turns are, and while AR absolutely isn’t necessary, it’s one of those features that’s nice to have — especially if the steering wheel blocks part of the driver display for you. You get a ton of information right at eye level that legitimately reduces the number of times you need to look down at one of the screens while driving, which also means you can tell your financial advisor the nearly $20,000 extra you spent to get the Vistiq Platinum was an investment in your family’s safety.

If you want the base vehicle, though, it still comes standard with 23 speakers and Dolby Atmos, five climate zones, 21-inch wheels, an estimated 305 miles of range, fast charging with the ability to add about 80 miles of range in about 10 minutes, and Super Cruise. Somehow, this was actually my first time using Super Cruise, and even though it poured down rain off and on during our drive, it really is as good as everybody says it is. The latest version included in the Vistiq also has automatic lane changes built in, and it can do more than just pass slow drivers. The drive route included a section where the highway split, and Super Cruise knew to get over in time to actually make the split on its own.

It isn’t the “full self-driving” that Tesla pretends to have, and you do still have to keep your eyes on the road while being ready to take over at any moment, but it also feels about as capable as you’d want a Level 2 system to be. I also appreciate the fact that GM didn’t have to be bullied into including driver monitoring, and its CEO hasn’t been out there promising true autonomy is just around the corner for more than a decade. You know, just the little things.

The other big thing that comes standard is the powertrain. As I previously said, 615 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque is a lot, but the Vistiq is also a 6,300-pound vehicle, and you can definitely feel it in the corners. Despite the power, it isn’t an SUV that encourages you to hustle it on a winding back road, nor does it feel all that quick in regular driving. Thank the noise canceling and insulation for that. But when you really give it the business, this thing goes. If that business happens to be given on a dirt road after it’s been raining for a while, you might even be able to get the tail to come out just a little bit. Not that you or I would ever try such a thing. That’s just purely hypothetical.

The 3.7-second 0-to-60-mph time, on the other hand, feels pretty reasonable, and when you get much quicker than that, things start to get physically unpleasant for regular people whose brains haven’t been ruined by more than a decade of motorcycle riding. I assume a Vistiq-V is on the way for those who want more power and sportier driving dynamics, but I also don’t know who that would actually be for. Certainly not the kinds of owners who plan to actually use the third row anytime soon.

But while I wouldn’t recommend holding out for a more expensive version of the Vistiq that still has yet to be officially announced, if you want a luxury ride in your luxury SUV, I do think you’re going to want to at least pay the $93,590 for the Premium Luxury trim. That adds 22-inch wheels (don’t worry, you can add optional 23s if the 22s are too small for you), rear-wheel steering, the augmented reality head-up display that I previously mentioned, and most importantly, height-adjustable air suspension.

I wouldn’t call the Vistiq’s basic suspension uncomfortable, but the air suspension is noticeably more comfortable and does a much better job of ironing out all the imperfections in the roads around Ann Arbor, even with the bigger wheels. The rear steering, which turns up to 3.5 degrees also makes it drive a little smaller and should make it a lot easier to park. And in an SUV this big, easier parking is definitely a good thing.

By luck of the draw I actually spent most of my time in the Vistiq Sport, a $500 step up from the base model, and while it looked pretty good inside, I wasn’t exactly wowed. Climbing into a nicer version for about 45 minutes, though, gave me another reason to recommend the Premium Luxury if you can justify the higher price. That Vistiq looked much better, offering Phantom Blue leather, wood trim, and denim-look accents that finally made the interior design click for me. If you have young kids, I understand good, old-fashioned black may be easier to keep looking clean, but otherwise, the blue interior is definitely the one to get.

The Escalade definitely feels larger and more spacious and also has more presence on the road, but to the kind of luxury customer who wants the Vistiq’s electric powertrain and a less trucky ride, the gas version simply won’t do, and the Escalade IQ still costs far more than a nicely optioned Vistiq. Throw in the interior, handling and technology upgrades you get on the Premium Luxury trim, and I’d be willing to bet few owners will be disappointed, even if I’m also pretty sure every single person who buys a three-row Cadillac at least secretly wishes they’d bought an Escalade instead.