The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUV appears to be everything it should be: More powerful, advanced and luxurious than any Escalade before it.
Going on sale next summer, the Escalade IQ promises up to 750 hp, ultra-luxe accommodations and a base price around $130,000.
More than a foot longer than the current Escalade and riding on gargantuan 24-inch wheels and 35-inch tires, the IQ will go up to 450 miles driving range on a charge — making it a leader in arguably the most important and desirable performance parameter for luxury EVs.
That’s about 150 miles farther between stops to charge than the Mercedes EQS electric SUV, 100 more than a Tesla X and 160 more than a Rivian R1T, the only other remotely comparable vehicles, though all three are smaller, less powerful and less expensive.
The characteristics of electric motors will reduce bragging rights that come with horsepower and 0-60 mph times. In the dawning EV era, charging time and driving distance between stops are the difference makers.
Cadillac’s new flagship
If prices don’t nudge $200,000 when the full model line is on sale, Cadillac wasn’t trying hard enough. Cadillac’s first electric Escalade should barge into every conversation about the world’s most luxurious and advanced SUV.
Attention — not to mention top dollar — must be paid. Anything less represents a failure of imagination or nerve by Cadillac as the brand strives to be a leader among the new crop of luxury SUVs.
Brand boss John Roth refers to the Escalade and the upcoming $340,000 Celestiq super luxury car as the brand’s twin flagships, but the Escalade is far more important. Built in a conventional factory, unlike the hand-built Celestiq, the seven-passenger Escalade will outsell the car by a wide margin, assuming GM has addressed snags in EV production before the Escalade IQ is due to roll out of its Detroit/Hamtramck assembly plant next year.
You’ll know it’s an Escalade
The Escalade IQ is immediately recognizable as a Cadillac, with vertical front and rear lights and a profile that’ll look at home next to the current Escalade. The solid front panel and exterior lights perform an elaborate walk-up ritual to welcome occupants.
The windshield and tailgate are both more sharply angled than the current Escalade, for appearance and aerodynamics. The IQ’s coefficient of drag or Cd is 15% lower than the conventional Escalade, but the EV retains the SUV’s familiar shape.
A black roof will be optional.
The big SUV has been Cadillac’s most recognizable and successful vehicle for 25 years, racking up a cool million in sales and billions of dollars of profits. In true Escalade fashion, expect an even longer IQ to arrive in 2025, filling the EV niche currently filled by the Escalade ESV. Automotive News reports the long-wheelbase model will be called the Escalade IQL.
The gasoline-powered Escalade isn’t going anywhere, though. Cadillac will keep selling them as long as customers want them.
750 hp and all-wheel everything
Every Escalade IQ will come with all-wheel drive from a pair of electric motors.
The twin motors will produce 680 hp and 615 pound-feet of torque in normal mode. Activating “velocity mode” bumps output to 750 hp and 785 pound-feet — outdoing the gasoline-powered Escalade-V on both criteria. Velocity mode remains active until the IQ is turned off or the driver changes modes, unlike some vehicles that limit the duration of max power.
Other standard features include:
- All-wheel steering
- 200 kWh battery
- 350 kW/800-volt electrical system for fast charging
- Magnetic ride suspension
- Independent front and rear suspensions
- Super Cruise hands-free driving system
- 12 cubic-foot front trunk
- 8,000-pound estimated towing capacity
The all-wheel steering system will reduce turning radius, improve high-speed handling and provide “arrival mode,” a setting that angles all four tires for diagonal movement into tight parking spots. Asked to compare Cadillac’s arrival mode with the GMC Hummer EV’s “crab mode,” IQ chief engineer Mandi Damman describes it as “the Cadillac of all-wheel steering.”
An adaptive air suspension can raise ride height 1 inch or lower it two for “low ride mode.”
A 350kW DC fast charger can give the IQ 100 miles range in about 10 minutes. Charging at the 240v Level 2 current most EV owners use at home will add up to 37 miles range an hour. The portable charging cord will add 14.7 miles an hour with 240v current.
Cadillac promises 0-60 mph acceleration in less than 5 seconds.
2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ safety and driver assist features
- Super Cruise
- Blind spot alert and steering assist
- Intersection automatic emergency braking
- Pedestrian and bicycle detection and emergency braking
- Surround view cameras
- Automatic parking and departure assist
Executive seating, power doors, 40 speakers
The opulent interior includes standard second-row captain’s chairs and a three-seat third row. A fixed glass roof stretches over the first two rows of seats.
Other notable features:
- 55 inches of display screen across the dash, 20 of it for the front passenger
- Power opening and closing doors
- Power opening charging port
- Power folding rear seat
- Google built-in display, navigation and search
Likely to be a hit, the IQ’s executive seating package for the two second row seats includes:
- Massaging seats
- Two 12.6-inch video screens
- 40-speaker AKG audio with second-row head rest speakers
- 11-inch center touch screen for climate and other controls
- Dual phone charging pads
- USB-C and HDMI ports
Cadillac does not plan to offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in the Escalade IQ. Smartphone connectivity will be via Bluetooth.
The Escalade IQ will initially come with a CCS (Combined Charging System) charging port and an adaptor for Tesla chargers. GM will switch to the Tesla connector later.
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.