General Motors has said that Cadillac, its luxury brand, will lead the automaker into the electric future. It will be the first GM brand to go all-electric and its first EV model is the Cadillac Lyriq, a crossover SUV that's one of the best Cadillacs I've driven in a long time.

Two days driving the Lyriq around Utah mountain roads revealed a promising start to what will be major changes for the brand. An industry-wide switch to electric drive, and Cadillac's commitment to be among the first to go all-in, could provide an opening, if done right, for the American luxury brand to move ahead.

The Cadillac Lyriq SUV is a promising start to the GM luxury brand's electric future.

The electric turnaround starts with the Lyriq, an electric crossover SUV with a starting price around $60,000. It is the best crossover SUV Cadillac has ever made, but that's not really saying all that much, to be honest. Crossover SUVs, for some reason, have just never been Cadillac's best thing while they've been the industry's hottest item for almost 20 years. Cadillac's crossovers have, aside from their sharp exterior designs, seemed largely ordinary compared to luxury rivals. Cadillac has been much better at making compelling cars and, of course, the hulking Escalade, a luxuriously appointed truck-like SUV. Even so, Cadillac's been going up against well-established German luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes and has, generally, been competitive, at best, when it needs to give buyers reasons to try a Detroit brand, maybe for the very first time.

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From the outside, the Lyriq looks like a fairly typical crossover SUV but with sharp edges and a low roofline. (Headroom inside is just fine, though.) It's when the sun goes down that the design really shines, literally. The "grille" is a solid piece through which light shines at night to make patterns that move as the SUV turns on and off. Inside, intricate patterns inside the doors are made from metal so thin that colored light -- pretty much any color you choose -- can glow through it at night.

General Motors has said that Cadillac, its luxury brand, will lead the automaker into the electric future. It will be the first GM brand to go all-electric and its first EV model is the Cadillac Lyriq, a crossover SUV that's one of the best Cadillacs I've driven in a long time.

Two days driving the Lyriq around Utah mountain roads revealed a promising start to what will be major changes for the brand. An industry-wide switch to electric drive, and Cadillac's commitment to be among the first to go all-in, could provide an opening, if done right, for the American luxury brand to move ahead.

The Cadillac Lyriq SUV is a promising start to the GM luxury brand's electric future.

The electric turnaround starts with the Lyriq, an electric crossover SUV with a starting price around $60,000. It is the best crossover SUV Cadillac has ever made, but that's not really saying all that much, to be honest. Crossover SUVs, for some reason, have just never been Cadillac's best thing while they've been the industry's hottest item for almost 20 years. Cadillac's crossovers have, aside from their sharp exterior designs, seemed largely ordinary compared to luxury rivals. Cadillac has been much better at making compelling cars and, of course, the hulking Escalade, a luxuriously appointed truck-like SUV. Even so, Cadillac's been going up against well-established German luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes and has, generally, been competitive, at best, when it needs to give buyers reasons to try a Detroit brand, maybe for the very first time.

*

From the outside, the Lyriq looks like a fairly typical crossover SUV but with sharp edges and a low roofline. (Headroom inside is just fine, though.) It's when the sun goes down that the design really shines, literally. The "grille" is a solid piece through which light shines at night to make patterns that move as the SUV turns on and off. Inside, intricate patterns inside the doors are made from metal so thin that colored light -- pretty much any color you choose -- can glow through it at night.