It's been half a year since Cadillac introduced the first-ever battery-electric Escalade. The model adds the IQ suffix, and despite having a very familiar moniker, it has nothing to do with its combustion-powered siblings, which are based on the same platform as the Chevy Tahoe, Suburban, and GMC Yukon.
The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ is mechanically related to the GMC Hummer EV, Sierra EV, and Chevrolet Silverado EV, as they all use the same construction. It benefits from the 800-volt tech, so it can add up to 100 miles or 161 km to its range in just 10 minutes at a DC connection.
With a 200+ kWh capacity, the 24-module battery pack enables a range of around 450 miles (724 km) and juices up a bi-motor setup with all-wheel drive that delivers a combines 680 hp (690 ps/507 kW) and 615 pound-foot (834 Nm) of torque. These numbers increase to 750 hp (761 ps/560 kW) and 785 lb-ft (1,064 Nm) in the Velocity Max mode, so it truly packs some punch.
On top of that, the Cadillac Escalade IQ is a very big boy. It measures 224.3 inches (5,697 mm) from bumper to bumper and has a 136.2 inches (3,459 mm) long wheelbase. This makes it just 2.7 inches (68.6 mm) shorter than the Escalade ESV behemoth, which has 134.1 inches (3,406 mm) between the axles, 13.2 inches (335 mm) more than the regular model.
Photo: Kolesa
One might think that GM's premium car brand might be satisfied with these numbers when it comes to its flagship electric crossover. However, they would be wrong because Cadillac plans to launch a long-wheelbase version of the Escalade IQ. The Escalade IQL was confirmed to Car&Driver last week, and the outlet expects it to make its way to dealers before the end of the year after the standard one goes on sale.
It is unknown yet just how big it will actually be, yet it is obvious that it will make the normal Escalade look almost like a kid's toy next to it, especially when comparing the interior space, as second-row occupants will have even more legroom. It will be interesting to see how many inches Cadillac added to the Escalade IQ's wheelbase to come up with the IQL, and we expect the model to have identical looks.
Do you know who else believes that? Kolesa and their latest renderings show a long wheelbase version of the Escalade IQ, which has many more inches between the axles and retains the same design. You will likely need a side-by-side comparison with the normal IQ to spot the differences, so we also shared some images of it in the photo gallery above. That said, are you excited about Cadillac's plan to expand the Escalade IQ family?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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