2025 Cadillac Escalade Upgraded

A Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUV will go on sale later this summer, but the gas-powered model will be sold alongside it, albeit with a round of updates that align its styling and technology with that of its more modern battery-powered counterpart.

Cadillac unveiled the updated Escalade in July and confirmed production will start late this year, with sales beginning shortly after. When it arrives at dealers, the 2025 Escalade will be priced at $89,590 including destination for the base Luxury trim with 2WD and $92,590 for 4WD. The fire-breathing V model will top the lineup at a price of $161,990.

The changes to the Escalade are extensive. The exterior modifications feature a new front-end design with slit-like turn signals at the leading edge of the hood. Below this is a vertically arranged headlight cluster that includes daytime running lights. The crest logo and grille surround are illuminated.

Other exterior tweaks include a revised rear end with reshaped taillights, new exhaust tip shapes, and new wheel patterns ranging from 22 to 24 inches in diameter. The 24-inch wheels are the largest ever fitted to an Escalade.

The interior also receives a major shakeup. Up front is a new dash featuring the same high-tech treatment found in the Escalade IQ. This includes 55 inches of digital screens spanning the width of the dash to serve as the gauge cluster, infotainment display, and a front passenger screen. If that wasn't enough, there's one more screen in the center console for climate controls and other vehicle settings. Cadillac has confirmed that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will continue to be offered.

Premium touches include powered doors, including a driver's door that can open on approach, an AKG audio system with 36 speakers as standard and 40 when combined with the executive second-row package, and General Motors' Super Cruise automated driver-assist feature for highways.

Cadillac hasn't mentioned any mechanical changes. The brand lists air springs and magnetic dampers as standard on most models.

Escalade buyers currently have two options in the regular SUV: a 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 or a 277-hp 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-6. Both powertrains offer adequate performance, but for real excitement, the Escalade-V brings a 682-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 to the table.

A 10-speed automatic is standard across the range, and regular models come with rear-wheel drive as standard, though the Escalade-V gets an available four-wheel-drive system as standard.