There’s no doubting the pomp and circumstance that comes with driving a Cadillac Escalade, even 25 years after the debut of America’s most famous full-size luxury SUV. In the midst of Cadillac’s EV push, the Escalade took a backseat to models like the Lyriq and moonshot Celestiq. But GM is correcting that with the 2025 Cadillac Escalade, which brings major tech enhancements underneath a modest exterior update.
Although the changes for 2025 don’t reach the level of a whole new generation, this latest refresh fittingly brings the cabin of the Cadillac into the middle of this decade, borrowing the design of the upcoming Escalade IQ. The exterior, too, with new lighting elements that look like they take after Cadillac’s Le Mans machines.
Cadillac says the new LED headlights and vertical DRLs are actually inspired by the Lyriq and Celestiq, but there’s clearly a connection between the refreshed Escalade and its new EV sibling, the Escalade IQ. The characteristic tail lights are even more dramatic now, with a second vertical element. The Cadillac crest at the front of the SUV is now illuminated on all models, but upper trims and the performance V-Series get a backlit grille surround on top of the light-up crest.
For 2025, the Escalade’s mechanical specs are mostly the same: it still relies on the same 6.2-liter V8 engine as the outgoing model year, with power staying flat at 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. Likewise, the 2025 Escalade V is still equipped with the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 making 682 horses. Both V8 engines come paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission.
The up to eight-passenger SUV boasts a standard independent suspension both front and rear, while upper trim models get adaptive air suspension and the latest version of Cadillac’s magnetic ride control. Wheels start at 22 inches, standard, but there are optional 24-inch wheels that test the limits of how little sidewall buyers can get on their Caddy.
These are the biggest wheels to be fitted on the Escalade at the factory so far, and they mark the first time that 24-inch wheels are available on the SUV. Another first comes in the form of optional power doors that open and close automatically, at the touch of a button on the door handle. The driver’s power door, however, will open as the driver approaches while carrying their key fob.
The interior is where the latest updates to the Escalade are most obvious, beginning with a new steering wheel design and column-mounted stalk for the gear shifter. Of course, the marquee feature of the refresh is its new tech-forward cabin, which has a massive 55-inch curved display stretching from pillar to pillar.
The driver’s side spans a whopping 35 inches and shows all the important info atop the steering wheel, then overlaps into the center of the dashboard; the passenger’s side of the screen measures 20 inches. Below this monolithic main display, there’s a smaller screen in the middle that Cadillac calls the front command center. This one’s tilted upwards and controls the Escalade’s dual-zone HVAC system, among other things, such as the fancy new power doors.
The cabin of the Escalade still gets a 19-speaker sound system from AKG in base configuration, but you can opt for upgraded packages that get you either 36 speakers, or an unheard-of 40 transducers, including some in the headrests.
The new Escalade comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto despite GM’s reluctance to include these lately. This is Cadillac’s most recognizable nameplate, after all, and the lack of something as ubiquitous as CarPlay on a luxury model would raise a few eyebrows. Rounding out all the new tech in the overdue refresh is a three-year subscription to GM’s Super Cruise, which comes standard on all 2025 Escalades.
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