Most vehicles exist within the hopes that tons of of 1000’s of individuals will purchase one yearly. A tiny handful exist, as an alternative, to show what’s attainable. There’s no different clarification for the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ.
Sure, some folks will purchase these unicorns. Most, although, will simply be taught one thing from their existence. So let’s get that out of the way in which instantly: The Cadillac Escalade IQ is a full-size, all-electric SUV that comfortably seats as much as seven very massive adults, will get round sooner than many sports activities vehicles, and drives farther than 500 miles on a single cost (actually, we’ll get to that).
Sure, that’s an actual factor on the earth you may personal. Within the early days of electrification, it stands just like the Burj Khalifa amongst buildings. Like a Simone Biles vault amongst jumps. Like Harrison Ford amongst crotchety outdated males all of us love anyway.
It exhibits that it’s attainable to do greater than we ever imagined.
I drove the Escalade IQ for every week, searching for out a mixture of stop-and-go city visitors, freeway cruising, and windy nation roads. I examined each seat and leisure display as a result of who would get out of this factor?
Which Trim Stage
My tester was the Escalade IQ Sport 2 in Black Raven with an inside in a camel brown shade Cadillac calls Camelia. In case you’re looking for a 2025 mannequin, the Sport 2 is the highest of the road. For 2026, Cadillac has shuffled trim names. The closest equal can be referred to as Premium Sport.
New 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Costs
|
Retail Worth
|
Honest Buy Worth (92620)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$150,590
|
TBD
|
Favourite Function
The very best characteristic of the Escalade IQ is the straightforward incontrovertible fact that its drivetrain exists.
It will get 750 horsepower from two electrical motors, one per axle, giving it all-wheel drive (AWD). Cadillac advertises a variety of 465 miles, however charged to 100%, my tester’s meter learn a jaw-dropping 506. I didn’t drive it to empty to check that determine.
It will get from zero to 60 mph in below 5 seconds and goes from New York Metropolis to Cleveland with out stopping to recharge. Two years in the past, feats like that had been inconceivable and routinely used as examples of why electrical automobiles (EVs) would by no means be sensible.
Now, they’re right here, solely at extraordinary costs. However first, you show it may be achieved. Then you definately mass-produce it and let economies of scale deliver the associated fee down.
What It’s Prefer to Drive
As a result of all-electric super-luxury SUVs are a brand new class, the one issues I can pretty examine the Escalade IQ’s efficiency to are internal-combustion-powered high-performance fashions just like the Cadillac Escalade-V or the Mercedes-AMG G 63.
Like these, the Escalade IQ leaps to freeway speeds as rapidly as sports activities coupes a 3rd its dimension — 4.7 seconds, based on Cadillac. Not like these, the IQ does it completely with out drama.
An Escalade-V lets you recognize explosions are powering it to a dash, and it’s taking nice pleasure within the immense effort. An Escalade IQ does it as if it has no concept what effort is. Race-car-like acceleration feels informal on this big SUV.
All 4 wheels steer, making the dealing with tighter than within the gas-powered equal, too. That’s all of the extra exceptional while you understand this one is over 15 inches longer.
Brakes are grippy and assured, as they need to be. The rotors alone are 18 inches — bigger than many wheels.
Inside Consolation and Expertise
Cadillac didn’t cease making an attempt to show a degree when it completed the powertrain. The Escalade IQ’s inside is a testomony to what’s attainable.
For instance, to get in, you may pull the door open or simply contact a small button contained in the deal with and watch it open for you. Sensors forestall it from opening far sufficient to hit something in a car parking zone. Don’t really feel like closing them, both? Simply faucet a button on the decrease of the 2 touchscreens. The Escalade IQ is comfortable to shut its doorways softly for you.
The AKG Studio Reference sound system options 36 audio system. The one manufacturing automobile I’m conscious of with extra is the $300,000-plus Cadillac Celestiqwhich has 38.
Some ultra-luxury SUVs appear to have as many buttons as a 747. Cadillac designers have laid out the Escalade IQ’s controls extraordinarily nicely. There’s an higher touchscreen dealing with automobile settings and infotainment capabilities, and a decrease touchscreen dealing with local weather and people cool soft-close doorways. The twin-screen structure prevents you from paging via menus – the whole lot you need repeatedly is in simple attain.
Two wi-fi telephone charging pads up entrance are additionally a pleasant contact. This automobile has sufficient, or greater than sufficient, of the whole lot.
The second and third rows are spacious sufficient for giant adults, and an obtainable rear-seat leisure package deal provides second-row passengers their very own Netflix entry. It’s a $1,995 possibility, however at this value level, that’s not unreasonable.
Protecting with the outsized theme, the frunk (entrance trunk) affords 12.2 cubic ft of cupboard space below the hood. That’s not a lot smaller than the trunks of some vehicles. It’s so massive that Cadillac sellers provide a slide-out drawer for it, and I can see the purpose; not everybody might attain in all the way in which.
Limitations
If I had a grievance throughout my time within the Escalade IQ, it will be that Cadillac’s haptic warning system is hyperactive. It vibrates the seat to warn you of risks. I like that it shakes on the suitable to warn you of right-side obstacles and on the left for issues in your left-side blind spot. However it signaled typically sufficient that I typically had no concept why it was participating.
See 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ stock obtainable
