What’s the Difference: Cadillac Escalade IQ and Cadillac Vistiq
Most automakers still don’t have a single three-row EV. This year, Cadillac will have two.
One of the American brand’s big electrified three-rows has a familiar name. The Escalade IQ takes the brand’s flagship into a new era, but don’t worry, it’s still enormous and crammed full of the latest technology.
The Vistiq is a new addition to the family for 2025. Think of it as the EV equivalent of the aging XT6, a family-friendly SUV that just so happens to be electric. Or a stretched Lyriq, which is one of our favorite two-row electric crossovers on the market. Your call.
Exterior Style:
From far away, these two monoliths are hard to tell apart. Both are distinctly Cadillac, with the brand’s shield grille reimagined in intricate light-up patterns. Distinguishing which is which from the rear is a challenge too: both feature bisected sets of tall taillights. The Vistiq’s tell is the thin strip of LEDs that line the bottom of the glass; it’s a nod to the Lyriq, and gives the SUV a vaguely car-stacked-on-another-car vibe.
The shapes are different, as the Escalade surprisingly has the more rakish tailgate. There’s a lack of color in its face, too: the Vistiq has a small amount of body-color bits separating the horizontal and vertical lighting elements, which then wrap under the grille.
Of course, size matters: the Vistiq is merely big, the Escalade enormous. For those who need even more, Cadillac will sell a long-wheelbase Escalade IQL as well.
Powertrain and Efficiency:
Cadillac will stick to dual-motor, all-wheel drive setups for the Vistiq, with the first confirmed setup offering a punchy 615 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac is quoting a speedy 3.7 seconds to 60 mph (96 km/h) as well. On the other side of the performance equation, an 102.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack should provide enough juice for around 300 miles (483 kilometers) of single-charge range. Hooking up to a DC fast charger can replenish up to 79 miles (127 km) in just 10 minutes.
As you’d expect, the Escalade’s approach of “embiggen everything” applies to all the above numbers. Horsepower and torque? 750 and 785 respectively in “Velocity Max” drive mode, more than even the Escalade V. Battery capacity? Somewhere north of 200 kWh. Range? A targeted 450 miles (724 km). A 10-minute splash-and-dash—er, charge-and-charge?—should recoup 100 miles (160 km) of range too.
Cadillac is quoting 8,000 pounds of towing capacity for the Escalade IQ, and 5,000 pounds for the Vistiq.
Interior Style and Quality:
Unsurprisingly, both of these Caddy SUVs feature similar cabins, both in terms of layout and design. Both are high-end, with plenty of wood, metal, and leather—or if you feel so inclined, more environmentally-friendly knit alternatives.
While both vehicles feature three rows, how they are arranged is a little different. Both have a pair of seats in the first and third rows, but the Vistiq offers buyers the choice of either a bench or captain’s chairs. It’s only the latter in the fancy-pants Escalade IQ.
Tech and Safety:
Cadillac’s wow-worthy 33.0-inch curved infotainment sits atop the Vistiq’s dashboard. We like this setup in other models like the Lyriq, and don’t expect many surprises here. An additional touchscreen on the center console handles climate control duties. Every trim features a 23-speaker AKG sound system.
The Escalade IQ sticks to the script here and goes even bigger: a 35.0-inch screen covers two-thirds of the dashboard width, with another 25.0-inch passenger screen right up against it. You’ll still find the third dedicated climate control panel down between the center console and dashboard, too. If that’s not enough, an available second-row console gets its own touchscreen and a pair of 12.6-inch displays slung off the back of the front headrests.
A long list of standard safety kit is par for the course, and Cadillac’s excellent Super Cruise is available on both models.
Pricing:
In America, the Vistiq will start a hair under $80,000 (including destination) for the Luxury trim, with the Sport costing a few hundred dollars more. It’s then a big jump to the $93,290 Premium Luxury, and then the $97,890 Platinum. It’s in these upper trims where you’ll find features like rear steering and larger wheels.
Escalade IQ rings in much higher, simply starting at $129,990 for the Luxury 1 trim. The jump to Sport 1 is again $500. The respective Luxury 2 and Sport 2 trims are a cool $20,000 more each, however.
Canadian pricing for the Vistiq was unavailable at the time of writing, while Escalade IQ begins at $163,233 for both Luxury 1 and Sport 1 trims. As is the case in the US, the jump to the higher trims is 20 grand.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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Good leased perks for upper level management, otherwise, DOA.
Unfortunately gm put Cadillacs eggs in one basket... while nice, they're expensive and there are no ICE option... the competition offers plenty of ICE options... If these EV models were also ICE... Cadillac would be back in business... yet another swing and miss for Cadillac and the pathetic mgt at gm... just pathetic..