If you thought the circa 5.7m-long Cadillac Escalade iQ wasn’t large enough, there’s something even more massive coming.
A Cadillac spokesperson confirmed to Car & Driver that General Motors’ luxury brand will launch an Escalade iQL, as had previously been indicated in trademark filings, as an even longer version of the flagship electric SUV.
Cadillac employs a similar strategy with its combustion-powered Escalade SUV, which is offered in both regular and extended-length ESV body styles.
The company hasn’t confirmed when the Escalade iQL will debut, but it could appear this year given the Escalade iQ will enter production in mid-2024 ahead of a US launch late in the year.
Escalade iQ
Cadillac, which will relaunch here later this year with the BMW iX-rivalling Lyriq electric SUV, hasn’t confirmed the Escalade iQ for Australia. However, the name has been trademarked locally.
The IQ is a big beast already, measuring 5697mm long, 2167mm wide, 1934mm wide, and riding on a 3460mm wheelbase.
It’s just 69mm shy of the petrol-powered Escalade ESV’s overall length, but 315mm longer than the standard Escalade. The iQ is also 110mm wider, but roughly the same height as its combustion-powered siblings.
It’s unclear how much the iQL will differ visually from its shorter sibling, which unusually for something with the Escalade badge wears a rather rakish tailgate.
While the iQL will offer more interior space, the iQ already has a third row of seating plus an available Executive Second-Row Seating package.
This package brings massaging captain’s chairs, a pair of 12.6-inch touchscreens, stowable tray tables, a shared centre command screen, headrest speakers, USB-C and HDMI ports, and wireless smartphone charging pads.
Up front, the dashboard is dominated by a pillar-to-pillar rectangular screen space that measures 55 inches (1.4m) diagonally.
The expansive infotainment system is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, and runs on the Android Automotive operating system with built-in Google Maps, App Store, and Google Assistant, but no support for either Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.
Also available for the cabin is laser-etched wood trim, a customisable ambient lighting system with 126 colour choices, and a tinted glass roof above the front and second rows.
AKG sound systems are standard throughout the range, starting with a 19-speaker setup in entry-level Luxury 1 and Sport 1 trims, moving up to 36-speaker setup in mid-range models, and a 40-speaker system in fully tricked out variants.
The Escalade iQ is understood to use the same body-on-frame BT1 electric vehicle architecture as the GMC Hummer EV and Sierra EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV.
Only one drivetrain has been detailed thus far: a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup, which is rated at 505kW/834Nm in normal driving, and capable of delivering 560kW/1064Nm in “velocity mode”.
Cadillac estimates the Escalade IQ is capable of completing the 0-60mph (0-97km/h) standard in “less than 5 seconds”. The existing Escalade V, with its 498kW/880Nm supercharged 6.2-litre V8, requires 4.4 seconds to hit 60mph.
To give the Escalade IQ an estimated range of over 724km (450 miles), the electric behemoth is fitted with a battery pack boasting “more than 200kWh of available energy”. Expect range to drop with the heavier iQL.
The 24-module Ultium battery pack supports 800V DC charging, which it’s said can give 160km of range in just 10 minutes of charging. The car also supports 7.7kW and 19.2kW 240V AC charging.
All Escalade IQ models ride on independent front and rear suspension and have four-wheel steering. The latter enables a turning circle of 12m and an “Arrival Mode” that allows the SUV to move diagonally into tight spaces, probably similar to the Hummer EV’s “crab walk” feature.
Top-spec variants have Magnetic Ride Control 4.0, 24-inch wheels paired with 275/50 tyres, and an adaptive air suspension setup that can lower the car by 50mm or raise it by 25mm as necessary.
The Escalade IQ has 175mm of ground clearance in standard mode, and can tow a trailer weighing up to 3628kg (8000 pounds).
Boot space behind the third row is said to be 670L, which can be increased to 1958L with the third row folded or 3374L with the second and third rows down.
A 345L “front trunk”, or “eTrunk” in Cadillac parlance, lives under the bonnet.
Standard safety features include autonomous emergency braking with intersection assist and pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot assist and a 360-degree camera system.
There’s also an enhanced parking assist system that can both automatically enter and exit parking spots.
SuperCruise, which permits the car the drive itself in hands-free, eyes-on-the-road mode across around 650,000km of highways across North America, is available.
Priced from US$130,000 ($198,000), the Escalade IQ is pricier than every model in the ICE Escalade range except for the range-topping Escalade V.
Cadillac wants to be an EV-only brand by 2030, but it will continue to sell the existing Escalade alongside the upcoming Escalade IQ.
The Escalade iQ and iQL will sit atop a growing range of electric Cadillac SUVs.
The Lyriq is already on sale in markets like the US and China, and will soon be bookended by the smaller Optiq and larger three-row Vistiq crossovers.
