Underneath, the OPTIQ-V still utilizes the Ultium hardware, but the V sacrifices a bit of range for more power. The standard all-wheel-drive OPTIQ already produces a healthy 440 horsepower and 498 pound-feet of torque, but the OPTIQ-V turns the volume up to 11. The electric dual-motors produce a combined 519 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. That’s quick enough for a 0-100 kilometre-per-hour sprint of around 3.5 seconds.

But with the extra power, the OPTIQ-V’s range drops to 447 kilometres from just over 500 kilometres in the rear-wheel-drive OPTIQ. Even so, it can accept DC fast charging at a rate of about 110 kilometres for every 10 minutes of charging. That should make those stops on long family road trips much quicker and less frequent.

This being a Cadillac, you still get the full lounge interior: a vast 33-inch curved LED screen, 19-speaker AKG audio, heated steering wheel and seats as standard, plus Super Cruise, so it can more or less drive itself down the highway. The OPTIQ’s compact footprint hides proper practicality, too, with five seats, over 700 litres of cargo space with the seats up and 1,600-plus with the seats folded, plus a 1,500-pound tow rating for the odd Seadoo weekend.

The Cadillac OPTIQ-V starts from just under $80,000 with options that should keep it well below the six-figure price tag. As a performance EV, it trades headline-grabbing charging speeds for a more rounded, real-world character.