2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Tested: Big Kahuna
“Large and in charge” barely begins to describe this gigantic, luxurious electric brute.
Why does a moose seem so unaccountably large? Even if you’ve seen a moose on video, a real-life encounter is likely to begin with, “Wow, that thing’s huge.” Sure, a moose is big, but so are elephants and bison, and they look as imposing as one would expect. The key to the moose’s astonishing presence is in the proportions. Something about the way moose are built makes every sighting a revelation.
So it is with the Cadillac Escalade IQ. With the air springs in their normal position, the big electric rig is only about a half-inch taller and 1.2 inches wider than a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with the crew cab and short bed, and it’s 7.6 inches shorter in length. Meaning, many lifted full-size pickups and all heavy-duty models are taller and longer than this electric juggernaut. But it’s the Cadillac you’ll remember. Something about the ratios of the Escalade IQ creates unexpected visual magnitude.
view exterior photosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
HIGHS: Undeniable visual presence, genuine interior finery, 380-mile real-world highway range.
This seemingly immense Caddy has room for a 205-kWh battery pack, which was good for 380 miles in our 75-mph highway range test. There’s elegance to match, with the Escalade IQ’s silhouette a bluff of a front end swelling into broad shoulders backed by a graceful taper. Cadillac’s detailed EV design language is more handsome when given more breathing room.
view interior PhotosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
view interior PhotosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
Outside of the Celestiq, this is the finest interior Cadillac has stitched together since Pininfarina was doing small-batch Eldorado Broughams—synthetic leather with a thickness worthy of the word “hides,” a tasteful amount of chrome and other jewelry, lovely integration of the AKG stereo’s speaker grilles. The lodgings are so nice that the few less luxurious bits stand out. The panoramic sunroof’s dollar-store-grade tri-fold mesh cover relies on a set of clips to hold it in place, which is unconscionable at this price.
More on the Escalade IQ
- 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Review, Pricing, and Specs
- The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ Is One Massive EV
The dash-spanning 55.0-inch curved screen beams sophistication throughout the cabin, although some drivers might find it awkward to have the gauges angled slightly away. Also, opening the glovebox requires pressing a button on the screen, which strikes us as minimalism gone awry.
view interior PhotosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
view interior PhotosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
Strange proportions strike again in the third row. The Escalade IQ, although 12.4 inches longer than the regular Escalade and sitting on a 15.2-inch-longer wheelbase, has less third-row legroom. Getting decent wayback space requires upsizing to the Escalade IQL, a new-for-2026 version whose third-row legroom is on par with the gas-powered Escalade ESV.
LOWS: Outsize mass, surprisingly cramped third row, long stopping distance.
What’s puzzling is that the drive isn’t more luxurious. Cadillac has failed to bring over the Escalade-V’s deftness and composure; the IQ gets ornery when asked to do anything other than cruise. Surely, some blame lies with the staggering 9120-pound curb weight. Acceleration in the Escalade IQ’s default drive mode sends 680 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels, making for swift, rather than intense, progress. Velocity Max mode uncorks all 750 horses and 785 pound-feet, as well as some torque steer—this is not the crab-walk stunt Cadillac advertised (for that, activate Arrival mode below 25 mph). And stopping from 70 mph takes a lengthy 203 feet.
view exterior photosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
Even tootling along at the speed limit down a two-lane road necessitates frequent steering inputs to keep the IQ tracking straight, owing to an uncomfortably large arc of on-center dead space. The accelerator and brake pedals are artificially light. The 24-inch wheels transfer admirably little of their rollicking into the cabin; however, the 275/50 Michelin Primacy LTX tires howl at the mere suggestion of lateral acceleration as they struggle against the tonnage. Then again, nervous body movements over road undulations effectively damp the desire to get frisky in the first place. The confounding truth is that the Chevy Silverado EV—the electric Escalade’s taller, wider, and longer BT1 platform stablemate—is dynamically superior.
view exterior photosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
The Escalade IQ is, like the moose we started with, a combination of imposing, majestic, and awkward on the trot. Even so, put one in your driveway or make your way down Main Street, and no one will fail to notice. And when you see one, give it room.
