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Everyone wants a three-row SUV
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00:00Three-row SUV, three-row SUV, three-row SUV.
00:03That's what everyone wants, even when it comes to EVs.
00:06But as for luxury three-row EV SUVs, well, we got those too.
00:11Today, we're comparing three newly released SUVs,
00:13the Cadillac Vistik, Lucid Gravity, and Volvo EX90.
00:17They are all cutting edge.
00:19So join us as we find out which one is the best luxury SUV.
00:30Two switches for four windows.
00:32You have to swipe back to the rear windows.
00:34This is a $100,000 car.
00:35They couldn't spend three euros on another pair of switches.
00:43No, it's an amazingly designed interior.
00:45You've got the wood and the door cards.
00:46There's just an attention to detail that we haven't seen
00:48in an American luxury car in so long.
00:50And yet here it is in this Cadillac.
00:52First up, the highly anticipated Lucid Gravity,
01:01the one meant for mass market appeal.
01:03Built on a new platform, the Gravity boasts Lucid's latest technology
01:07as well as rather minivan looks.
01:09This grand touring Gravity comes with dual electric motors,
01:13all-wheel drive, and 828 horsepower.
01:17In motor trend testing, it achieved 0 to 60 in just 3.2 seconds,
01:21and the quarter mile in 11 seconds at 130.3 miles per hour.
01:26Not bad for a car that weighs a hair over three tons,
01:29and again, is shaped like a minivan.
01:32The EPA rates the Gravity to return 386 miles of range,
01:36while our test results came to 335 miles of range.
01:40As tested, this Gravity Grand Touring
01:42comes to a fairly steep $123,950.
01:47Next, the Cadillac Vistik.
01:49To call this, the Electric XT6 would be a severe misrepresentation.
01:54The Vistik sits between the midsize Lyric and the Land Yacht Escalade IQ,
01:58but it's by no means middling.
02:00The Vistik's whole deal is a luxurious ride,
02:03so we don't expect its numbers to be as blistering as the Lucid's.
02:07All Vistik's come with all-wheel drive,
02:09and this Platinum model makes do with 615 horsepower.
02:13It has a slightly more modest 0 to 60 time of 4.7 seconds per our own testing
02:18and a quarter mile time of 13.2 seconds at 108.8 miles per hour.
02:23While the EPA rates this Vistik Platinum at 300 miles of range,
02:27in motor trend testing, we found it to return 234 miles of range.
02:32As for how much?
02:34The Cadillac Vistik Platinum comes to $100,415 as tested.
02:39Finally, the Volvo EX90.
02:41This is the new flagship SUV from Volvo, the one that'll replace the XC90.
02:46If you're down with sleek Scandinavian design and minimalism,
02:49but still with sumptuous luxury materials throughout, this one's for you.
02:53The most powerful Volvo to date,
02:55the EX90 has all-wheel drive from a pair of electric motors that produce 510 horsepower.
03:00Of the three, this is the least amount of power, but as we all know, power isn't everything.
03:06Our testing clocked the EX90 to hit 60 in 4.2 seconds, which is quicker than the Cadillac,
03:11and achieved the quarter mile in 13 seconds at 105.5 miles an hour.
03:16We found the Volvo to return 247 miles of range in real-world testing,
03:21which also puts it behind the other two.
03:23However, it's also the most affordable of the three.
03:27This EX90 Twin Motor Performance Electric Ultra, that's a name,
03:31carries an as-tested price of $89,640.
03:38That's all well and good, but you can look at spec sheets and look at photos as long as you want,
03:44but nothing beats just physically being in the car,
03:46which is why right now we are in the Vistik, and I'm joined by Billy.
03:50Thanks for having me.
03:50So I've been spending a lot of time in the Vistik,
03:53and I can confidently say this is a monument to American design.
03:58Everything here that you can see and feel has been seen and felt by Cadillac
04:02and is reflected back to you, and they want you to know it.
04:06All of these colors and textures and shapes, so well thought out, so elegant,
04:10and they all work together so beautifully.
04:12It's an amazingly designed interior.
04:14You've got the wood in the door cards.
04:15You've got these knobs that are knurled,
04:17and then when you move them, the vent moves in the opposite direction.
04:20There's just an attention to detail that we haven't seen in an American luxury car in so long,
04:25and yet here it is in this Cadillac.
04:26We're so starved for it, and I remember a long time Cadillac was chasing BMW, Mercedes,
04:32and just falling behind.
04:33But this shows that when you leave Cadillac alone to make incredible, world-class stuff,
04:39it can.
04:39The seat leather, there's beautiful perforations and contrast stitching,
04:43and that doesn't just stay in the first and second rows.
