Cadillac Optiq-V Hits 60 In 3.5 Seconds In Case The Regular Optiq Is Too Slow For You

When we first drove the Cadillac Optiq, we were surprised how much we enjoyed it. It’s more luxury-focused than sporty, and the younger buyers Cadillac targeted with the Optiq may be a lot older than what you consider “young,” but it was incredibly comfortable, offered a nice interior and drove well. Its sub-six-second 0-60 time was also plenty quick for daily driving, but as we all know, more is always better. So if you like the idea of the Optiq but wish it had more power, there’s finally an option for you — the 2026 Cadillac Optiq-V.

Instead of a dual-motor setup that makes 300 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque, you get a similar all-wheel-drive setup that makes 519 hp and 650 lb-ft. According to Cadillac, that’s enough power to shoot the Optiq-V to 60 mph in only 3.5 seconds. You won’t be hanging with Corvette ZR1 owners at the drag strip, but still, that’s a seriously quick little crossover. Sadly, Cadillac did not say how quickly the Optiq-V runs the quarter-mile, presumably because it doesn’t expect owners to actually race its latest electric crossover, but that doesn’t mean it just made the Optiq-V more powerful. 

According to Cadillac, this thing can corner, too, offering “tighter steering, enhanced suspension and [optional] summer-only tires,” as well as standard Brembo front brakes that “provide consistent, fade-resistant performance during spirited driving.” You get 21-inch wheels, too. Whether the Optiq-V is actually fun to drive or just quick in a straight line still remains to be seen, but hey, that’s what the media drive is for. 

The Optiq-V doesn’t have an official EPA range rating just yet, but Cadillac says it expects the Optiq-V will still get 275 miles out of its 85-kWh battery. So if you insist your EV needs a range figure that starts with a 3, you’re out of luck here, but it’s still only 25 miles shorter than the 300 you get on the regular Optiq, which doesn’t seem like a bad trade considering you get 73% better horsepower and 84% more torque. That’s also significantly more range than you get from the 221-mile Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, even if the less-luxurious Hyundai is probably still more fun to drive.

You also get Cadillac’s excellent SuperCruise driver-assistance feature as standard, a 19-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system and a built-in NACS port that should make charging on road trips a little more convenient. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing. On a fast enough charger, Cadillac says you can also add 70 miles of range in only 10 minutes. The release didn’t say how long it takes to charge from 10% to 80%, but odds are, it isn’t much longer than it takes to go to the bathroom and get some fast food to go. 

The Optiq-V does cost more than the $67,675 it takes to get into the Ioniq 5 N, but there isn’t quite as much of a price difference as you might think. With the $1,495 destination charge included, you’re looking at a starting price of $70,290. That’s a whole lot of money, but then again, 650 pound-feet of torque is also a whole lot of torque. 

Cadillac