• The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ is big and all-electric and… it will be expensive. We went to see it up close.
Detroit, MI – Cadillac has rolled out a new EV that won’t sell as much as the Lyriq crossover – if it does, that’s bad news for the Lyriq. But the Escalade IQ is no less important to the American luxury brand than the smaller SUV. In the next few years the big luxury EV segment is set to get, well, bigger, and it would have been inconceivable for Cadillac not to be in it.
Hence the Escalade IQ (so-called to retain the strongly branded Escalade name, and because Escaladiq just doesn’t work, so following in the footsteps of the Lyriq and Celestiq was not an option).
And so it is we were invited to a super-secret location (“Please leave your phones/cameras at the hotel”, we were politely asked) to see the new Escalade IQ, a sleeker, all-electric counterpart to the popular Escalade SUV, ahead of the model’s public launch set for New York in the coming weeks. Here’s what we learned from the show-and-tell:
The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ in numbers
The Escalade IQ gets an estimated maximum range of 724 km (450 miles) out of the 24-module, 200-kWh Ultium battery pack and two electric motors, one per axle. Total output is given as 680 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque (that’s in Normal mode; in Velocity Max mode those numbers climb to 750 and 785, respectively). 0-97 km/h is possible in under five seconds.
On a fast-charging 350-kW DC port, it is theoretically possible to gain back 100 miles (160 km) of range in just 10 minutes. On a Level 2 home charger, it can take a little over 12 hours to reach full charge from zero.
Cadillac says the design of the Escalade IQ gives it a coefficient of drag 15 percent lower than that of the regular Escalade.
In terms of dimensions, here’s how the Escalade IQ compares to the current Escalade and Escalade ESV:
Escalade IQ Escalade-V Escalade-V ESV
Wheelbase 3460 mm 3071 mm 3406 mm
Length 5697 mm 5382 mm 5766 mm
Width 2167 mm 2059 mm 2060 mm
Height 1934 mm 1948 mm 1941 mm
Essentially, the IQ is roughly the same length and height as the ESV version, but it is over 10 cm wider. Wheelbase is slightly increased, as the wheels have been moved a little farther to the corners of the vehicle.
Interestingly, there was no information given regarding vehicle weight, but given the presence of the very significant battery pack under the floor, it’s safe to say this weighs… a lot. (curb weight of the Escalade-V is 2,820 kg, of the Escalade-V ESV 2,906 kg).
Towing capacity for the electric SUV is given as 8,000 lb or 3,828 kg.
Cargo capacity of the Escalade IQ is 670 litres behind the third-row seats. Note that there’s a frunk (front trunk, but officially called e-Trunk in Cadillac parlance), and it is impressively large, offering 345 litres of storage space, which arguably can fit two hockey bags.
Pricing of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
Pricing for the Escalade IQ was not divulged at this presentation of the model, which will be offered in Sport and Luxury trims. We did learn that the U.S. starting price for the model will sit around $130,000, which translates into something between $160,000 and $180,000 CAD.
Design of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
At first sight, and from a bit of a distance, the new EV indeed looks more ergonomic than its ICE counterpart, with a slightly more streamlined profile (accentuated by the available contrasting black roof, seen on the model presented). And maybe because of that, it also looks a bit smaller.
But get up close and you get a better sense that this is still a very big vehicle, still firmly a rectangle led by an upright front grille. The Escalade rides on 24-inch wheels (shod in 34-inch tires), which adds to the imposing look and feel.
Interior of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
Here’s where the Escalade IQ must earn its stripes. No surprise, then, the start attraction inside is the massive 55-inch curved LED display that goes almost pillar-to-pillar across the dash. It includes a 35-inch driver-data and multimedia display and to its right, a 20-inch passenger screen (which is designed so images on it are not visible to the driver whilst the vehicle is in motion, rest assured).
That display is bookended by speakers part of the optional 40-speaker AKG audio system, which really does take the whole thing door-to-door. It’s nothing if not impressive. Lower down is a cantilevered central console that allows for stowing a fairly large bag beneath it. Don’t go looking for a lot of buttons, there are precious few of those. For doing stuff, it’s to that massive screen you must turn…
The seating is as sumptuous as you’d expect. All models come standard with second-row captain’s chairs (ventilated and massaging, with available 12.6-inch screens in front of them) sitting under a fixed panoramic sunroof that reaches not quite to the third row.
That row, by the way, remains a place strictly for smaller occupants for anything but very short distances. Unless they’re needed regularly, it’s likely most users will simply leave those seats down, creating much more cargo space in back (1,958 litres, to be exact) but making of the Escalade IQ a four-seater in the process, given the middle-row captain’s chairs.
But know that those middle-row passengers will have more room than ever to stretch in, because of the flatter floor you get with en EV. There’s an available executive second-row seating package that boosts the luxury level even further.
Technology in the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
Cadillac’s first all-electric SUV will feature (as an option) the latest version of the Super Cruise semi-autonomous drive system, which Cadillac says will be usable on more miles of road than currently (more than 400,000 miles (640,000 km) of American and Canadian roads, is the promise).
Note that the multimedia system on the massive dash screen display features Cadillac's customized Google/Android User Interface and does not support Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity.
The long list of drive-assist/safety systems includes blind zone steering assist, intersection automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian and bicyclist braking, HD Surround Vision camera system and an enhanced automatic parking assist system.
And the performance?
Our first on-road experience in the new Escalade IQ is for another day, but Cadillac is promising a vehicle that drives much smaller than it actually is. There’s the more streamlined design, but the SUV also gets elements like four-wheel steering that greatly reduced turning radius, independent front and rear suspension and the Adaptive Air Ride Suspension system and a host of drive-assist and safety systems.
The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ goes into production summer 2024 at GM’s Factory Zero facility in Michigan.