04:46The third row also has that gorgeous leather,
04:49but in terms of luxury appointments, it's all there.
04:52You also have this big widescreen here, which I thought might be a little played out,
04:56but upon using it, I think they use the real estate very, very well.
05:00You had an observation earlier that everything is within reach,
05:04and then the screen kind of tapers off nicely because that's naturally where your hand would be able to reach.
05:10So, you know, it's really nice.
05:11It's very easy to use, and you had a long-term Blazer,
05:15and you didn't have Android Auto, Apple CarPlay.
05:17Did you miss it?
05:18I only miss it when I want to use Google Maps on my phone and then have that appear on the screen,
05:22but otherwise you can just speak to Google and get your maps running right away.
05:26The connectivity is usually really good,
05:28and it's nice to have it fill the entire display
05:31because it was engineered by Google for Cadillac from the ground up,
05:34and they use that entire gauge cluster display.
05:37So, I don't really like that this climate is all touchscreen.
05:40I still find this pretty distracting to use,
05:42and you have to bring your eyes pretty low to see it.
05:44That would be my only complaint about this,
05:47and also the fact that they put a cubby back here behind this climate screen is kind of silly
05:51because I don't know anybody who actually puts anything back there,
05:54but that's a very small demerit in the face of what is a shockingly striking interior.
06:02It's a design trium from Cadillac, and they knocked it out of the park.
06:05Yeah.
06:05So, okay, we've seen the Vistik.
06:07We spent some time in the Vistik.
06:08Now, I think it's time to go see a different expression of American EV luxury in Elucid Gravity.
06:14Yeah, you'll step into my office, which is a lot different than this one.
06:17Yeah, let's go.
06:20Gravity Grand Touring.
06:21Same, same, but different.
06:23You also get a big curved display.
06:25That's like the first thing you notice when you get in this car,
06:27and then the second thing you notice, your eyes fall to this squircle steering wheel,
06:31which has its pros and cons.
06:35You have a little bit more leg room because the bottom side's, you know, a little higher,
06:39but it's kind of awkward when you're driving, and you're in a curvy road,
06:42and you want, you know, that more traditional steering wheel shape.
06:45This other strange thing about this is Lucid's old buttons on the steering wheel
06:48that were like little toggles up and down,
06:50and they replaced it with these large trackpads,
06:52which have a pinstripe pattern that matches this console down here.
06:57So...
06:58Can I pause and ask a question, though?
06:59These are meant for thumbs?
07:01These are thumb pads.
07:01Human thumbs.
07:02Human thumbs.
07:03Human thumbs.
07:04But if I were to hold the wheel at 10 and 2,
07:06which is where I presume I'm supposed to hold it,
07:09it's kind of awkward.
07:10You end up holding it here.
07:12Oh, so it's a 9 and 3.
07:13Yeah, it's a 9 and 3, yeah.
07:14I see.
07:15It's just, it's strange no matter how you do it.
07:18And then this one swipes up here, which is a little counterintuitive,
07:21and then this one controls that widget over there.
07:24So you kind of don't have any labels on these
07:27because they end up performing a lot of functions,
07:29like this one works for the cruise control and dream drive,
07:32hands-free driving,
07:34which you still have to have your hands on the wheel.
07:35And this one basically only ever does this,
07:39volume, skipping, and pausing.
07:41So they're unlabeled, but they have very specific functions.
07:45I also notice on this big tablet thing,
07:47there's not a home button.
07:49Is that right?
07:49No, there's no home button.
07:51Home is sort of the car menu.
07:53And then you swipe down for another home.
07:55You just have this sense of like,
07:56you're lost in this digital ether when you're in the Lucid.
08:00And the people who are very tech forward may love this experience.
08:03But if you're looking for a more conventional automotive experience,
08:07that's not what you're going to find here.
08:08The conventionality does come back in that the cabin materials are cool.
08:14This almost terracotta sweeping color scheme is very nice.
08:19And this open-pore wood is great.
08:21So is this.
08:22And I believe they're wool seatbacks.
08:23I remember talking about wool in Lucids.
08:27All of that is great.
08:28And it's very refreshingly Californian, I have to say.
08:31It makes me feel, it makes me think of the coast.
08:34Yeah, that's, and that's kind of, you know, you can see that on the display right here.
08:38Lucid is invoking that.
08:40But yeah, no, it has some like cool packaging features.
08:42Like this slides all the way forward and then you can reach down deep.
08:47Where does that go?
08:48Narnia?
08:48It goes to Narnia.
08:49Oh my God.
08:50Or maybe Oz.
08:51I like the idea of Oz because, you know, all the front-facing stuff,
08:55the screen, it's very striking and this is very high definition.
