Cadillac OPTIQ Getaway to Collingwood: Dolby Atmos, Farm-to-Table Food, and Hands-Free Cruising
We headed north from Toronto on a crisp fall day in the 2027 Cadillac OPTIQ Sport, bound for Collingwood. What could have been a quick 160-kilometre drive turned into a full day of stops exploring how this luxury EV handles real Ontario roads.
Our OPTIQ Sport arrived in Argent Silver Metallic with a black roof and 20-inch Dark Android alloy wheels. Inside, Sky Cool Gray seats with blue accents gave the cabin a fresh, modern look. The SkyGlass roof brought in plenty of natural light, while massaging front seats kept us comfortable behind the wheel.
Cadillac is Canada’s #1 luxury EV brand, and this trip showed why. Going electric is an upgrade in design, technology, and everyday convenience. The car handles the details so you can simply enjoy the drive.
Our test vehicle came with dual-motor AWD, Regen on Demand, Google built-in navigation, Super Cruise, and a 19-speaker AKG Studio system with Dolby Atmos. With an estimated range of 488 kilometres for the AWD model, we had plenty of battery buffer for detours.
Stop 1: Studio Sound Check at Universal Music’s 80A Studios
Our morning began in Toronto’s Liberty Village at Universal Music’s 80A Studios. Inside, an audio engineer walked us through how Dolby Atmos tracks are mixed to place vocals and instruments in a three-dimensional space around the listener. Canadian engineers at GM’s Technical Centre in Markham worked directly on bringing that same spatial audio into Cadillac vehicles.
We hopped into a Cadillac Escalade IQ to hear its 38-speaker AKG Studio Reference system. As we listened to Drake’s “What Did I Miss?” and Tiësto’s “BOOM” on Amazon Music, the height channels placed instruments and vocals around and above us, not just in front. It felt remarkably close to sitting in a studio control room.
The OPTIQ Sport we drove features a 19-speaker AKG Studio system built on those same acoustic principles. In the quiet EV cabin, the music sounded full and immersive.
Stop 2: Super Cruise to Lunch at The Good Hawk
Once we cleared the city, Super Cruise took over on compatible sections of highway. As long as you keep your eyes on the road, the system lets you take your hands off the wheel. Cameras, sensors, and GPS keep the car centred and adjust speed automatically, even through gentle curves. That hands-free cruising made it easy to relax and enjoy the scenery.
We arrived at The Good Hawk (9435 County Road 1 in Hockley). The farm-to-table restaurant keeps things seasonal and ingredient-focused, with produce sourced from nearby farms and its own gardens.
Lunch started with roasted cauliflower soup finished with dill and truffle vinaigrette, served alongside housemade sourdough and whipped butter. For the main course, we had Atlantic halibut with nduja butter and a relish of cucumber and pickled green tomato. Before we hit the road again, the kitchen sent us off with chewy coconut macaroons, cranberry oatmeal biscuits, and baked lemon meringue rosettes.
Stop 3: Handcrafted Treats at YF Pâtissier Chocolatier
Our next stop was Creemore to visit YF Pâtissier Chocolatier at 134 Mill Street. Chefs Yoonhee and François make Belgian- and French-inspired pastries and chocolates on site. We built our own box of handcrafted truffles, choosing flavours and seeing the care that goes into each one. Premium ingredients, careful technique, and a small-batch feel echo the attention to detail you get in a well-specced luxury EV.
Stop 4: Settling In at The Dorchester Hotel
We rolled into Collingwood and checked into The Dorchester Hotel at 172 Hurontario Street. The 26-room boutique property sits right downtown, steps from local dining, shops, and the waterfront.
The Classic King Studio offered roughly 305 square feet of inviting space with high-end linens, plush robes, a kitchenette, a Nespresso station, and an in-room turntable with a vinyl collection. It blends historic charm with clean, modern comfort.
Stop 5: Dinner at Georgian Valley Farm
A Cadillac Escalade took us to our final stop: a restored barn at Georgian Valley Farm. The space pairs rustic wooden beams and soaring ceilings with an open kitchen and oversized doors overlooking a pond.
Dinner began with a warm goat cheese salad served alongside shaved pear and pumpkin seed vinaigrette. Next came an Acquerello risotto with roasted chanterelle and maitake mushrooms, leek soffritto, and porcini foam. The mains featured smoked sablefish with braised oxtail, passionfruit mostarda, and Tokyo turnips, along with Canadian prime striploin served with fondant potato, cauliflower puree, and peppercorn sauce. A warm apple tarte tatin with brown butter gelato and shaved cheddar wrapped up the night.
EV Travel Tips and Charging
If you’re curious about luxury EVs, a day like this shows how easy a trip out of the city can be. Toronto to Collingwood is roughly 160 kilometres, which uses barely a third of the OPTIQ’s battery.
Let built-in navigation plan your route: Google built-in calculates your battery percentage upon arrival and displays working chargers along the way.
Plan from your phone: The myCadillac app lets you map out routes and check real-time charger availability from anywhere.
Prioritize destination charging: Booking a hotel with Level 2 chargers means you wake up with a full battery and skip highway charging stops.
Use DC fast charging when needed: The OPTIQ features a standard NACS port compatible with public fast chargers, adding up to 130 kilometres of range in about 10 minutes at a 150 kW station. At home, an approved Level 2 wall charger can add up to 94 kilometres per hour.
The best part of the 2027 OPTIQ Sport wasn’t any single spec on paper. It was how everything worked together. The navigation took the guesswork out of battery range, the AKG system filled the cabin with three-dimensional music, and Super Cruise made highway driving feel effortless. Together, they made the journey just as relaxing as the destination.
