2026 vs 2025 cadillac optiq improvements and misses The Optiq now comes standard with rear-wheel drive, and, as suspected, it's so much better to drive because of it. After only one year, the Cadillac Optiq received a significant change for 2026, and it's the type of change that would be unthinkable, perhaps even impossible for a car with an internal combustion engine. You see, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq came standard with what is effectively a front-drive-biased all-wheel drive system. For 2026, you can't even get that setup. Instead, the 2026 Optiq comes standard with rear-wheel drive and offers a far more powerful dual-motor all-wheel-drive system as an option. This change is akin to the Honda CR-V showing up next year with rear-wheel drive. It stood to reason that this radical drivetrain change could fundamentally alter how the Optiq drove, so I wanted to test one as soon as possible to see if it had been improved by as much as I suspected. And it wasn't just because of my inherent automotive curiosity. No, my wife and I bought a 2025 Cadillac Optiq last year. I'm therefore in a pretty great position to share whether the changes made for 2026 are improvements or misses. 2026 vs 2025 cadillac optiq improvements and misses Improvement: The dominant motor is now in the back The 2025 Cadillac Optiq debuted with a standard dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain. Much as you'd find in Chevrolet's Equinox EV and Blazer EV, it was the electric equivalent of a front-wheel-drive-based all-wheel-drive system (such as what the CR-V and oh-so-many AWD crossovers have). The front motor, literally, pulled much of the weight (it's a typical permanent magnet motor), while the much smaller rear motor (an induction motor) was mostly there to react to front-wheel slippage and increase traction in poor conditions. This was in contrast to most "dual-motor" all-wheel drive systems, where the front and rear motors are much closer in output to each other, with the rear often being bigger. In the 2025 Optiq, you can absolutely tell that the front motor is doing much of the work, and it's my primary beef with the thing. Despite the rear motor, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq suffers from torque steer. It's not as rampant as in the front-drive Equinox EV, but lay into the power mid-turn, and the wheel stiffens as the front axle struggles with the dual purposes of power delivery and turning. That's the most obvious example, but I can always feel this tug of war at play – the steering effort is subtly inconsistent and can feel like it's connected to the thick elastic bands of a Soloflex machine. It's the main reason why our Optiq is just sorta OK to drive. That's no longer the case. Again, the previously obligatory drivetrain system was tossed for 2026. Now, the Optiq comes standard with a single rear motor that's a bit more powerful than the prior system (315 horsepower versus 300). As suspected, it makes a world of difference-not in terms of acceleration, but handling and steering. The torque steer is gone, and the steering is suddenly fluid in its movement and consistent in its effort. No more Soloflex. In short, the 2026 Optiq is not only better to drive than the 2025, but it's also great to drive. And no, as an owner of a 2025, I'm not thrilled about that. 2026 vs 2025 cadillac optiq improvements and misses Miss: AWD is now roughly a $4,000 option As much as the new, rear-dominant motor has improved the driving experience, it does mean that those in frostier climates will have to pay about $4,000 extra for all-wheel-drive traction. While the Optiq's base price went down by about $2,000 by making rear-wheel drive standard, the new all-wheel drive version starts at about $2,000 more than the previous all-wheel-drive-only 2025. So, that's bad news if all you want is all-wheel drive when driving in snow. At the same time, the new all-wheel drive system features permanent magnet motors front and rear, including the more powerful rear one from the standard RWD model. The result is a massive output increase to 440 horsepower and 498 pound-feet of torque (versus 300 and 354 for 2025). This is more in keeping with other dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric vehicles. As my wife and I live in Southern California, we would've happily spent $2,000 less than we did for our 2025 Optiq. We definitely wouldn't have gotten the new all-wheel-drive version: don't need the all-weather traction, don't need to spend $4,000 more, and the acceleration with RWD is just as ample as it was for 2025. The base Optiq was a quick car, and it still is a quick car. Gran Turismo 7 January Update: All the Details 2026 vs 2025 cadillac optiq improvements and misses Improvement: Stick with the standard 20-inch wheels Because our Optiq was on a dealer lot when we got it, we just accepted its optional 21-inch "After Midnight" wheels in order to get our preferred color combination of Nimbus Metallic (the same shade as my 2026 test car) and the gorgeous Phantom Blue interior. The 2026 test car had the standard 20-inch wheels, and as I've always suspected, our Optiq's rigid responses to bumps are entirely caused by the bigger wheels. The Optiq rides so much better with the standard wheels and the more voluminous sidewall that accompanies them. If there's a handling difference, I sure couldn't tell. 2026 vs 2025 cadillac optiq improvements and misses Miss: The Optiq now has an NACS charge port The other major change for 2026 is that the Optiq now has a Tesla-style, NACS-standard charge port. The port itself is still on the wrong side of the car for many Superchargers, but at least you no longer need a charge adapter. Great, right? Well, you now need an adapter when using a different charging network, or at my house. You see, my wife and I have used DC fast charging to recharge our Optiq precisely zero times in eight months. This, after using them zero times in two-plus years of owning a Kia Niro Electric. We exclusively charge at home using a Wallbox home charger fitted with the same J1772 connector our 2025 Optiq has. With the 2026 Optiq, I had to break out the included adapter every time I charged the car … and find somewhere to keep it when not in use. Yeah, there's a huge multi-adapter case that fits in the trunk's underfloor storage area, but that's an annoying location for frequent use, and while the adapter is small, it's heavy and cylindrical, meaning it rolled and clonked around in whatever bin I placed it in. This isn't exactly a big deal, but count me among those who aren't thrilled with the near-universal change to the NACS standard. 2026 vs 2025 cadillac optiq improvements and misses Improvement: The range is literally better The new, rear-wheel-drive base Optiq travels an EPA-estimated 317 miles on a charge. This is up on the 2025 AWD-only Optiq at 302 miles. Interestingly, the new, vastly more powerful AWD optional version is rated at 303 miles. Frankly, I can't say I'll lose much sleep over this one. 2026 Lucid Air Touring: All the Details