08:59But then if you just kind of peer behind it or if you start picking up panels,
09:03you start seeing glue and wiring.
09:06Because I remember when we were testing out this car,
09:09to get to the third row, you have to obviously fold the second row forward.
09:13And you need to fold it back up.
09:15The seat kind of comes apart and it doesn't move as one piece.
09:18So you're kind of looking right into the guts of all the wiring and the rails
09:22that are under that second row, which is not something you're supposed to see ever.
09:26So this is definitely a tech forward car and maybe for the tech forward person,
09:31that's great.
09:32But for people who are looking for a more traditional sense of luxury,
09:35i.e. a car that doesn't show its hand so much, maybe that falls short.
09:40I do appreciate that we're not baking under here though,
09:42with that nice cover for the roof.
09:44But, you know, to your point, these are Lucid's own OEM shades
09:49that they have to install because without these shades,
09:51we'd be absolutely roasting.
09:53Hmm.
09:54Okay.
09:55All right.
09:55I think I got a sense of it.
09:56I am going to hop into our third car, which is the Volvo.
10:00Wow.
10:01What a different world I've stepped into here.
10:04Welcome to Sweden.
10:05It's very, very bright.
10:06It's very nice.
10:07It does smell really good in here.
10:08You know, I love this design.
10:10Volvo initiated this whole idea 10 years ago in the first XC90.
10:14You get this small little screen up here, which is configurable,
10:17this nice big tablet here.
10:19And it's funny because Tesla copied this basic idea.
10:22And now Volvo has decided to copy Tesla and they've made it worse.
10:26It's almost like a, like an uroboros of bad ideas.
10:28It's a, it's a spiral, you know, it's like a death spiral.
10:31Because for example, now adjusting the mirrors, that's now done through the screen.
10:35Adjusting the steering column is done through the screen.
10:38Initiating the lane keeping assistance.
10:39Used to be a button on the steering wheel.
10:40Now you do it through the, through the shifter like you would on a Tesla or a Rivian.
10:43And it's kind of a shame and two switches for four windows.
10:48Okay.
10:49However, all that being said, which are all very fair, it is gorgeous.
10:54Well, that's why I'm so frustrated because it's so beautiful.
10:56It's so beautiful.
10:57Like this white wood and this cream colored center console and this texture and this plate.
11:05What is this?
11:05Everything used nice.
11:06That's a controller for the stereo system.
11:08Yeah.
11:08Everything, the materials are gorgeous.
11:09I mean, this is what Volvo does so well, this Swedish design.
11:12And I have to tell you, I mean, these seats are so comfortable.
11:15It's ridiculous.
11:16And the stereo, they have this new Abbey Road stereo thing.
11:19It sounds like a gimmick, but the sound from this is brilliant.
11:23I would buy one of these just to listen to my music.
11:25It's amazing.
11:26I just wish they had stuck with what they knew best.
11:30I mean, Volvo has been doing this for 70 years and you can see all of that legacy in parts of the car,
11:35except for the parts that have been modernized.
11:38Teslaized.
11:39Teslaized, sure.
11:40And why would you copy that?
11:42Why is that something to aspire to?
11:44I don't know.
11:45I don't understand.
11:46They should have trusted their own instincts.
11:48I have some issues with the way that some of the software works, but I still think this is just a pleasant place to spend time.
11:55So pleasant in here.
11:56It's relaxing.
11:56It's almost very zen.
11:59It is very zen.
12:00It's very calming.
12:02Somehow they did it.
12:03I don't, maybe it's just with colors, textures, and layout, but somehow they just did.
12:07I feel better being in here.
12:08It's a combination and it really is what Volvo does best, just to make the car a beautiful, relaxing, wonderful place to be.
12:14Without being too in your face.
12:15Without being too in your face.
12:16I would like some buttons back.
12:18They took out too many buttons.
12:19Put some buttons back, please.
12:20I wouldn't mind a couple more buttons, and I wish the Google Assistant, which this car has, could do more for the car if you ask it to do things like turn on the seat massager.
12:29To do that, you'll need to install YouTube Music.
12:32In the meantime, here's a radio station in your area.
12:35So you can kind of...
12:36No!
12:37Yeah.
12:38I don't know why YouTube Music can control my seat controller.
12:42Oh my God!
12:43So the software might need a little bit of work.
12:46Oh my God!
12:47But it just goes to show it's the software things that are the issue.
12:50The Volvos should just stick to what they know best, which is making these beautiful, comfortable, Oasis-like interiors.
12:56Oh, perfect.
12:57Perfect way to put it.
12:59And so as much as we'd love to just sit in these interiors for the rest of time, we do need to tell you how the cars drive.
13:05The gravity?
13:06Put it this way.
13:08While the software can be annoying, the hardware rules.
