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Cadillac Lyriq vs Ford Mach-E vs Tesla Model Y: Features, price, and tech comparison

(Credit:Cadillac/Ford/KITT/Instagram)

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GM has entered the premium all-electric crossover SUV market, and its flagship vehicle is the rather eye-catching Cadillac Lyriq. Poised to hit the roads in the first half of 2022, the Lyriq will be entering an market already saturated by formidable opponents like the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the best-selling Tesla Model Y.  

With the competiton in the EV SUV market in mind, it’s important to know how the Cadillac Lyriq stacks up against two of the strongest entries in the premium all-electric crossover segment today. Below is a comparison of the Cadillac Lyriq, the Ford Mustang Mach-E (both in SR and ER variants), and the Tesla Model Y Long Range Dual Motor AWD. 

Size and Weight

The Cadillac Lyriq is quite a hefty vehicle, dwarfing the Mach-E and the Model Y with its 196.7-inch length, 77.8-inch width, and a 121.8-inch wheelbase. In comparison, the Mach-E has a length of 186.0 inches, and width of 74.0 inches, and a wheelbase of 117.0 inches. The Model Y has a length of 187.0 inches, a width of 75.6 inches, and a wheelbase of 113.8 inches. The Lyriq is precisely the same height as the Model Y at 63.9 inches, making it taller than the Mach-E, which has a height of 63.0 inches. 

All this size translates to the Cadillac Lyriq’s curb weight, which also stands far above the Mach-E and the Model Y. The Lyriq has some serious heft at 5,610 pounds, while the Mach-E and Model Y are far lighter at 4,394-4,890 pounds for the Ford and 4,416 pounds for the Tesla. 

Interior Dimensions and Cargo Space

While the Cadillac Lyriq is significantly larger than the Mustang Mach-E and the Model Y outside, it is comparable to its two rivals when it comes to the interior. While it edges out its rivals in legroom, shoulder room, and hip room, in terms of headroom, the Lyriq is actually behind its competitors, with 38.6 inches in the front and 37.7 inches at the rear. Despite being smaller physically, the Mach-E features a front headroom of 40.4 inches and rear headroom of 39.3 inches. The Model Y has significantly more headroom than the Lyriq as well, with 41.0 inches at the front and 39.4 inches at the rear. 

This trend continues all the way to the Lyriq’s cargo space when its second-row seats are folded down. With this setup, the Lyriq boasts 60.8 cubic feet of cargo space, which is slightly higher than the Mach-E’s 59.7 cubic feet, but significantly behind the Model Y, which offers a whopping 68 cubic feet of cargo space with the second-row seats folded down. 

Battery and Estimated Range

The Cadillac Lyriq features a large 100 kWh battery, which GM notes should provide the all-electric SUV with about 300 miles of range. The Mustang Mach-E offers two battery sizes: a 75.7 kWh standard range unit that gives drivers about 211 miles of range and a 98.8 kWh extended range battery that provides 300 miles of range. The Model Y taps into Tesla’s vast experience as an all-electric car maker by drawing out 326 miles of EPA-rated range with a 75 kWh battery pack. 

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Performance and 0-60 Times

GM noted that the Lyriq’s electric motor produces 340 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. GM’s estimates might seem conservative when compared to the Mach E, which produces 346 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque in its ER AWD version, and the Model Y Long Range, which has 384 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. GM is also yet to release the 0-60 mph figures for the Lyriq, though Roadshow estimates that the vehicle, thanks to its large size and lower power, would likely be significantly slower than both the Mach-E Extended Range AWD and the Model Y Long Range, which boast a 5.5-second and 4.8-second 0-60 mph time, respectively. 

Driver-Assist Technologies

GM’s brochure for the Lyriq notes that the all-electric SUV is equipped with the company’s award-winning Super Cruise, “the first truly hands-free driver assistance feature for compatible roads.” Super Cruise is impressive, though it only works on pre-mapped roads, and it requires users to have an active Cadillac Connected Services plan. Super Cruise-equipped vehicles like the Lyriq include 3 years of connectivity to support functionality, after which a Connected Services Plan must be purchased. 

Ford, for its part, has recently announced its BlueCruise, a Level 2 driver-assist technology that also, in the carmaker’s words, offers a “true hands-free driving experience while in Hands-Free Mode that does not require a driver’s hands to stay in contact with the steering wheel, unless prompted by vehicle alerts.” Mach-E customers would be able to purchase BlueCruise software, including a three-year service period, for $600 in the second half of 2021, when the service is expected to launch. 

