Cadillac is working to reclaim the “Standard of the World” mantle with the upcoming $340,000 Celestiq electric car, but it is already at the top of one class.
The Escalade has owned the full-size luxury SUV segment for the past two decades and Cadillac is hoping that translates to age of electricity.
The 2025 Escalade IQ unveiled in New York City on Wednesday is the nameplate’s first all-electric version, but Cadillac didn’t just stuff a bunch batteries into the current truck.
The Escalade IQ is built on the Ultium platform that also underpins the GMC Hummer EV Pickup and SUV, Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV.
Its body looks nothing like the internal combustion engine Escalade, borrowing more of its styling language from the Cadillac Lyric midsize SUV and Celestiq, including an angled hatchback and pinstripe illuminated faux grille.
It is equipped with a 200 kilowatt-hour battery pack that’s good for an estimated 450 miles of driving range and a dual electric motor all-wheel-drivetrain rated at 680 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque during normal operation.
A Velocity Max mode increases those figures to 750 hp and 785 lb-ft for quick sprints to 60 mph in less than five seconds. Not bad for a vehicle that likely weighs over four tons, which is exactly how much the Escalade IQ is rated to tow.
The three-row Escalade IQ is nearly as long as the Escalade ESV, but has a four-wheel-steering system that allows it to make turns as sharply as a compact car. The feature can also be used for an Arrival Mode, where all four wheels turn up to 10 degrees in the same direction, which allows the vehicle to drive diagonally for maneuverability and effect.
The Escalade IQ rides on enormous 24-inch wheels wrapped in 35-inch tires and a fully independent suspension with computer controlled shocks and air springs. It can raise the vehicle height by an inch or lower it by two and can be driven in the lowest position at low speeds.
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On the highway, the standard Super Cruise hands-free driving system will be able to control it within a lane and automatically change lanes to pass slower vehicles on over 400,000 miles of North American roads. A three-year subscription to the required telematics service needed to operate it is included with purchase.
The interior of the Escalade IQ is similarly tech-forward. The dashboard has a combined 55-inches of digital screens spanning across it and a tablet-style pad on the center console is used to control vehicle functions.
The second row can be upgraded to an Executive Seating Package that transforms it into a business class-style cabin with tray tables, entertainment screens, another control tablet and massage seats.
The Escalade IQ can also be optioned with power-operated passenger doors and three AKG audio systems are offered with 19, 36 and 40 speakers, respectively.
Up front under the hood you’ll find a 12-cubic-foot “frunk” with enough space for two golf club bags, which is par for the course for any Cadillac worth its name.
Escalade IQ production is set to begin next summer at GM’s Factory Zero in Detroit-Hamtramck, Mich., and the starting price is expected to be “around” $130,000. That’s a bit more than a loaded regular Escalade today, but less than the high performance supercharged V8-powered $151,090 Escalade-V.
Considering that Escalades are used less for lapping race tracks than they are for lugging kids around upscale suburbs and VIPs through cities, both ideal use cases for electric vehicles, the Escalade IQ seems like a smart move for the model if Cadillac wants to keep it in front of the coming “battery pack†of large electric luxury SUVs.