2025 Escalade IQ Brings Style, Tech And A Plug To Cadillac’s Even Bigger SUV

GM’s premium Cadillac brand has a publicly stated target of being an all-electric brand by the end of this decade, leading the company into a zero emissions future. So far, there is only one Cadillac EV available, the Lyriq which has had very limited supply through its first year on the market. By the end of 2023, Cadillac plans to start production of a second, the flagship Celistiq sedan and intends to reveal three more EVs. The first of those is the Escalade IQ which as the name implies is a full-size luxury SUV.

Twenty-five years after its introduction, the Escalade is consistently the best selling nameplate in the Cadillac lineup, popular with both Manhattan livery services and celebrities. The current generation Escalade is also packed with a lot of technology including being the launch platform for the second generation of Super Cruise hands-off driver assist and a 37-inch OLED display spanning two-thirds of the dashboard. When powered by the excellent 3.0-liter inline-six turbo-diesel, it’s even reasonably fuel efficient, achieving mileage into the mid-20 mpg range.

The Escalade IQ is also a three-row luxury SUV but with quite a different take on the Cadillac design language. Where the ICE is decidedly boxier, the Escalade has a sleeker, sportier stance with a clear family resemblance to the Lyriq. It also doesn’t look particularly electric. When we saw it at a background briefing with the silk still draped over it, it was apparent that it has an exceptionally long hood, particularly for an EV. Compared to the ICE version, the distance between the wheel arch and front edge of the door looks significantly longer.

Those wheel arches are also quite large to accommodate 24-inch alloy wheels with 35-inch tires. At the rear, the thick C-pillar is angled well forward as is the rear glass, quite different from the more vertical tail of the ICE model. The proportions are actually quite attractive and if this weren’t an EV, it seems like a V12 would fit nicely under that long hood. The overall effect is to create the optical illusion that the Escalade IQ appears smaller than it actually is.

The reality is quite a different matter when you stand next to the Escalade IQ or peruse the spec sheet. ICE Escalades come in two wheelbase lengths with the standard version spanning just shy of 212 inches from bumper to bumper and the longer ESV model measuring 227-inches. There is a longer Escalade IQL coming later, but even the base model is 224.3-inches long, over a foot more than the gas model. It’s also 4.2-inches wider but has a 0.8 inch lower roofline.

Along the sides are integrated, fixed running boards which most people will find helpful for stepping up into this beast. Since it’s equipped with the same two-layer, 210-kWh lithium ion battery pack found in the Hummer, the floor is quite thick. Despite the expanded dimensions that nearly match and in some cases exceed the extended ICE model, the IQ has almost 7 cubic feet less interior passenger volume at 161.8 cubic feet. Most of the lost space seems to be in the third row which also feels more confined thanks to those thick pillars.

Cargo volume is also reduced to 23.7 cubic feet behind the third row, although there is a front trunk. However, like the Hummer and Silverado, the frunk is narrower and shallower than what you’ll find in the F-150 Lightning and holds a bit less at 12 cubic feet.

This is the same purpose-built electric vehicle architecture used for the GMC Hummer EV, Sierra EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV. That means it doesn’t have a separate ladder frame at all. GM likes to call this a hybrid of a unit body and frame, but the frame rails between the axles are actually an integral part of the unit body. This allowed GM to move them to the outer perimeter, leaving room for a wider battery pack, the same dual layer, 24 module pack that GM uses in its other electric trucks.

Unfortunately, despite coming to market three years after the launch of the Hummer, GM doesn’t seem to have made any real progress in weight optimization for this structure. While Cadillac officials aren’t quoting a specific weight for the Escalade IQ, they acknowledge that it will be similar to the Hummer. When I tested a Hummer EV pickup this past winter, I took it to some certified weigh scales where it registered a gargantuan 9,200-lbs without me sitting in it.

Perhaps the best summation of the size of the Escalade IQ is that it represents the opposite of packaging efficiency. Despite having the advantage of working from a purpose-built EV architecture rather than an adaptation of a gas vehicle like Ford did, the packaging is degraded in almost every dimension.

This is of course a luxury SUV from a brand still trying to reclaim the mantle of “standard of the world” so it must be properly appointed inside and at least the show vehicle we saw definitely was. The interior themes we saw in the Lyriq are also present here with metal speaker grilles, lots of lovey leather and wood accents and lots of features.

Most prominent among these is the same 55-inch curved pillar-to-pillar display coming to the Celestiq sedan. Since the Escalade is wider than the sedan, there are a pair of speaker grilles appended to each end to fill the gaps. The rightmost 20-inches of the display are dedicated to the front passenger to watch videos or control other entertainment. The infotainment system is the latest iteration of GM’s Android Automotive based system with Google Automotive Services built in including Assistant, Maps, and the Play store to download additional apps. As previously announced, smartphone projection will not be included in this system going forward so iPhone users will have to rely on bluetooth if they want to stream calls or music.

Below the main display at the end of the cantilevered center console is a smaller angled touchscreen to control various aspects of the vehicle such as the heads up display, night vision, drive modes, universal remotes, seats, ride height and rear steering. A similar smaller version can be found between the second row seats with the optional executive seating package. A large storage bin can be found under the console.

With that executive seating, second row passengers each get a 12.6-inch display on the back of the front seats and a stowable tray table to each their lunch on the go or get some work done. There are dual wireless charging pads in the second row along with USB-C and HDMI ports.

The standard audio system on Luxury 1 and Sport 1 trims is a 19-speaker AKG setup. Stepping up to Luxury 2 or Sport 2 bumps the speaker count to 36 and the executive package brings an AKG Studio Reference system with 40 speakers.

Super Cruise will be standard on every Escalade IQ with three years of service included. After that, owners will have to subscribe to an OnStar package to keep it going. Cadillac hasn’t said anything about Ultra Cruise yet, but it will probably be available at some point, if not at launch.

Since the Escalade shares a platform with the Hummer, Silverado and Sierra, it gets all of the good stuff available on those including a short-long-arm suspension at each corner. Air springs and MagneRide 4.0 dampers are also included on every trim. The air springs allow the Escalade to be lowered 2 inches or raised 1 inch for easier access or more ground clearance although this isn’t a vehicle you’ll want to take off-road. Like the top trims of its siblings, the Cadillac also gets rear wheel steering with up to 10 degrees of wheel articulation to improve maneuverability.

Propulsion comes via the same two motor, all-wheel drive setup found in the Silverado EV. In normal mode, the Escalade IQ will produce 680-hp and 615 lb-ft of torque, but when velocity max is engaged (just doesn’t have the same ring to it as WTF on the Hummer) those numbers go to 750-hp and 785 lb-ft.

When it’s time to replenish the battery, the Cadillac has the same 350-kW charging capability as the pickups allowing the addition of up to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes when started from a low state of charge. With a 19.2-kW home charger it can add 37 miles per hour. The maximum range is expected to be about 450 miles, similar to the Silverado EV work truck. The Escalade will go into production with a CCS charging port and will offer an adapter to charge from a Tesla NACS charger. Sometime in 2025, production will switch over to installing the NACS port at the factory.

The Escalade IQ goes into production in summer 2024 at the Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant (aka Factory Zero) alongside the Hummer, Silverado, Sierra and Cruise Origin. The starting price will be about $130,000, or $50,000 more than the gas Escalade.