13:11This thing handles great, responding quickly to both acceleration and steering inputs.
13:15Props to the vehicle dynamics team, because the gravity has phenomenal damping and body control.
13:20It stays well-balanced in most sporty situations.
13:23And of course, the power is prodigious.
13:26It's like supercar face melting power.
13:29There's also some weight behind the accelerator pedal that makes you feel like you're really doing something when you step on it.
13:34We have two complaints.
13:37First, if you drive aggressively on curvy roads, the heavy body can feel unsettled.
13:43And second, the brakes are certainly the gravity's Achilles heel.
13:47While everything else you touch is weighty and substantive, the brake pedal has a very light feel.
13:52And when driven hard, the car can feel like it's overwhelming its own brakes.
13:57Not very confidence-inspiring.
13:59Our editors reported the brakes were smoked after the third day of hard driving.
14:04In the Vistik, you almost want to take things more slowly, just so you can spend more time chilling in that cabin.
14:11This isn't to say it's slow, because it isn't.
14:13Not only is there still a ton of power, assertively so, but it's easy to go fast and stay fast in this car.
14:21It's almost German in its ability to cruise comfortably at Audubon speeds.
14:27On curvier roads, it also displays excellent body control because, despite being a big car, it feels smaller than it is and is pretty easy to place on the road.
14:36One-pedal driving is nicely calibrated and it's so quiet inside.
14:39Like, you can hardly hear the wind or tires at all, even when there's no engine.
14:44Surprisingly, the ride is a bit harsher and choppier than you'd think for an air-sprung Cadillac.
14:48But we chalk this up to the vehicle's 6,400-pound curb weight.
14:54As for the EX90, well, Motortrend editors are actually a bit split.
14:58Some think it's great fun on curvy roads with impressive steering and stopping power.
15:03Billy, in particular, said the EX90 is more sure-footed and better balanced than the, quote, hyper-agro-lucid.
15:08That's a direct quote.
15:09On the other hand, obviously the car is fairly quick and pleasant to drive, but you feel just a little removed from everything.
15:16Feedback from the steering, acceleration, braking, and suspension can feel a little floaty, numb, and indirect.
15:21On curvy roads, we all agree the Volvo is quite composed, but some of us felt it was merely cooperating rather than enjoying the drive as well.
15:32That said, we don't typically look to Volvo to be the last word in driving dynamics.
15:36Rather, the expectation is for a comfortable car to get us around while offering a quality and upscale interior.
15:42Here, the Volvo displays a sense of quiet capability that the showy or other two do not.
15:47In summation, the Cadillac Vistic Pros include a show-stopping interior, an infotainment that is laid out well and clear, great tech.
15:59We love Super Cruise.
16:00Super Cruise is consistently excellent, and it's just a lovely finished product that everybody enjoyed driving.
16:05Some of the cons were it's a little loud when you drive.
16:07It's kind of unexpected for a Cadillac, actually.
16:09I thought it would be quieter.
16:10That rear seat is pretty small because it's very low to the ground, so your knees are going to be all the way up, and it doesn't charge terribly fast on a public charger.
16:20Aaron, what did you think about the Volvo?
16:21Well, you know, we love the interior design.
16:23It's supremely comfortable seats, beautiful, beautiful hardware, an epic stereo, and it was really good fun to drive.
16:30I think, by far, we agreed the most entertaining on our curvy roads.
16:35The real disadvantages for us was they picked up a lot of cues from Tesla, and they're not good ones.
16:39You know, Volvo pioneered this minimalistic interior, and they've kind of incorporated some bad ideas after Tesla ripped off that Volvo minimalism.
16:48And we, of course, had some software glitches, some things in the software that we didn't really enjoy.
16:52Right, right.
16:53And, Billy, what about the gravity?
16:54Well, the gravity is fast as all get-out.
16:57It charges extremely quickly, and it has the most spacious interior out of any of the cars here.
17:02However, I think this car lacks polish.
17:04You can see the cracks through the veneer, and unfortunately, it just doesn't read as a completely finished product.
17:11And so, unanimously, we have decided the Vistik is the winner of this comparison.
17:16It is the most luxurious SUV here.
17:18I mean, we just, we couldn't stop raving about this thing.
17:22Well, it's just such a complete product.
17:23You know, we ran into glitches with some of the others, and the Cadillac feels really, really well finished, really put together.
17:28I love the interior design.
17:30It really puts an American design standard back on top in this segment.
17:34So, it seems to us that Cadillac has finally achieved something that it has been chasing for many years,
17:39which is it has finally become, again, the standard of the world.
17:45For the full comparison, head on over to MotorTrend.com.
17:48Thank you so much for watching, and we will see you on the next one.
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