Battery Trouble

Cadillac Celestiq Woes

There’s no denying that the Cadillac Celestiq, with its starting price of $340,000, is a bold move to reinforce Cadillac’s status as a luxury emblem. However, one can’t help but scratch one’s head at the bizarre process required when the 12V battery dies. Owners are left with a peculiar method to jump-start this swanky electric sedan, which seems like a serious retrograde in car design.

Access Issues

If the 12V battery in the Celestiq dies, neither the remote nor the frunk will operate, requiring an overly complex entry process. First, owners need to extract the physical key from the fob – fairly standard so far. But then, they must use it to open the trunk through a mysterious keyhole under the liftgate. That’s where the real adventure begins.

Trunk Crawl

Once the trunk is open, lowering the rear seats becomes imperative. Owners then have to crawl through the interior, akin to a ride on a jungle gym, to reach the manual hood release in the driver’s footwell. This isn’t a straightforward lift of the hood; it features a two-step release system requiring yet another crawl back to the interior to fully open.

Charging the Battery

After this intricate method, the 12V battery can finally be charged. Cadillac suggests this fixes a potentially common problem for owners who might not drive their prestigious vehicles regularly or keep them on a tender, leading to potential battery dives.

Crossover Complications

This particular procedure isn’t limited to just the Celestiq. It also affects other Cadillac EVs like the Lyriq. However, the SUV design in Lyriq offers a somewhat more accessible trunk-to-cabin transition, though it hardly mitigates the hassle.

Driving Dynamics

There’s no doubt that the engineering behind the driving experience of the Celestiq is worlds apart from its battery access woes. On the road, it reportedly delivers a velvety, barely-there sensation, with power rivaling that of competitors in its luxury bracket. Featuring high levels of torque and cutting-edge tech tucked away behind its sophisticated silhouette, it’s built to offer an exhilarating yet smooth drive.

Comparing it to its ice-burning ancestors, this full-sized luxury sedan seems a fitting symbol of GM’s electric future ambitions. One might find it akin to driving other high-end competitors in the EV field, like the Lucid Air or the Tesla Model S.

Final Thoughts

Owning the Celestiq is akin to holding a piece of innovation, albeit with some quirks. Whether or not it’s worth the considerable entry fee may depend more on how well Cadillac can resolve these odd access issues in future iterations. While the journey to jump-starting the battery is peculiar, the real joy likely comes when the vehicle is powered and ready to roll on the open road.