2026 Cadillac Escalade IQ L Dwarfs Any Electric Three-Row SUV

Cadillac

A long-wheelbase Escalade is a more imposing Escalade, and Cadillac’s full-size SUV is all about making a statement, right? The Escalade IQ L, the electric equivalent of the Escalade ESV, makes quite a different statement than its V-8-powered counterpart—and, unlike that truck, exists in a rather unoccupied space in the market.

The 2026 Escalade IQ L is just as high, wide, and far off the ground as the regular-wheelbase model, and it is 4.2 inches longer. The silhouette of the L is more truck-like, because the roofline tapers far less from back to front, and the whole vehicle looks more like Escalades of yore.

The 136.2-inch wheelbase, which the L also shares with the shorter electric ‘Slade, frames essentially the same driveline: two drive units and a 205-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, capable of 460 miles (Cadillac’s estimate) and up to 750 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque. (Those figures are only available in short bursts, using Velocity Max; 680 hp and 615 lb-ft are available all day long.)

2026 Cadillac Escalade IQ L
Grace Jarvis

Inside, the L looks much the same as the regular IQ. If you’re sitting in the first or the second row, you have exactly the same amount of head, leg, shoulder, and hip room; it’s in the third row where you’ll notice a difference. Third-row passengers (up to three) get an extra inch of head room, a whopping 6.6 inches of extra leg room, and about an inch more shoulder room. They get slightly less (0.2 inches) hip room. It appears that GM’s priority with this Esca-longer-ade was passenger room, not cargo capacity, because the room behind the third row has only increased over the IQ by .6 square feet, for a total of 24.2 square feet. If you need a third row with maximum hip room, and need all your storage space concentrated in the trunk, the Escalade ESV (the ICE version) reigns supreme, with 41.5 square feet of storage space behind the third row and an extra foot of hip room.

2026 Cadillac Escalade IQ L
Cadillac

Our guess, as to why the Escalade IQ (and IQ L) are so narrow compared to the body-on-frame SUVs of the same name, is aerodynamics: If designers demand an EV that is tall and long and high off the ground, with large frontal area, and engineers demand maximum range, aero engineers have to cut drag counts where they can.

The 2026 Escalade IQ L will start at $132,685 including destination but excluding tax, title, and dealer fees. The L carries only a nominal premium over a “regular” electric Escalade ($129,990, which carries an eye-popping destination fee of $2290). The most expensive Escalade variant is the supercharged Escalade-V, which starts around $160,000. The entry-level ICE model is just over $90,000.

2026 Cadillac Escalade IQ L
Cadillac

Since the Lincoln Navigator went to a twin-turbo V-6, the gas-swilling Escalade has distinguished itself by continuing to offer a V-8 (and, as of the 2024 MY, a Duramax). The IQ version has no problem differentiating itself in the EV market—we struggled to find any electric vehicle that’s as large as this. The EQS SUV, the Volvo ES90, the Rivian R1S, and even the upcoming Lucid Gravity are all smaller, and Cadillac already has an EV in that segment: The recently revealed Vistiq. The Escalade IQ is most comparable to its opposite: The internal-combustion Escalade, which is less expensive, available with real leather, possessed of a wider third row and more cargo space, and can cruise 552 miles (EPA rated) on a single tank of fuel. It’s quite possible that no one will be comparing the two—they already know which one they want, and they aren’t cross-shopping.

The Escalade IQ L completes the ICE / EV, long- and short-wheelbase matrix at GM. Even so, the expansive EV stands in relative isolation in the electric SUV market—only the Hummer EV is similarly large, and GM has clearly positioned the Hummer as the off-road brute, the Escalade IQ L as the urban cruise missile. It’s easy to imagine the Escalade IQ/IQ L as a shuttle for a luxury hotel in a major city, where it would get perfect “fuel economy” in the heaviest of traffic, navigate tight spaces with Arrival Mode, and enjoy special access to HOV lanes. It will be interesting to see how customers respond to the Escalade IQ L, and whether other automakers decides to follow in the wheel tracks of the largest electric ‘Slade.

2026 Cadillac Escalade IQ L
Cadillac
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Read next Up next: ES90: The Volvo Sedan Lives On, With Liftgate and Battery Pack

Comments

    What is left out here are some details. I was in one of these over the weekend. It is massive and you really don’t miss the width.

    The model sits high but the battery is still pretty low. The mid section is thicker. It rides on 24 inch wheels that don’t look bit till you see it in person. There is no space in the fender wells like the gas models as the tires are fitted but you can raise it up if needed.

    The doors are electrc and open with an electric assist. It has a TV screen on the passenger side and the whole dash is digital touch.

    The weight is over 8.000 pounds. It will charge 70 miles per 10 min.

    I got the feel of a Rolls Royce like excess feel with this model. I expect Sports figures and celebrities’ will flock to it. but at $149,000 sticker and horrible depreciation that this model will not be one for the common buyer.

    It is very smooth riding and dead quiet.

    For sure it is a great models but economically it makes no sense to the average driver. Even the cheaper Versions of this in the Chevy Truck are still expensive. but with climbing truck prices the Silverado RS EV is now not as much more as it once was.

    The Silverado EV I drove was a very nice truck. The best riding trucks I was ever in. Also quiet. Get the price down a bit more or below the ICE I would consider it. 400 miles of range is good and I don’t travel in trucks far just around town.

    Let me clarify that I’m an ICE guy not an EV guy. But the Chevy did impress me. The Blazer also was nice and powerful. Not my kind of car but around town I could live with it.

    I hope GM keeps working on these EV models but I hope they do plan to continue the ICE models till they are forced out.

    My concern is price as so many models are just priced out of buyers range anymore. The Canyon I looked at was $70K on the sticker with the AEM off road package. This is a mid size 4 cylinder truck?

    They need to find a way to reduce pricing to keep with the rate of income increase. We all do not work in the UAW making big money. The union needs to keep this in mind. The automakers are not getting rich with all the high development cost anymore.

    Put a gas engine in this and you may have something, Much better looking than the ICE version.

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