Yahoo Autos 2025 Cadillac Escalade Goes Big on Tech, Ditches Diesel Powertrain
Cadillac has revealed the 2025 Escalade, which earns a major mid-cycle refresh for the new model year.
The iconic SUV earns revised styling with new lighting elements and goes heavy on the tech, adding the 55-inch digital dashboard from the Escalade IQ.
The trim lineup carries over unchanged, though the underpowered diesel powertrain option has been dropped for 2025.
Keeping up with the Joneses is no easy task, especially when you're embattled in the trenches of the luxury vehicle arms race. For its part, Cadillac has revealed the 2025 Escalade, which has been given a major mid-cycle overhaul and adds a bevy of new technology along with a facelift for the exterior.
Luxury Looms Large
Any luxury car worth its salt is going to be packed with the newest features and amenities. Cadillac leaned all the way into the tech realm for its updated flagship model, going so far as to take the 55-inch dashboard screen setup from the Escalade IQ.
The display is actually composed of two screens behind a single pane of glass: one 35-inch display for the driver and a second 20-inch screen for the passenger. The distinction is made because the passenger's side is polarized to avoid distracting the driver when the vehicle is out of park. As a bonus over the Escalade IQ, the gasoline-powered model includes support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in addition to the integrated Google system.
The massive screen is supplemented by a lower 11-inch touchscreen that lets you adjust things like the climate controls, ambient lighting, and all four doors, which are now power-operated. All four doors can be opened with a swipe on the screen or by a button on the door handle. Unlike the other three doors, the driver's door can be activated to open automatically when it senses the fob approach, and then close automatically when the driver presses the brake. The system is standard on the Platinum and V-series trims and available on the rest of the lineup.
Executive Second Row
The back seats are new too, at least when equipped with the available Executive Second Row. The package adds another touchscreen, and the captain's chairs now have heating, ventilation, and massage for maximum comfort. If you need to get a little work done in the back seat, there are storable tray tables. As a bonus, Cadillac has also upgraded the AKG audio system further, bringing it from 36 speakers to 40.
Lighting the Way
Changes to the Escalade's look can be summed up in one word: lights. The front of the full-size SUV takes on a "bolder" design, according to Cadillac. The headlights and running lights retain their overall shape, but the high- and low-beams move from their horizontal position to a vertical orientation with the running lights becoming narrow horizontal slits in the Escalade's broad grille. Speaking of the grille, the Cadillac logo is now illuminated on all trim levels while the grille surround of the V-series and Premium Luxury Platinum trims gets additional lighting pizzazz.
Standard models add two new interior color schemes to their portfolio, while the V-series gets a new carbon-fiber-themed design. There are also three new exterior paint colors: Aegean Stone, Deep Sea Metallic, and Latte Metallic. The Escalade joins the IQ in offering 24-inch wheels.
All six trim levels from 2024 make their way into the facelifted lineup. The standard 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 engine is back along with the laugh-inducing 682-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 in the V-series. On the other hand, the less powerful 3.0-liter diesel inline-six did not survive the refresh.
Production of 2025 models is scheduled to start later this year, with early deliveries expected by January. Cadillac hasn't announced final details or pricing yet, but that information will be available closer to the on-sale date.
You Might Also Like
