- The Cadillac Escalade IQ is expected to go on sale soon for the 2025 model year.
- It will be made in Michigan at GM's Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center.
We already know what the Cadillac Escalade IQ looks like, but most of the images we've seen have been in GM-controlled interior design studios, auto shows or spy photos of the car camouflaged on Detroit-Area streets. Until today, that is. While doing a 10-80% charging test on the new 2025 Rivian R1S, a completely uncamouflaged Cadillac Escalade IQ plugged in and decided to charge with the Rivian.
Of course, it's not necessarily uncommon to see test mules or preproduction vehicles here in Columbus, Ohio. Even though I'm about 200 miles and almost a four-hour drive away from the home of Stellantis, GM, and Ford, there are more than a few automotive adjacent suppliers and testing facilities in my city. Oh, and Honda North America's engineering hub is not far away, either. Still, seeing the pricy EV Cadillac so non-nonchalantly charging in suburban Ohio is a fun coincidence. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the few people within a 10-mile radius who even knew what the Escalade IQ is.
Anyway, this might be one of the first times we can see the large Cadillac next to another EV crossover. In pictures, it's hard to gauge the Escalade IQ's physical size, and in person that critique seems to still stand. The Escalade IQ and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are in my opinion, cut from the same cloth. They are two EVs that wear the styling of a smaller vehicle to disguise how large they really are. I was concerned that Cadillac's biggest EV SUV would be too small, but it dwarfs the already kind of large Rivian R1S. At least by physical girth, the Escalade IQ feels as big, if not bigger than the standard gas-powered Cadillac Escalade.
I'm not sold on the styling, though. Although it may be physically large, the proportions make the Escalade IQ look strangely wonky, as if it's a too-small car enlarged in a photocopier. It looks skinny and narrow, despite not being a particularly skinny or narrow vehicle. Still, one man's trash could be another person's treasure. My thoughts on the Escalade IQ's styling could change when I get to see ones that have been properly manicured and not a preproduction mule that spent the start of a holiday weekend piling on miles for GM’s research purposes.
Interestingly, this Escalade IQ already had Cadillac's new badge and trim system. There's a 1000 E4 badge on the rear, signifying the SUV's torque output in newton meters. The badging means that this particular Escalade IQ is powered by an AWD dual motor setup good for 725 horsepower and 785 lb-ft of torque. That's all fed by a battery pack of 200 kWh.
Now, the Escalade IQ will not be cheap. The SUV is expected to go on sale next year starting at prices just north of $130,000. Is it worth that? We'll just have to see. I'll reserve full judgment for when the car actually launches on the market.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
