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2026 Motor Trend SUV of the Year: the 9,000-pound Cadillac Escalade with a 205 kWh Battery pack

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hmp10

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Well, it seems that Lucid screwed the pooch with its software woes in the Gravity.

Back in January when Kyle Conner took his first long look at the Gravity, he seemed to be hinting that the Gravity would be a shoe-in for SUV of the Year -- and he was on the judging panel.

But then, as more and more reviewers got their hands on the car, all the brilliance of it power, handling dynamics, space engineering, and features got washed overboard by the interminable software glitches.

Thus the Cadillac Escalade, the absolute antithesis of everything EVs and their efficiency were supposed to be about, walked away with the award.

Such a damn, damn shame.

www.motortrend.com

The Cadillac Escalade IQ Is the 2026 MotorTrend SUV of the Year

The electric Escalade returns Cadillac to its place as the Standard of the World.
www.motortrend.com www.motortrend.com
 
The software weaknesses are such a liability for Lucid. I totally understand Motor Trend wanting a complete vehicle to honor. I think the Gravity will get there - and was pleasantly surprised the Consumer Reports folks didn’t only see the software problems (even though they did have to get a new steering wheel). If you want to be recognized as the best, the vehicle has to deliver now, not just theoretically.
 
On the flip side, Car and Driver hates the IQ, ranking it 10/11 for 3 row EV SUVs (ahead of only the Model X). The Gravity is 4th, behind the EV9, Ioniq 9 and Vistiq.

www.caranddriver.com

We've Tested and Ranked the Best 3-Row Electric SUVs for 2026

Looking for the best electric 3-row SUV? Our testing team looks at over 200 data points when rating vehicles. Check out what made our list of the best electric three-row SUVs to buy in 2026.
www.caranddriver.com www.caranddriver.com
 
Neurio said:
On the flip side, Car and Driver hates the IQ, ranking it 10/11 for 3 row EV SUVs (ahead of only the Model X). The Gravity is 4th, behind the EV9, Ioniq 9 and Vistiq.

www.caranddriver.com

We've Tested and Ranked the Best 3-Row Electric SUVs for 2026

Looking for the best electric 3-row SUV? Our testing team looks at over 200 data points when rating vehicles. Check out what made our list of the best electric three-row SUVs to buy in 2026.
www.caranddriver.com www.caranddriver.com
Click to expand...
On their review page for the Gravity, they rate it 3rd among Electric Mid-Sized Luxury SUVs. The ordering is:

1. BMW iX
2. Cadillac Vistiq
3. Lucid Motors Gravity
4. Cadillac Lyriq
5. Volvo EX90
6. Rivian R1S

But that ranking seems to predate production version of the Gravity being available, and the body of the review itself is a bit sparse as a result. It'll be interesting to see if their ordering changes when after they've been able to do a full review of a production Gravity. Hopefully in a few months after some bugs are squashed!
 
Take the Gravity out of the equation and you still have to wonder where Motor Trend’s head is. A 9,000-9,300 pound behemoth that won’t even fit in a lot of garages and needs a 205 kWh battery to get decent range is viewed as an automotive engineering achievement?

They have joined the parade back to yesteryear by making a mockery of the promise EVs once offered of a new, more responsible path.

We really are a “drill, baby, drill” society through and through.
 
TahoeMichael said:
On their review page for the Gravity, they rate it 3rd among Electric Mid-Sized Luxury SUVs. The ordering is:

1. BMW iX
2. Cadillac Vistiq
3. Lucid Motors Gravity
4. Cadillac Lyriq
5. Volvo EX90
6. Rivian R1S

But that ranking seems to predate production version of the Gravity being available, and the body of the review itself is a bit sparse as a result. It'll be interesting to see if their ordering changes when after they've been able to do a full review of a production Gravity. Hopefully in a few months after some bugs are squashed!
Click to expand...
not shocked the iX is at the top. it's been out several years and they've already addressd some of its issues with the 2026 model. but of course it's not a 3 row if one cares about that.
 
hmp10 said:
Take the Gravity out of the equation and you still have to wonder where Motor Trend’s head is. A 9,000-9,300 pound behemoth that won’t even fit in a lot of garages and needs a 205 kWh battery to get decent range is viewed as an automotive engineering achievement?

