The Cadillac Escalade IQ: The Electric Flagship That Makes Even the Commute Feel First-Class — Rated 9.8/10
Cadillac’s first electric Escalade pairs 750 horsepower and 748 kilometres of range with a 55-inch glass dashboard and a ride tuned for serenity. After time with the truck, our reviewer’s verdict is simple: this is what a luxury SUV is supposed to feel like — and then some.
The IQ is the first electric Escalade — the nameplate that has defined the full-size luxury SUV for a quarter century, rebuilt from the ground up on Cadillac’s dedicated EV architecture. In Canada it comes in four trims, Luxury and Sport from $161,042 and Premium Luxury and Premium Sport from $181,142, alongside the stretched Escalade IQL from $164,542. Seven passengers ride across three rows, with an available Executive Second Row that turns the middle bench into first class.
The numbers are enormous in every direction. In Velocity Max mode the IQ delivers a Cadillac-estimated 750 horsepower — supercar output in a three-row family truck — while the battery returns up to 748 kilometres of estimated range on a full charge. Standard 350-kilowatt DC fast charging adds up to 188 kilometres of range in roughly ten minutes. And because the engine bay no longer has an engine, the space became the eTrunk: a 345-litre front trunk on top of up to 3,736.9 litres of total cargo room.
The cabin is built around a curved, pillar-to-pillar LED display spanning 55 total diagonal inches — a single sweep of glass from door to door. Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance comes standard with a three-year trial; the audio system is a 21-speaker AKG setup on standard trims and a 38-speaker AKG Studio Reference system with Dolby Atmos capability on Premium trims. Heated seats in both front rows are standard, massage front seats arrive on Premium trims, and available Night Vision reads the road in thermal imaging.
Under it all sits the hardware that decides how a three-tonne SUV actually feels: Air Ride Adaptive Suspension with Magnetic Ride Control, and four-wheel steering that shrinks the truck in parking lots and steadies it on the highway.
So much for the specification sheet. From behind the wheel, our reviewer’s verdict was immediate: this is one of the most beautiful SUVs on the road today, inside and out. The ride is remarkably smooth — the kind of isolation that turns long drives and even traffic commutes into something genuinely enjoyable rather than endured. The comfort level, in our reviewer’s words, is exactly what you would expect from a luxury SUV — and more.
A 9.8/10 from the Torbrook Rating Agency reflects that experience: the first electric Escalade doesn’t just carry the name — it makes the case that the quietest Escalade is the best one yet.
Torbrook Auto scores are based on the Rating Agency’s own independent time with the automobile. Cadillac did not request, pay for, or have advance knowledge of this review. Ratings cannot be bought.