First Drive: The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Is Still Everything You Want in a Large Luxury SUV

The Escalade has been such a juggernaut in the luxury SUV market for so long that it’s easy to forget that Cadillac’s first luxury SUV had an inauspicious start. The last of GM’s venerable GMT400 SUVs to launch, its GMC Yukon Denali predecessor had done all of the heavy lifting. Now, the Escalade, no longer Cadillac’s halo, but still its linchpin, is leading the EV charge in luxury full-size SUVs for the General.

Cadillac invited us to experience the new Escalade IQ in and around San Francisco. We spent a few hours navigating through urban streets and coastal highways to get a feel for the newest evolution of Cadillac’s most important model.

The Escalade IQ uses the same structural “skateboard” as its GMC Hummer EV SUV cousin. It places a gigantic battery pack in the floorboards, but the family tree branches sharply from there. Aside from some shared suspension and powertrain bits, there are plenty of physical differences in the underpinnings to set them apart. Suspension bushings and tuning would be enough, but the Escalade rides on a unique track as well. It wears 24-inch wheels that surprisingly don’t look at all ungainly. Tires with actual sidewall help there. With an overall height of 35 inches, they help hide the mass of the Escalade IQ, which is closer in overall length to the long-wheelbase Escalade ESV than the standard-wheelbase ICE-powered Escalade.

Despite some unique proportions, like a stretched hood and wheels pushed further toward the corners, the Escalade IQ still looks like an Escalade, the upcoming Escalade IQL even more so. Without a growling pushrod V-8 under the hood, Cadillac made room for a sizable “e-trunk” that’s easily capable of swallowing a few pieces of carry-on luggage. Optional accessories for the space include a slide-out tray to accommodate grocery bags, conveniently keeping tasty and tempting food away from pet passengers who might otherwise have to share the cargo area or back seat.

Specs: 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ

Price: $129,990/$151,985 (base/as-tested)
Powertrain: Two-motor eAWD system
Output: 750 horsepower, 785 pound-feet of torque
Layout: Four-door, six-passenger, all-wheel-drive SUV
Weight: 9000 pounds (est.)
0–60 mph: <5.0 seconds
EPA-rated fuel economy: Not yet EPA tested, 460 miles claimed
Competitors: Escalade-V, Lincoln Navigator

Cadillac will let Escalade IQ buyers opt for flip-and-fold captain’s chairs or more luxurious executive seats ($9,495) with 14-way adjustability and a center console stocked with stowable trays. The trays lock in place once stowed and appear to be made of a sturdy cast aluminum alloy. The executive seats are nearly identical to the front two seats, likewise offering heating, ventilation, and massage functionality, and are mounted further aft than the flip-and-fold seats that come standard. They are more luxurious and offer more legroom, but with the console in place and no quick means to tilt out of the way, they impede access to the fold-flat third row.

Nevertheless, the third row is standard, as Cadillac says its buyers like to have them even if they’re only needed once or twice a year. We sat in both types of seat, and found that the standard flip-and-fold units were still quite comfortable and offered more than enough legroom for passengers well over six feet tall.

The only place where rear seat room does start to hem in tall passengers is headroom. Every Escalade IQ will come with a huge, panoramic moonroof, but the glass ends just above the second-row passengers’ heads, bringing the roof down a bit closer. Nevertheless, first and second-row occupants still get just a bit more headroom than in the internal-combustion Escalade. Passengers above six-foot-four or those with tall torsos should reach for the keys, or call “Shotgun,” which should be the plan in most vehicles. Third-row seats have a lower hip point and lose an inch of headroom compared to the ICE Escalade, so they’re better suited for smaller occupants.

The upcoming Escalade IQL, which uses the same 136.2-inch wheelbase as the standard Escalade IQ, offers a few extra inches of rear overhang and a slightly higher roofline. Besides a few millimeters of additional second-row headroom, the changes all manifest behind the C-pillar, adding six cubic feet of cargo capacity and a couple of extra inches in third-row legroom as well as a higher seat floor for longer-legged adults to get comfy. The IQL will launch later this year.

Behind the wheel, a sweeping, curved screen stretches from pillar to pillar, providing plenty of real estate for the driver instrumentation, navigation, and passenger entertainment—the right side can display streaming video or, using an HDMI input, a video game system. As long as the vehicle is in Park, that screen is also visible to the driver. Shift into gear, and the screen polarizes so that it’s only visible from a narrowed field of view that excludes the driver. Both rear seat passengers also get their own screens, this time mounted on the back of each front-row seat. These, too, can stream video, and also have their own HDMI input for video games or other sources. Any of the HDMI inputs—but only one at a time— can be broadcast through the interior speakers or to wireless headsets.