Last but not least, the Tesla Model Y is equipped with basic Autopilot for free, though customers could opt-in for the carmaker’s Full Self-Driving suite for a $10,000 charge. Basic Autopilot includes key functions like Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer, while FSD includes advanced features like Navigate on Autopilot with Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon, and Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control. Unlike Ford and GM, however, Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD suite are, in their current iteration, not hands-free. 

Price 

The Cadillac Lyriq stays true to its brand, starting at $59,990. That’s far more expensive than the Mustang Mach-E, which starts at a more modest $43,995. The Tesla Model Y Long Range slots right in the middle of the Lyriq and Mach-E, with its current starting price of $51,690 including destination charges. 

Check out the Cadillac Lyriq’s brochure below.

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My23 Lyriq PDF Brochure v14 Final by Maria Merano on Scribd

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Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.6 review: a rare regression, but some bright spots

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla released Full Self-Driving version 14.3.6 last week, and after what was potentially one of the best FSD releases in v14.3.5, there has been a bit of a regression. While there are some bright spots, the changes made to v14.3.6 seem to have backtracked some behaviors.

Overall, it is hard to really complain about FSD in any sense; it has revolutionized how I travel literally anywhere. According to my self-driving app, the last time I went a day without using it was 59 days ago.

However, I think it’s also important to recognize when things are just plain bad with FSD. There are times it does truly mind-boggling things, and I’ll dive into those here. Additionally, I only had these issues on local roads, not on highways. Highway operation, generally, is always incredible other than the occasional complaint about speed or left lane camping.

With those things being said, my personal experience may not represent others’ experiences. A handful of people have said they have had a similar experience on v14.3.6, while others have said it is more than normal.

Turning Hesitancy, Inaccuracy

I’ve noticed more inaccuracy turning into multi-lane stretches of road than in any version I can remember. I’ve had at least three instances of FSD turning into a stretch of roadway that has two or more lanes, and not selecting a lane confidently as it has in past versions.

Instead, the car will drive over one of the dashed road lines, and the steering wheel will jerk back and forth before picking the lane. It should be said that it has always picked the correct lane when choosing based on the navigation, but it is still very indecisive. The steering wheel jerking is reminiscent of some of the later versions of v13.

I admit I really hate to see the steering wheel jerking come back. However, I think when Tesla releases v14.3.7, it won’t be present. When there are occurrences of it in FSD versions, it is usually resolved by the following release.

FSD Disregards Manual Turn Signals

This is my biggest bone to pick with FSD other than Navigation issues, but this one seems like it would be such an easy fix.

If Tesla is going to put the word “Supervised” on the end of “Full Self-Driving,” then when I tell the car to do something, it should do it. If I input an increase in speed by pressing the accelerator, the car will immediately respond. It does not disregard my input because it feels it is traveling at the right speed.

FSD should never disobey and turn off turn signals that the driver inputs. Trying to direct the car into the correct lane, I had initiated the left turn signal not once, not twice, but three times, with the car turning it off all three times and continuing in a lane that would end in just one block. The only solution at this point would be to zipper merge.

This goes back to the fact that self-driving’s biggest bottleneck might be rider preference. A zipper merge might have been more than reasonable, might have saved me time that I spent sitting through an additional light cycle, and might be something many drivers would do. I was in no hurry, I traditionally do not try to zipper merge because it feels inconsiderate, and lastly, the car should have just followed my input.

This caused me to disengage and drive manually the rest of the way home. Sometimes I just do not need FSD to try to pass every car it can at intersections.

Bird Braking is a Thing of the Past

The big complaint with recent versions of Full Self-Driving has been what we’ve coined as “bird braking,” which is when the car will brake suddenly as a bird flies past.

There have been zero issues with this so far in v14.3.6, which is an excellent improvement.

FSD Might Already Be Taking Note of Driver Preferences

Another thing I have noticed over the past few days is that v14.3.6 seems to already be taking my preferences with navigation into account.

This is something that is supposed to be rolling out with the Summer Update, but I have a hunch it’s already present and might have been included in this v14.3.6 build. On Friday, FSD pulled into an entrance to a local convenience store that it had never attempted to go into before.

Typically, I manually pull into this entrance because it avoids heavy cross traffic at the main entrance. FSD has always chosen that congested main entrance.

