The pomp and circumstance that comes with having a Cadillac Escalade are still present even though the car is 25 years old. It is still America’s most famous full-size luxury SUV. Aside from the Lyriq and the moonshot Celestiq, Cadillac’s EV push put the Escalade behind cars like those. GM is making up for it, though, with the 2025 Cadillac Escalade, which has a slight redesign on the outside but a lot of new technology inside. Even though the 2025 changes don’t really make a new generation, the most recent update gets the Cadillac cabin up to date by adding parts from the next Escalade IQ. New lighting parts on the bodywork remind us of Cadillac’s Le Mans cars. According to Cadillac, the new LED headlamps and vertical daytime running lights were inspired by the Lyriq and Celestiq. However, there are clear similarities between the updated Escalade and its upcoming electric sister, the Escalade IQ. The unique tail lights stand out even more when a second vertical component is added. At the front of all SUV models, the Cadillac crest is now lit up, and the speed V-Series and higher trim levels get a backlit grille surround above the lit-up crest. The Escalade’s 6.2-liter V8 engine will remain the same from one model year to the next. It will make 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. In the same way, the 2025 Escalade V still has the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine with 682 horsepower. The automatic transmission has ten speeds and comes with both V8 engines. The SUV can fit eight people and has independent front and back suspension as standard. Higher trim levels add adaptive air suspension and Cadillac’s newest magnetic ride control technology. People can choose wheels that are 24 inches instead of 22 inches, which tests the limits of how little width they can put on their Caddy. Now, you can get 24-inch wheels for the SUV for the first time. These are the biggest wheels the factory has ever put on the Escalade. With the push of a button on the door handle, you can open and close available power doors. This is another first. But as soon as the driver comes in with their key fob, the power door for the driver opens. Most of the changes to the Escalade can be seen on the inside. The steering wheel has been changed, and the gear shifter stick is now attached to a column. The most important part of the redesign is, without a doubt, the new, high-tech design of the cabin, which includes a huge 55-inch curved screen that goes around every frame. The screen is 35 inches wide on the driver’s side and shows all the important information above the steering wheel before stretching into the middle of the dashboard on the passenger side. The small screen in the middle of this huge screen is called the “front command center” by Cadillac. This one, which is tilted up, handles the Escalade’s two-zone climate control system as well as other features, like the luxurious new power doors. The base Escalade still comes with an AKG 19-speaker sound system, but you can upgrade to an amazing 40 transducers, 36 speakers, or even 36 speakers built into the headrests. The Escalade comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, even though GM has been hesitant to add these features lately. Given that Cadillac is its most well-known name, it is rare to see a high-end car without CarPlay. All Escalades made in 2025 come with a three-year license to General Motors’ Super Cruise. This is the last piece of new technology in the long-awaited update.