Like the Hummer EV, the Escalade IQ features rear-wheel steering. Its default setting is to steer in the opposite direction while at low speeds, helping shrink the turning circle to just 38 feet, eight inches. That’s a yard tighter than a Navigator, and equal to a Cayenne that’s not optioned with Porsche’s own four-wheel steering. Like its GM EV platform-mates, Escalade can also turn its rear wheel in the same direction as the front wheels at low speeds. GMC calls it “Crab Walk”, Cadillac calls it “Arrival Mode” as it might be used to navigate a crowded valet stand. Either way, the results are the same, although you might find it difficult to come up with a scenario where such a maneuver is necessary. While Hummer managed to squeeze 10 degrees of rear steering in the Hummer EV SUV, Escalade’s narrower track width and priority on rear seat hip room meant compromising the rear steer angle to just over seven degrees.

The tight turning radius helps with close quarters navigation, but even out on the highway, the Escalade IQ quickly shrank from behind the wheel thanks to taut, responsive steering and intuitive handling. Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 is standard, as is air ride, and they work in concert to keep harsh jolts from being translated into the cabin. The tall tires swallowed potholes and pavement irregularities in stride while keeping the interior quiet. It drove as you’d expect an Escalade to drive, although for those that want a uniquely electric driving experience, one-pedal driving is also available. We chose to keep the regenerative braking to its lowest setting, which closely mimics an automatic transmission and allows the IQ to coast. A steering-wheel-mounted paddle on the left side offers regen-on-demand and is pressure sensitive, allowing for minor adjustments. It’s tuned much more like the Sierra EV Denali we tested earlier and less like the earlier iterations found on the Hummer EV SIV and Chevrolet Silverado EV.

Athletic fastback aside, the profile of the Escalade IQ still looks like an Escalade, and the long hood doesn’t change that. The upright grille and traditional windshield angle still read as an SUV, which makes its .321 coefficient of drag all the more impressive. A lot of effort went into getting such a burly hunk of steel and glass to cut through the wind with the drag efficiency typically reserved for something with a much more raked windshield and grille. The wheel designs were scrutinized, and there are spats on the bellypan that help direct air over the tires. The side glass is virtually flush with the flanks of the vehicle. There are, however, traditional door handles rather than flush-mounted levers like those found every non-Escalade Cadillac SUV. The fine-tuning lowers total drag for an impressive range. The GMC Hummer EV, which uses the same batteries, has an EPA-rated range of up to 315 miles, yet the Escalade IQ uses the same energy to net a 460-mile range. That’s enough to drive from San Diego to San Jose, from Walt Disney World to Atlanta, or from Boston to New York City and back again.

Plugged into the most powerful charger possible, 350kW, the Escalade IQ can add about 100 miles of range in 10 minutes. With a 240V home charger at 19.2kW, it will add about 37 miles of range per hour, allowing it to fully charge overnight.

While many customers appreciate manufacturers moving back to physical switches and dials, Cadillac has opted to smooth the interior of the Escalade IQ by placing most of the controls on touchscreens. The center console-mounted touchscreen handles HVAC input, and the temperature and fan controls are an easy reach away. In Cadillac’s defense, the controls are large and easy to use, and are almost always in the same location. The screen defaults to controlling the HVAC, but when shifted into Park, controls for the optional powered door openers appear instead.

Your first thought might be that an automatic opening door is a surefire way to inflict door dings or knock people over. Fear not. Each door has sensors that prevent it from opening into objects that are in its way, metal car door or otherwise. Front passengers can open or close all doors, while second row passengers can open the rear two doors using the screen mounted either on the rear of the front center console, or, when equipped, with the screen mounted on the rear console. For those who prefer not to use the touchscreens, Escalade IQ’s built-in Google Assistant can also adjust the temperature, fan settings, as well as virtually any other setting accessed by touchscreen by using voice controls instead.

Our takeaway from our time with the Escalade IQ is that it’s a fitting evolution of the brand’s most important vehicle. It has the looks and performance you’d expect from an Escalade, and with 460 miles of range and incredibly fast charging capability, it should alleviate range anxiety for any prospective buyers.

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ

Highs: Striking looks that are an evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Luxurious ride and surprising agility. Plenty of power.

Lows: Luddites won’t like the reliance on screens, and they have a point.

Takeaway: The Escalade IQ looks like an Escalade should and it drives like an Escalade should, with enough EV range to satisfy even the most eager road-trippers.