2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Is Electric Extravagance Writ Large

The first electric version of the Cadillac Escalade starts around $130,000 and goes on sale in summer 2024. Clean-sheet design means this Escalade is not based on the Chevrolet Tahoe or Suburban. Standard features include rear-wheel steering, 24-inch wheels, and a 55-inch touchscreen display.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ looks different, doesn’t it?

The change is fitting considering this is the first all-electric Escalade model, denoted by the “IQ” suffix the brand has been bolting to its EV models such as the Lyriq and Celestiq. Hey, just be glad they didn’t call it the “Escaladiq.”

The Escalade IQ continues the design theme of those vehicles, both in the italic L-shaped motif ahead of the D-pillar and in how its fascia and rear do a little light show as you approach.

Being an Escalade, though, the IQ isn’t about subtlety or restraint. Consider that it will have upward of 750 horsepower, an estimated 450 miles of range, and a price of around $130,000 when it goes on sale in summer 2024.

Size and Platform Details

The design represents freedom from the constraints imposed on the regular Escalade by its being based on the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. Instead, the IQ is built on similar fundamentals as the GMC Hummer EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV. That means GM’s Ultium 24-module battery pack sits underneath, with a usable capacity of over 200.0 kWh and the ability of adding 100 miles of range in 10 minutes at a properly functioning DC fast-charger (emphasis on “properly”). At home, where most people charge most frequently, the IQ supports 19.2 kW AC, which adds around 37 miles of range in an hour.

Raise (or Lower) Your IQ

Compared to the Escalade ESV, the IQ is longer both in terms of wheelbase (136.2 inches) and overall length (224.3 inches). It’s wider too, at 85.3 inches. The overall size increase is such that the standard 24-inch wheels look deceptively small.

Those wheels match the size of those offered on the upcoming Silverado EV RST, and they’re wrapped in 275/50 tires; that’s 35 inches of rubber. That presumably substantial mass is controlled by MagneRide dampers and air springs that can raise and lower the IQ by one and two inches, respectively.

Despite the similarity in size, the IQ’s rear-wheel steering enables a 39.4-foot turning diameter, which is slightly less than that of the standard, short-wheelbase Escalade, at 39.7 feet. For comparison, the long-wheelbase ESV’s turning diameter is 43.3 feet.

Also cribbed from the Hummer EV playbook is CrabWalk, where the rear wheels turn in phase with the fronts to move the vehicle diagonally. Here, the feature is dubbed Cadillac Arrival Mode, and its intention is mostly to show off at the valet.

Power and Acceleration

A drive mode called Velocity Max enables 750 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac reps say this remains active and the power stays available until you change modes or turn the key off, a welcome change from automakers with vehicles that only provide peak power momentarily. In the regular drive mode, output is 680 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque.

With front and rear motors powering all four wheels, Cadillac claims 60-mph acceleration of less than five seconds in Velocity Max. We’re guessing the time is not likely so much less as to challenge the 4.3-second result we recorded from the Escalade V, since the IQ will assuredly weigh substantially more than that vehicle’s 6290 pounds. Cadillac reps wouldn’t say how much more, but we figure somewhere between the 9640-pound GMC Hummer truck and 8660-pound SUV.

The IQ will also have an 8000-pound tow rating, but we suggest reading up on the perils of towing with an EV, as we’ve tested.

Interior

Of course, a six-figure Escalade wouldn’t be complete without some showmanship inside. What appears to be a single display that stretches 55 inches diagonally across the entire dash is actually two screens: one 35-inch display for the driver and a 25-inch screen for the passenger, partitioned because the passenger’s side is polarized so the driver can’t be distracted by it when the vehicle is out of park.

While the prototype build we saw wasn’t fully functional, the screen and its Google Built-In integration looked nice. Alas, Apple CarPlay is not supported, which is a major mistake from our perspective.

Also disappointing is the absence of physical switches. Beneath that 55-inch screen combination sits yet another display. This 11-inch touchscreen is where you adjust things like the five-zone climate controls and ambient lighting—the doors too, if they’re equipped with the power open-and-close feature. When enabled, this system can automatically open the driver door when it senses your approach, and a radar system in the door reduces the chance of its touching another vehicle or the wall in your garage.

All Escalade IQ models will come with second-row captain’s chairs and a 60/40-split power third row. An available Executive Second Row adds a rear center console with yet another touchscreen display, storage, 12.6-inch rear headrest monitors with HDMI inputs, and captain’s chairs with heating, ventilation, and massage. There are even storable tray tables. So equipped, the number of AKG-branded speakers reaches 40.

A simply enormous sunroof reaches the back of the second row. While the tinted glass is treated with UV-filtering film to reduce heat transfer, you’ll have to order a shade as an accessory if you want one—we would.

Storage and Other Tech

As with many EVs, the IQ takes advantage of not having an engine or transmission. A front storage area (which Cadillac really wants you to call the “eTrunk”) holds more than 12 cubic feet of stuff, and an available accessory tray slides forward and rearward for easier access. Instead of a transmission tunnel underneath the center console, there’s a sizable bin.

You can also expect a bevy of other Cadillac features, from Super Cruise hands-free driving, a comprehensive exterior camera system, a parallel parking assist feature, and even an alphanumeric code on the rear (“1000E4” in this case) that continues the brand’s silly trend of badges that convert a vehicle’s torque from pound-feet to newton-meters and then rounding to the nearest 100. The “E” is for electric, the “4” for the number of driven wheels. Surely, this information will amaze the crowd at the valet after you’ve Cadillac-Arrival-Mode-ed sideways into place.

Deputy Editor, Video

From selling them to testing them, Carlos Lago has spent his entire adult life consumed by cars. He currently drives the creative behind Car and Driver video.