They have joined the parade back to yesteryear by making a mockery of the promise EVs once offered of a new, more responsible path.

We really are a “drill, baby, drill” society through and through.
Click to expand...
They picked it because the leather keeps their butts cosy....they are talking out of their butts, not using their brains
 
I just came across this article showing the Gravity didn't even make the finalist list for SUV of the Year consideration.

The finalists were:

Audi Q6 and SQ6 E-Tron
Cadillac Escalade IQ
Cadillac Vistiq
Honda Passport
Hyundai Ioniq 9
Hyundai Palisade
Porsche Macan Electric
Volkswagen Tiguan

While they pointed out some of the Gravity's highlights, they wrapped up with "shame about all the glitches, though."

Maybe the lesson here is that, even as a new company, you can get by with putting one model on the market with under-cooked software. But twice is risky. If Lucid does it a third time with the Earth, the goose will finally be cooked.

www.motortrend.com

2026 MotorTrend SUV of the Year: One of These 34 SUV Models Won the Award

We tested a lot of SUVs to their limits to determine the 2026 SUV of the Year.
www.motortrend.com www.motortrend.com
 
I don't hate the result, the Escalade is designed to be ostentatious and overtly luxury and it focuses on it and achieves it, and the IQ actually blows the Lucid out of the way in real world range. Will it actually be a good car to own and use everyday? Likely not, is it a good EV, not really. You could also just get a regular Escalade but that is not new for the test. The Ioniq 9 is a really well executed EV SUV 3 Row, and a Gravity Touring is basically the same car as GT functionality wise with a much more competitive value prop/price.
 
illopp00 said:
I don't hate the result, the Escalade is designed to be ostentatious and overtly luxury and it focuses on it and achieves it . . .
Click to expand...

Ostentation strikes me as an odd criterion for a vehicle of the year award.

And overt luxury? Perhaps, if you define luxury as mass, chrome, large video screens starting back at you in the second row, overly-padded seats with flashy pattern stitching.

Every time I see one of these glitz-ridden behemoths blocking my view of the road or swallowing up every last inch of a parking space, the old W. C. Fields description of Mae West springs to mind: "every plumber's idea of Cleopatra".
 
I can't say I fault them. We can complain all day long about efficiency, but the Cadillac gets (or surpasses) its range, which is really what matters in the end. Specially for those coming from ICE, they don't want to change their driving habits to get better efficiency. While I do not care for the GM software in their EVs (super bland and unintuitive), it works. No weird bugs, glitches or blank screens. This is what most people want and honestly, between the two, I'd recommend the IQ to someone for those reasons - Cadillac wins were it matters. Oh, and a dealership network that spans the entire country and you can get appointment within a week.

Personally, clearly like most of us here, I would choose the Gravity any day of the week for its more approachable size, driving dynamics and charging times. But I can withstand the growing pains, most buyers can't at this price point for what will likely be their family vehicle. I wouldn't in good faith recommend the Gravity, so I don't fault them. Hoping this really changes in the future because the Gravity is perfect on paper.

As for Car and Driver, they've lost me entirely, specially on their takes with EVs. They just don't get it. Having driven many of those on the list, I find it laughable they put the Vistiq so highly (lack of frunk, mediocre driving dynamics, uninspired interior, dated charging times and range). The Korean siblings are also great on paper but the software is severely undercooked (had an EV9 and can relate to the "fob not detected" issues) and the driving dynamics are very meh. Not sure what their merit is to rank a vehicle highly anymore, but they've lost my trust as far as recommendations are concerned.
 
The key comment from the summary of the Gravity - “Glitches Galore”. No I would not pick the Escalade over the Gravity but at least the Escalade currently delivers a vehicle that has all of its advertised features working, stable software and solid fit and finish.
 
Bdr100 said:
The key comment from the summary of the Gravity - “Glitches Galore”. No I would not pick the Escalade over the Gravity but at least the Escalade currently delivers a vehicle that has all of its advertised features working, stable software and solid fit and finish.
Click to expand...