Additionally, FSD has pulled into my assigned parking spot at my townhouse community on multiple occasions with this release. This is something that used to happen ocassionally, but not consistently.

It also navigated back to the same convenience store last night, drove through crazy cars scrambling to gas pumps, navigated out of the parking lot correctly, drove me home, and, once again, parked in my assigned spot.

As previously stated, this release just seems to have a few things that need to be brought to Tesla’s attention, and also to make others who use FSD aware of some things that I’ve experienced. I look forward to the next release that will remedy these issues, just as Tesla has always done in the past.

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Musk’s massive Terafab project will get final location soon

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Credit: SpaceX

Elon Musk’s massive Terafab project, which will be the first true conglomeration between each of his major entities, is set to get its final location soon, the CEO said on Tesla’s recent earnings call.

“The Terafab, we expect to announce a location soon, and provide more details about our plans in that regard. We’ll leave that to the product, the launch announcement rather than try to squeeze it into an earnings call,” Musk said last Wednesday.

Tesla Terafab set for launch: Inside the $20B AI chip factory that will reshape the auto industry

Terafab was announced by Musk back in March and was essentially a massive, vertically integrated semiconductor manufacturing project that would provide all the chips the three companies needed for their AI initiatives without needing third-party companies.

The plant will produce over 1 terawatt of AI compute each year, and will help back up projects like Optimus, Full Self-Driving, and other AI-based projects that Musk’s companies are working on.

In April, less than a month after the project was launched, Intel announced it would join the project, contributing manufacturing expertise and consulting to Terafab as a whole. Intel is one of three chip manufacturers that produce sub-5 nanometer chips at scale. TSMC and Samsung are the other two.

However, there was no true indication of where Terafab would end up, but most believe it will likely be somewhere in Texas. Business Insider has reported that SpaceX plans to build out Terafab in Grimes County, Texas, but this is unconfirmed.

Musk confirmed recently that it would not be on Giga Texas property, as it is simply too large.

Terafab holds much of Musk’s grand ambitions for the future within its construct. It holds so much responsibility for the future and the biggest projects that Musk’s companies can imagine.

“I think this is a very big announcement and it deserves to have its own day in the spotlight and not be squeezed into an earnings call,” he said. “I do think Terafab is going to be an amazing initiative and a necessary one, and one without which we will be constrained in our ability to scale Optimus production, because we simply won’t have enough AI chips.”

He continued by stating that Terafab is necessary for scaling Optimus, which Musk said could be the biggest product of any kind of all time. “It’s crucial to solve that, and we’ll have to solve memory, logic, and packaging in order to scale Optimus.”

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Elon Musk reveals SpaceX performed secret Starship test on Flight 13

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX performed a secret test on a specific portion of Starship with its recent 13th test flight last week, CEO Elon Musk revealed.

Starship’s 13th test flight took place last Friday, and in many aspects, it was one of the most overwhelmingly successful launches in the project’s history.

All of the mission objectives were met without incident, both the Super Heavy Booster and Ship managed to perform safe splashdowns in the Gulf of America and the Indian Ocean, respectively, and the deployment of Starlink satellites came and went without any complications.

However, there was more on the agenda for SpaceX with Flight 13. Musk revealed an internal test of the ship’s heat shield tiles, as the space exploration company wanted to push them to the limits after previous issues.

Many noticed that Starship’s initial launch seemed to be more accelerated than normal, and that was not a mistake. Musk revealed that SpaceX decided to give Flight 13 an intentionally aggressive acceleration rate in an effort to test how well the tiles would remain attached to the ship:

SpaceX had issues with some of the heat shield tiles remaining attached early on in the Starship program. The first six test flights presented some kind of anomaly with them, so the company’s big focus with them was to figure out a way to keep them intact through the duration of the flight.

Things truly improved as Flight 10 showed that ceramic tiles generally stayed attached to the ship far better due to refined attachment, as SpaceX utilized pins instead of adhesives. Flights 10 through 13 truly showed some clear progress with the heat shield tiles, and this latest test seems to be where some real progress was noticed, especially by Musk.

The 13th Starship launch last Friday was the second with Starship V3, SpaceX’s latest and greatest iteration of the spacecraft. Goals and ambitions are getting even grander as the project continues to progress. Musk has already hinted that SpaceX will likely try to catch Starship with Flight 14.

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