A first look at the 2025 Cadillac Escalade

Cadillac’s future is electric, but its bread and butter, its here and now money-maker is the Escalade. This is a massive SUV whose soundtrack is a good old-fashioned V-8. While the hype may center on the coming 2025 Escalade IQ electric three-row luxury SUV, GM is minding the store by giving the regular Escalade a mid-cycle refresh for the same 2025 model year. And to better conjoin the two 'slades, the internal combustion models get some of the IQ's look and the tech.

The Escalade full-size luxury SUV has been around since 1999 and is in its fifth generation. It has been the segment leader since 2014, and Cadillac has no intention of losing that crown. Big bucks are being spent on EVs at General Motors, but there are ways to keep legacy vehicles such as this fresh with wise use of resources, especially if a vehicle’s bones are still good.

Cadillac introduced the current Escalade for the 2021 model year. It was the brand’s all-new tech flagship with a more mature look, nicer materials, Super Cruise hands-free highway driving assist and an independent rear suspension which opened up more room inside. For 2025, the body-on-frame Escalade and long-wheelbase Escalade ESV models continue to ride on the T1 platform, dimensions are largely the same and the powertrains carry over. With this refresh, Cadillac again loads up the tech, much of which was designed for its newer, all-electric IQ cousin, which sits on an entirely different architecture. The look gets a little bolder, the materials a little nicer. And a deliberate attempt was made to make the gas and electric Escalades look like brothers, while retaining their own personalities.

Cadillac continues to follow its "Y" branding strategy where it offers Luxury and Sport versions of each nameplate. The six trims of Escalade remain intact and executives say they will increase production of the Sport Platinum and the sportier Cadillac-V models based on expected high demand.

The design tweaks

The cosmetic changes to the front end were inspired by the Cadillac Celestiq electric flagship and the Cadillac Lyriq electric midsize SUV. New lighting technology, positioned vertically, allowed designers to play with the surfaces up front to make the Escalade look more muscular, and the V-Series gets an exclusive fascia with a different shape and more powerful bumper. There are different grilles depending on the trim level: more chrome higher up the food chain, menacing black for the V-Series.   

The 2021 model upsized the Cadillac crest emblem, and for 2025, Cadillac illuminates that larger crest as well as the outline of the grille on top trims.

There are familiar vertical taillights but the lower portion of the rear has been redesigned to give the effect of greater visual width. The 22-inch wheels are standard but there are now 24-inchers optional, a first for Escalade.

Three new colors have been added to the existing palette.

Powertrain stalwarts

Most of the powertrains carry over. That means a continuation of the standard 6.2-liter pushrod V-8 that produces 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque for most of the trims. Step up to the Escalade-V for a version of GM’s 6.2-liter supercharged small-block V-8 that puts out 682 horsepower and 653 lb-ft of torque. All are paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission, with paddles for manual gear selection and the smarts to downshift automatically when going downhill. Gone for 2025: the 3.0-liter turbodiesel I-6 that had a take rate in the single digits.

Fuel economy figures have not been released but since the powertrains are unchanged, they continue to use GM’s Dynamic Fuel Management system and have variable valve timing and automatic start/stop. We don’t expect the numbers to change from the current EPA rating. Final figures will be released soon.

The SUVs all offer rear- and all-wheel drive options, and Super Cruise with lane change is standard on all models. The first three years are complimentary, after which there is a charge for the subscription.

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Ride and handling

The Escalade switched to an independent rear suspension with the fifth generation, and moving away from the live rear axle has paid dividends in the SUV's ride, handling and refinement over the road. There are still several suspension choices. The base suspension uses coil springs with passive dampers. The next step up is to coil springs with magnetorheological Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 adaptive dampers, and the top level is an air-sprung adaptive suspension with the magnetorheological MRC dampers. The adjustable ride height is appreciated in such a large vehicle.

An infotainment pioneer

It was a big deal when the 2021 Escalade introduced a 38-inch OLED screen, and the huge display still impresses today. The 2025 model ups the ante considerably, with a 55-inch curved screen that spans the SUV's entire dashboard — it's the same one that is on the Escalade IQ. It lives beneath a single pane of glass, long and slender, under which is a 35-inch display for the driver. The passenger gets an independently controlled 20-inch touchscreen, a first for Escalade, with polarization to prevent the driver from peeking at the far screen while the SUV is in motion. And there are still some knobs, including one for volume control.

To keep the sleek look of the pillar-to-pillar screen — it is only five inches high — designers added a separate 11-inch multifunction screen controller for HVAC and other vehicle function controls. A dial in the center console also provides easier-to-reach controls for the infotainment functions which can also be done via the touchscreen for those who appreciate redundancy.

While the Escalade IQ relies on Google for its infotainment system, the regular Escalade continues to offer wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as Google-enabled services. Voice commands have been vastly improved, executives say. The vehicle responds to “hey Google” for any command or you can use Alexa.

Cadillac continues to offer an AKG Studio sound system. Audio with 19 speakers is standard, and a 36-speaker system is optional. The Executive Second Row package adds four more speakers in the headrests.

Inside the 2025 Cadillac Escalade

With key fob in hand, the driver door will open automatically as the driver approaches. Power open and close doors are an option. All four open with the touch of a button or the door handles.

Once inside, you might notice the new steering wheel design and that the gearshift has moved to the steering column, freeing up more room in the center console. Among the 10 interior choices are two new colors: Renaissance Red with quilted and perforated leather seats and dark open pore wood veneer, as well as Jet Black and Sheer Gray with leather and heathered gray quilted seats and a high gloss wood veneer. The V-Series has a carbon fiber-oriented interior with its own quilt pattern on the black leather seats. There is a suede headliner and nice use of matte silk chrome trim. The front cupholder has a button to release a section to accommodate mugs with a handle. Cadillac continues to offer the optional refrigerator/freezer bin in the front console.

Designers say the materials and look are different from the IQ to create a different personality for each.

There is seating for up to eight passengers. The second row can be ordered with a bench seat with the lower trims. Most consumers will opt for captain’s chairs which fold flat for extra cargo room. The third row has power seats that fold flat.

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New for 2025 is an optional Executive Second Row package (also in the IQ) that creates a comfortable mobile office. The seats are the same heated, cooled, massaging ones used by front row passengers and are mounted further back for extra legroom. Open the center console to retrieve the stowable tray tables for your laptop and use the HDMI cable to make the 12.6-inch seatback screens into additional monitors. There is power for your computer, USB and wireless charging pads for your phone. The drawback to this setup is the second-row seats do not fold flat.

Orders start this fall

Escalade has been the best-selling Cadillac in the U.S. and North America since 2021 and globally it is the brand’s best-selling SUV, with more than 1 million sold. Adding the Escalade IQ is expected to attract younger, more affluent buyers, but GM thinks both Escalades largely attract similar buyers and production can easily adjust to demand for both electric and gas-powered versions.

Production of the gas-powered Escalade, including the V-Series and Escalade ESV, will begin later this year in Arlington, Texas, with deliveries shortly after. Some will make it to customers by year end, with volume picking up in early 2025.

Pricing is to be announced soon, with ordering to begin in the third quarter. The Escalade will continue to be sold in a number of global markets including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Israel and Korea.

The Escalade IQ may be the showpiece, but the regular Escalade is an icon and the money-maker that makes all things electric possible. GM wants to ensure this cash cow does not lose favor or its standing as the best-selling fullsize luxury SUV.

Photos by Steven Pham