I wanted to "like" your comment, but I'm just too blue right now at how flat-footed the Gravity launch has been. 🥶
 
hmp10 said:
I wanted to "like" your comment, but I'm just too blue right now at how flat-footed the Gravity launch has been. 🥶
Click to expand...
I just hope I am not blue come Thanksgiving. I am set to take delivery either late tomorrow or early Wed (the wife does not want Wed as we have 20+ coming for Thanksgiving, so hopefully SC can have all done by tomorrow. I am prepared for at least some minor “glitches” but hoping they are limited to maybe a double tap frunk and some momentary false warning lights. I have a package of spare fob batteries and am prepped on the cars soft and hard resets as well as fob reset.
 
Spaceship said:
I can't say I fault them. We can complain all day long about efficiency, but the Cadillac gets (or surpasses) its range, which is really what matters in the end. Specially for those coming from ICE, they don't want to change their driving habits to get better efficiency. While I do not care for the GM software in their EVs (super bland and unintuitive), it works. No weird bugs, glitches or blank screens. This is what most people want and honestly, between the two, I'd recommend the IQ to someone for those reasons - Cadillac wins were it matters. Oh, and a dealership network that spans the entire country and you can get appointment within a week.

Personally, clearly like most of us here, I would choose the Gravity any day of the week for its more approachable size, driving dynamics and charging times. But I can withstand the growing pains, most buyers can't at this price point for what will likely be their family vehicle. I wouldn't in good faith recommend the Gravity, so I don't fault them. Hoping this really changes in the future because the Gravity is perfect on paper.

As for Car and Driver, they've lost me entirely, specially on their takes with EVs. They just don't get it. Having driven many of those on the list, I find it laughable they put the Vistiq so highly (lack of frunk, mediocre driving dynamics, uninspired interior, dated charging times and range). The Korean siblings are also great on paper but the software is severely undercooked (had an EV9 and can relate to the "fob not detected" issues) and the driving dynamics are very meh. Not sure what their merit is to rank a vehicle highly anymore, but they've lost my trust as far as recommendations are concerned.
Click to expand...
It's like they forgot the whole DRIVER part of their own name. I've driven the IQ and it is so far behind the Gravity and several others on this list. Their own VistiQ is a far better driver vehicle than the IQ. It's like driving a fast bus that pulls dangerously to the left or right when you floor it, with all the torque steer. It does get the luxury cruiser part right as it is comfortable, but I would have chosen a few others (Ioniq9, R1S or even VistiQ) over the IQ...
 
Spaceship said:
I can't say I fault them. We can complain all day long about efficiency, but the Cadillac gets (or surpasses) its range, which is really what matters in the end. Specially for those coming from ICE, they don't want to change their driving habits to get better efficiency. While I do not care for the GM software in their EVs (super bland and unintuitive), it works. No weird bugs, glitches or blank screens. This is what most people want and honestly, between the two, I'd recommend the IQ to someone for those reasons - Cadillac wins were it matters. Oh, and a dealership network that spans the entire country and you can get appointment within a week.

Personally, clearly like most of us here, I would choose the Gravity any day of the week for its more approachable size, driving dynamics and charging times. But I can withstand the growing pains, most buyers can't at this price point for what will likely be their family vehicle. I wouldn't in good faith recommend the Gravity, so I don't fault them. Hoping this really changes in the future because the Gravity is perfect on paper.

As for Car and Driver, they've lost me entirely, specially on their takes with EVs. They just don't get it. Having driven many of those on the list, I find it laughable they put the Vistiq so highly (lack of frunk, mediocre driving dynamics, uninspired interior, dated charging times and range). The Korean siblings are also great on paper but the software is severely undercooked (had an EV9 and can relate to the "fob not detected" issues) and the driving dynamics are very meh. Not sure what their merit is to rank a vehicle highly anymore, but they've lost my trust as far as recommendations are concerned.
Click to expand...
I don't think I agree with you about range mattering for the IQ. The consensus of the IQ reviews is that it's a great vehicle if someone else is driving you around. Realistically, that doesn't require hundreds of miles of range. The sort of person with a driver is going to fly rather than drive for 4 or 5 hours.

But the dealership network and ability to get a service appointment (and parts)? That's definitely an advantage of Cadillac.
 
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