PAST PRESENT, FUTURE

CADILLAC'S FIRST ELECTRIC EMBRACES THE BRAND'S PAST.

- Tony Quiroga

Whoosh goes the Cadillac. And then it glides. Drive the allelectric Lyriq and you're reminded of the quiet grace of Cadillacs past. Electrification appears to be returning the 120-year-old brand to its smooth, silent, and comfortable roots. In reaching for the future-Cadillac promises an all-EV lineup by 2030-the luxury carmaker is reintroducing a few long-dismissed attributes.

The Lyriq's demeanor is in keeping with the virtues of its powertrain. An electric motor, such as the permanentmagnet spinner in the Lyriq (340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque), never does much more than hum. The 102.0-kWh battery pack in the floor-sort of like sitting atop a giant slice of Texas toast-suppresses nearly all road noise.

A wind-cheating and range-extending shape helps keep the air's howl to a low whisper at highway speed. The directdrive transmission provides uninterrupted thrust. Sail on, 5642-pound Lyriq.

Fortunately, the suspension tuning doesn't venture too far back into history. Ride quality sticks to the comfort side of the ride-handling spectrum, but it's free of any floatiness.

Some initial impact harshness is quickly forgotten as the multilink front and rear suspension gently stroke away the ripples. Steering isn't as light as the roulette wheels in old Coupe DeVilles, but no one who wants a Blackwing will find much to love about the Lyriq's handling. Competency won out over playfulness, and all-season rubber, size 265/50R-20, summons a mere 0.80 g on the skidpad.

The battery keeps the center of gravity low, and weight distribution is 48.7 percent front and 51.3 percent rear, which may say "sports sedan" balance, but the mass wins out over the tires. The testing team did report that with stability and traction control disabled, our rear-drive Lyriq will do some mighty fine drifts on the skidpad, should you want to pretend you're on staff here.