Almost three years after unveiling the concept version of the flagship Celestiq EV, Cadillac has finally released Realthing. It’s a $360,000 electric car that exudes luxury and a Come-Gawk-At Me exterior designed to seduce you with passersby.
But is this custom-made EV enough to help Cadillac regain its status as “the world’s standard”? I spent the day navigating around Los Angeles and found this behemoth.
Slide behind the handle of the new flagship fastback is a good start.
I’m surrounded by butter leather. My rear end is comforted by a soft seat that can be adjusted in any way. The fit and finish are accurate, as high as a Richard Mill watch, and everything I touch is polished by the aesthetics of the hand. Still, in the 115 case, these parts are 3D printed, including the center of the steering wheel, the window switches, some of the console decorations, and even the structural parts.
Cadillac clearly wanted to build an EV with zero compromise. However, the battery pack layout cited a specific design challenge.
The modules in the Celestiq battery pack are not uniform. Unlike the Lyriq, which has a flat battery pack, the Celestiq has different configurations and heights of the modules in the battery pack. The module under the front seat is about 9 inches tall, while the module under the rear passenger scaffolding is only 6 inches tall. The rear seats grow on a 12-inch high module.
The engineers had to place several modules under the center console to reach a 111 kWh battery in the 303-mile range. The result was a shallow storage compartment not large enough to fit your wallet or glasses.
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Cadillac Celestiq EV: Drive
The looks I received while piloting the Celestiq compensated for that teenage center console storage. There is nothing on this elegant road. There is a dancing LED light signature, a long nose and a sculpted rear end at the front. A town filled with manufactured beauty stands out from the authentic Celestique.
I start with the rough streets of Hollywood. There, they deliberately aim to cover broken pavements and manhole. My tester is Shod with 22-inch wheels – 23-inch wheels are available, but Michelin pilot sports EV tires are very few sidewalls.
Having this little rubber between the car and the pavement often makes for a tough ride, but Celestiq has compliant air suspension to keep it all under control. Larger events like potholes certainly make their presence known, but driving in the city is quiet and smooth.
Don’t get it wrong, this car is a bigun. The Cadillac Celestiq has a larger footprint than the two-door Chevrolet Silverado, and is a little more agile with the rear steering. Certainly, finding street parking for this bad boy is a bit difficult, but this car is more likely to be in the Bullet.
After leaving Hollywood, I head towards the hills to see 655 horsepower and 646 pound-feet of torque can be done on the curved road. Here, the magnetic riding control shines and responds quickly to road and car weight transfer, providing a confident sense of control. Aided by active roll control, the car feels flat in its turn despite Zafftig’s proportions.
The steering here is a bit paralyzed, but it is nicely weighted and Brake Regen offers a new skill to conquer. With Max Regen, as long as the throttle lift can lift properly, there is no need to apply mechanical brakes before heading towards the corner. The weight still moves to the front, so you can turn the grip, but at the same time you also get free electrons.
I love it.
Raise the Dolby Atmos sound system pouring from 38 internal AKG speakers. Outside the car, there are four cars that produce cool EV sounds for those unlucky enough to walk, heading out to the highway. Of course, GM’s Super Cruise Advanced Driver Assistance System is here, so I’ll take my hands off and take over the car for a while.
Cadillac Celestiq’s big problem
And there’s Celestiq’s biggest problem. Not all GM electric cars are always upset with Google built into Apple Carplay and Android Auto. On this vehicle, Google Maps is excellent, accurately predicting range when it arrives at locations, providing a charging station, and preconditioning the battery if necessary. This means that you can’t connect the system to your phone due to hands-free texting or phone calls.
And it’s not just Celestiq. The process was very prominent for both Optiq and Escalade IQ. Multiple settings must be correct on your iPhone. You will need to reconnect the car when you turn it off.
High-end customers demand simplicity and ease of use. This smartphone integrated system is neither.
Cadillac Celestiq Interior
But at least the screen looks great.
It has a high resolution of 55 inches when extended across the width of the dash. Passengers get their own screens for streaming media and internet browsing, and all climate controls are on a small screen under the dash.
I’ll give my kingdom for the physical HVAC buttons, but in a car like this I settle on another screen where I don’t have to scroll through a lot of menus to turn on the air conditioner at least.
Of course, the massage seats are here and they seem to be staying a little longer than the other luxury cars I drove. There is no heated, cooled cup holder. The omission is probably forgetting to forget to serve your caviar and cream fresh, but Cadillac said that if someone really wants it, they can add features.
Dig into a glass roof that can darken up to 20% opacity in any of the four zones. Each person in the car can customize how much light they want to give to the parts of the car.
My mind is in the worst case scenario of getting stuck in a car in a Whole Foods car park or something, so I’m not 100% on sale at power doors. Still, just pushing the brake pedal and closing the door automatically is a bit cool. There is also an icon to close the door on the screen below. This allows passengers to enter the low-tech effort bandwagon.
Custom EV Experience
Each Celestiq is handcrafted at General Motors Global Technical Center in Michigan.
We got a little taste of what our customers experience when we worked with our designers to select their favorite colors and materials. Although it was a bit overwhelming to choose from all 50 shades, I set out walking alongside the Celestique of King Fisher Tricoat’s dream. I think it will work well with the sheer grey and via orange interior with long wheelbase and first back profiles and Phantom Blue accents. What can you say? Dig blue and orange.
As the day progressed, I was treated to the Cadillac Concierge service that customers experience as they go through the purchasing process. Someone confirmed that I always have a cold diet. Dr. Pepper and lunch options in my hands are tailored to my immature dishes. In other words, I had Tater Tots for lunch and I’m not even embarrassed about it.
Celestiq customers may use concierges to use field logistics requests and not request large quantities of carbs or caffeine, but the point is that some people will meet the whims of buying every car.
There aren’t many in the Uber-Luxury EV market. The main competition for the Cadillac Celestiq could be the Rolls-Royce Spectre EV with a cool starry headliner. Still, Celestiq sits alone, mainly in the ultra-luxury, battery-electric sector.
Bentley doesn’t offer full battery electricity yet. With just the hybrid, even Mercedes doesn’t completely electrify Maybach’s class sedan, but you can get the Maybach EQS SUV.
If you want one in your garage, I wish you good luck. Cadillac produced a limited run of 25 vehicles in 2025, and almost everything is being talked about. The company will not provide a specific number for 2026, and simply say production will close with less than twice a day Celestiq.
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