- The 2025 Cadillac adds refreshed styling, new lighting, a second-row “executive” package, and 24-inch wheels
- Some of the styling cues come from the electric Lyriq and Celestiq, along with the upcoming Escalade IQ
- Regular and supercharged versions of the 6.2L V8 remain, but the turbodiesel says goodbye with the update
Cadillac has unveiled the 2025 Escalade, which gets a refresh to its exterior and interior styling, including an available second-row package with stowable tray tables and 12.6-inch screens.
It will be available as the Escalade and Escalade-V, and going into production at GM’s plant in Arlington, Texas late in 2024. Plans are to offer it alongside the all-new and all-electric Escalade IQ, which we first saw last summer, and which is also planned for production later this year.
The Escalade first saw the light of day in 1999 – yes, a quarter-century ago – and meant to compete with the Lincoln Navigator that had been introduced for 1998. The Escalade quickly became popular with celebrities and sports stars and soon overtook Lincoln in sales. At the 2025 version’s unveiling, John Roth, global vice-president of Cadillac, said the Escalade has been the “best-selling luxury full-size SUV in North America since 2014” and with more than one million sold worldwide.
The refreshed Escalade borrows from other models within the brand, including front-end details from the electric Celestiq and Lyriq, and vertical front lighting from the Escalade IQ. All trims get an illuminated front crest, and on the V-Series and Premium Luxury Platinum trims, the grille surround lights up too.
Wheel designs go up to 24 inches, the largest offered on the Escalade so far, and three new colours go by the names of Aegean Stone (green-grey), Deep Sea Metallic (blue-gold), and Latte Metallic (light bronze). Inside, the available designs include quilted leather seats, high-gloss or open-pore wood accents, and 126 shades of ambient lighting. The Escalade-V gets new carbon fibre interior accents.
Power open-and-close doors will be offered – walk up to the Escalade with the key, and it’ll open its door for you – along with a new Executive Second Row package. This adds stowable tray tables, 12.6-inch personal screens, dual wireless phone chargers, rear command centre, massaging seats, and speakers in the head restraints.
Items carried over include a total of 55 inches of curved screens across the dash; 19- or 36-speaker AKG Studio audio systems (make that 40 if you get that executive second-row option); available full-colour head-up display and Night Vision; standard Super Cruise hands-free driving assist; and seating for up to eight.
As before, the Escalade uses a 6.2L V8, making 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, mated to a ten-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive. The Escalade-V adds a supercharger, taking that 6.2L to 682 horses and 885 lb-ft of torque. What’s missing this time around is the 3.0L Duramax turbodiesel available on previous Escalade models, making 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque – it’s leaving the lineup for the 2025 model year.
The 2025 Escalade will come in Luxury, Premium Luxury, Sport, Premium Luxury Platinum, Sport Platinum, and the V-Series. Pricing is yet to come, but to give you some idea of what to expect, the 2024 Escalade runs from $109,899 to $146,899 in Canada, while the Escalade-V starts at $197,399.
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