2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Price, Interior, Configurations

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Price, Interior, Configurations   –  The biggest compliment awarded to the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ while I was driving it had to do with how “swaggy” it was. It transcended being simply “cool” and has been elevated back to its glory days of hip-hop in the 2000s, when the large and in charge SUV was mentioned in songs and featured heavily in music videos.

Back then, the Escalade was endorsed by the swaggiest entertainers and has since faded into the background. But with this new-generation model, the SUV looks ready to take that swag crown back. Completely overhauled, the 2025 Escalade is now one of the most luxurious, high-tech, comfortable – and yes, swaggy – ways to drive.

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Redesign and Update Plan

Exterior and Interior

Hustle this giant through a corner and you’ll feel confident, but it’s not exactly rewarding; it’s a lot of vehicle, which makes it a handful through twisting roads. While it feels planted and composed, it’s simply too large to feel sporty, and it doesn’t need to, so that’s not a complaint against it, but just something to keep in mind. I also wish the brakes relayed more information to the driver. They work well enough at bringing this heavy SUV to a stop, but there’s very little feedback.

I expected the Escalade to have a smoother ride quality, especially since this Platinum Sport model was outfitted with the brand’s fantastic adaptive air suspension with magneto-rheological dampers (optional on Premium Luxury and Sport models but standard on the Platinum) that constantly adjust for road imperfections. Even with its new multilink independent rear suspension that was supposed to smooth things out, a lot of road imperfections could be felt from the cabin, even in the softest drive mode (touring).

This could be caused by the enormous 22-inch wheels, but there’s also a chance that more luxury-focused trims might be softer and more forgiving. This suspension can also lower and raise the SUV by about 50 mm up or down either for better fuel economy, more ground clearance for off-roading, or easier entry and exit.

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Specs

The Escalade has every feature imaginable, but the star of the show is the enormous curved OLED display that measures 38 inches diagonally. Cadillac says the screen has twice the pixel density of a 4K TV, and if you don’t speak nerd, that translates into incredible clarity, contrast, and colours. The touchscreen is very responsive and Cadillac makes full use of the screen’s surface area, meaning there are no black dead zones, even when using the wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. This not only looks slick but also allows more information to be displayed more often, which means less digging through menus.

The 14-inch gauge cluster screen is just as stunning and looks better than the TV I have at home and Cadillac makes great use of this by putting fancy graphics everywhere for what is typically a very boring part of a car. With four main views, a driver can easily toggle between gauges, a full navigation display, a night-vision camera that highlights pedestrians or animals, or an augmented-reality display that overlays animated navigation directions over a live camera feed of the road ahead. I found the augmented-reality display a bit distracting to use, but it’s still impressive.

There are just too many excellent features to list, but some standouts are the centre console fridge/freezer, digital rear-view mirror camera display, an easily accessible parking assistant that automates the trickiest parts of parallel and perpendicular parking, the rear-seat infotainment touchscreens, the crisp audio system that includes a voice amplifier so people in the front can hear the people in the back better, and a huge head-up display (HUD).

Engine and Performance

One of the last remaining body-on-frame SUVs, this one boasts a 6.2L naturally aspirated V8 engine that puts out 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. A 10-speed automatic transmission distributes power to all four wheels in an inconspicuous and intuitive manner, never having trouble connecting or knowing precisely where it should be. The V8 is smooth and gives credible power for a car this heavy, even though it’s not fast. Passing and merging on the highway are stress-free experiences.  2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Price

Although it has a slightly rough sound when driving at high speeds, Cadillac provides a cat-back performance exhaust system that should address this small complaint. There’s also a 3.0L diesel six-cylinder engine available as a no-cost option that outputs 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque and will likely save drivers a lot at the pumps without sacrificing the pulling power needed to get this giant and whatever it’s towing charging forward.

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Fuel Economy

My as-tested average at the end of the week with mostly highway driving was 13.5 L/100 km, which is notably higher than its official highway rating of 12.4 L/100 km. Earlier in the week, when I was doing more city driving, the Escalade was averaging 16.6 L/100 km, a bit better than its official 16.8 L/100 km city rating. The diesel engine hasn’t been rated yet by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), but it’s expected to be more efficient. The engine also has a fantastic stop/start system and cylinder deactivation that can barely be felt.  2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Price

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Safety Features

The Escalade comes standard with every safety feature imaginable including automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, pedestrian detection, a surround-view camera, rear pedestrian alert, teen driver profiles and restrictions, and automatic high-beams. Available extras included in higher trims are adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, night vision (optional), rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic emergency braking, and a trailer blind-spot monitoring system.  2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Price

The vehicle also alerts drivers when they’re approaching a school zone so they can slow down, but the chime itself is pretty loud and I couldn’t figure out how to turn down the volume. Still, it’s incredibly useful. As a whole, the systems work together well without being too jarring. The adaptive cruise control was smooth and natural feeling, assisting the driver instead of fighting with them for control.

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Price and Release Date

The Cadillac Escalade IQ, the brand’s most famous, long-standing, and popular model starts at $89,798, and for that price, it’s not well equipped. Leather seats, ventilated seats, adaptive cruise control, and a sunroof aren’t even standard – all things that come standard in vehicles costing a fraction as much.

The top-trim Sport Platinum model tested here starts at $117,798. For this price, not including such excellent features like the console fridge/freezer (an extra $805) or the Super Cruise semi-automated hands-free driving technology ($2,875) as standard seems like a missed opportunity for the brand to showcase the best it’s got.  2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Price