Was It Worth the Wait? Cadillac's $350,000 Celestiq Has Arrived, and Rolls-Royce Should Be Nervous
Image Credit: Cadillac.
It's not every day that a car company decides to take a running leap, with jazz hands, straight into the deep end of the ultra-luxury pool. But that's precisely what Cadillac has done with its new all-electric Celestiq. And when I say "deep end," I mean the part of the pool where you need a certified financial planner just to look at the water. We're talking about a starting price in the "mid-$300,000 range." For that kind of money, you could buy a lovely house in many parts of the country or, in my case, a lifetime supply of artisanal cheese and a very well-fed cat.
Cadillac used to be the brand your grandpa loved. Solid, dependable, and about as exciting as a Tuesday afternoon nap. They've made some fantastic performance cars lately, don't get me wrong, but the brand's old slogan, "Standard of the World," felt a bit like me claiming I'm the "Standard of Punctuality." A noble goal, but the evidence suggested otherwise. But with the Celestiq, it seems Cadillac is trying to reclaim that title, and they've brought the receipts.
Image Credit: Cadillac.
The first one of these beauties has officially been delivered, and it's quite the statement piece. This isn't your run-of-the-mill electric sedan you see parked at every organic grocery store. Each Celestiq is built by hand, with the kind of loving attention to detail you'd normally reserve for a Fabergé egg or a tricky sourdough starter, and production is limited to fewer than two cars a day.
What exactly do you get for the price of a family house? For starters, a car that's nearly 18 feet long. It's a majestic land yacht, a silent, electric-powered vessel designed to make a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley nervously check its reflection. The design is… How do I put it nicely? Well, it's a lot. It's bold and futuristic, and it certainly won't be mistaken for anything else in the country club parking lot. The first customer car was finished in a lovely shade of brown with a matching interior, which sounds surprisingly chic.
Image Credit: Cadillac.
The whole buying process is an experience. You don't just walk into a dealership and kick the tires. Instead, you're invited to a special place called Cadillac House at Vanderbilt, near Detroit. There, a personal concierge helps you customize every little detail. Want your car to match your favorite handbag? They can probably do that. Want to embroider your life's philosophy onto the seats? It's likely on the table. This is less like buying a car and more like commissioning a piece of rolling art.
Inside, it's a tech lover's paradise. The dashboard is dominated by a gigantic 55-inch screen that stretches from one side of the car to the other. And if that wasn't enough, the lucky folks in the back get their own 12.6-inch screens. You could probably watch three different movies and a cooking show simultaneously in there. The car also features a "Smart Glass Roof" with four separate zones, so each passenger can decide just how much sunshine they want to grace their presence.
Of course, being an electric car, we have to talk about the fun stuff: power and range. The Celestiq comes with two electric motors, one for each axle, giving it all-wheel drive. Together, they pump out a very healthy 655 horsepower and 646 pound-feet of torque. In simple terms, if you put your foot down, it'll sprint from 0 to 60 in a very unnerving 3.7 seconds.
All the electricity comes from a massive 111-kilowatt-hour battery pack, which Cadillac claims is good for about 303 miles of range. That's a respectable figure, enough to get you from your mansion in the hills to your other mansion on the coast without any range anxiety. And I'm pretty sure, if you can afford a Celestiq, you can probably afford to have a fast charger installed in every house you own.
Image Credit: Cadillac.
Is the Celestiq the car that will finally put Cadillac back on its "Standard of the World" pedestal? It's a bold and fabulously expensive attempt. It's not a car for everyone, or even for most people. It's a declaration that American luxury can be just as opulent and bespoke as its European counterparts. It's Cadillac's Declaration of Independence, so to speak. I have to give Cadillac a standing ovation here. They didn't just dip a toe in the water; they did a cannonball. And for that, they have my utmost respect.
