2026 Cadillac Vistiq Three-Row EV SUV Revealed, But Can It Beat Kia’s EV9?

It’s been a while since Cadilac hopped onto the electric SUV bandwagon when it launched the Cadillac Lyriq four years ago, in 2020. The company has since then added the Cadillac Optiq, Cadillac Celestiq, and the Cadillac Escalade IQ to its portfolio of purchasable all-electric SUVs while also teasing outrageous-looking concept electric cars like the Innerspace Concept and the Opulent Velocity.

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The GM-owned company’s latest entrant to the electric SUV space is a new three-row car called the Cadillac Vistiq. Positioned between the larger Escalade IQ and the smaller Lyriq EV, this new EV is similar in size to the gas-powered Cadillac XT6. With the arrival of the Vistiq, GM will have an all-electric SUV in every luxury SUV segment.

Manufactured at GM’s Spring Hill Manufacturing plant in Tennessee, the Cadillac Vistiq will be sold worldwide and is expected to arrive at Cadillac dealerships starting in early 2025. While it certainly looks like a capable car, the positioning of the Cadillac Vistiq puts it in direct competition against one of the most talked about all-electric three-row SUVs of recent times; the Kia EV9.

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Let’s delve deeper into the detailed features, specifications, and capabilities of the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq, and also explore how well it fares against the Kia EV9.

While the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq gets the unmistakably Cadillac look, one cannot help but notice how similar in looks it is to the larger Cadillac Escalade IQ. Right from the shape of the front grille — which Cadillac refers to as the Black Crystal Shield — to the design of the vertical headlamps and the split tail lights at the rear, the influence of the Escalade IQ’s design on the Vistoq is obvious.

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At launch, Cadillac will offer the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq in three trim levels: Luxury, Sport, and Premium Luxury. Features common to these variants include the 102-kilowatt-hour battery pack and the dual-motor AWD setup that outputs 615 hp of power and generates 650 lb-ft (880 Nm) of near-instant torque. Besides claiming a towing capacity of 5000 lbs, the Cadillac Vistiq also claims a 0-60 time of just 3.7 seconds.

Cadillac has also revealed that it intends to release a fourth, top-of-the-line “Platinum” trim by mid-2025, which will get more performance-oriented features and a wider variety of interior and exterior color options.

With GM also adopting the NACS standard for electric charging, the Cadillac Vistiq has access to more than 17,000 Tesla superchargers across North America.

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While connected to public DC fast chargers, the Vistiq can reach charging speeds of up to 190 kw and can add up to 79 miles of range with a short 10-minute charge. Things slow down considerably when connected to a level 2 AC charger, which can add up to 46.7 miles of range in about an hour of charging. Cadillac estimates that the large battery pack used on the Vistiq will offer up to 300 miles of range.

While not as big as the Escalade IQ, the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq SUV is a fairly sized all-electric SUV. It can seat up to 7 passengers across its three rows while also offering ample legroom in each of those rows. The driver and front passenger seats are offered with heat, ventilation, and massaging features.

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One of the most striking features of the Cadillac Vistiq SUV is the massive 33-inch diagonal high-resolution LED screen that is common across all the trim levels. The car also boasts a panoramic dual-pane sunroof from the front and second-row passengers. The third row passengers aren’t entirely left out either, thanks to a fixed glass roof that covers the rear quarters of the vehicle.

With support for Dolby Atmos, the 23-speaker AKG Studio audio system should offer an immersive audio experience while on the go. Other noteworthy tech features of the 2025 Cadillac Vistiq include the Super Cruse hands-free driver assistance technology as well as a bevy of safety features like HD surround vision, intersection automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, night vision, and side bicyclist alert.

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If you liked what you saw with the new Cadillac Vistiq and are considering getting one into your garage, there is one vehicle that you must definitely consider before taking a final call. We recently reviewed the Kia EV9, a three-row, all-electric SUV which left us impressed, even earning a rare 10/10 rating from our reviewers. If you are here for a quick answer to which of these two cars is the best, here’s what becomes immediately evident simply by looking at the spec sheet.

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To begin with, the base variant of the Kia EV9 is a lot cheaper than the Vistiq (starting at just $54,900). Even the top-end GT-Line AWD trim of the EV9 goes up to $73,900, making it substantially cheaper than Vistiq’s entry price of $78,790.

The Kia EV9 offers nearly the same range as the Vistiq (304-miles) using its 99.8 kWh battery. The EV9 is also not too short on features and even gets a 26-inch display at the front, which is only slightly smaller than the 33-inch panel on the Vistiq.

Where the EV9 falls short of the Cadillac Vistiq is when it comes to sheer power. The EV9 only makes 379 hp of power on the higher-end trim levels and generates up to 516 lb-ft of torque — both numbers significantly lower than the Vistiq.

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As you may have guessed by now, the Kia EV9 and the Cadillac Vistiq, while comparable in size, are very different cars when it comes to pricing, their positioning in the market, and the type of audience they target.