There are some big changes happening in the automotive industry right now. Car companies are wasting no time retreating from their electric vehicle initiatives, backing gas-powered cars once again as customer demand cools and world governments let more stringent emissions regulations go by the wayside. Now I love a high-octane, high-horsepower gas motor as much as the next guy, but after spending time this year with Cadillac’s two most powerful SUVs — the supercharged V8–powered Escalade-V and all-electric Escalade IQL — I really think we might be straying down the wrong path.
Yes, there are things the Escalade-V does that the IQL could never in a million years do, like wake up every single person within a city block by doing a simple cold start, but the added benefits of an electric drivetrain in a big luxury car like this outweigh that downside. Plus, the IQL is actually way more powerful than the V, and that’s what really matters at the end of the day, isn’t it?
Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik
We’re going to take a look into how, despite the allure and charms of a big V8, a competent electric drivetrain is the far-superior solution. Now, because of deregulation and resistance from automakers, we, the consumer, are at risk of losing superior products in the name of protecting companies that make money off the sale of gas and oil and find it far easier to develop V8 engines than electric drivetrains. I’ve got no reason to think the IQ or IQL will be going away anytime soon, but other automakers that don’t have as much forethought as GM (crazy, I know) are clearly scrapping their EV plans and bringing internal combustion engines back to the forefront.
Full Disclosure: Cadillac lent me an Escalade IQL with a full charge (that lasted a hell of a long time) and an Escalade-V with a full tank of gas (that lasted about five minutes) to do with as I pleased.
The same, but different
From where I’m sitting, the only real drawback of the Escalade IQ and IQL is the sheer size of the beasts. The longer-wheelbase IQL stretches 228.5 inches in length, and it weighs the better part of 9,150 pounds, but if you’re a relatively normal individual who isn’t concerned about those sorts of things, there’s really not much to dislike here. On the outside, it’s rather handsome in both IQ and IQL guise, with the former embracing a more progressive look while the latter definitely appeals more to the traditional Escalade buyer.
Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik
In both the IQ and IQL, the interior is equally lovely. The Escalade, for the first time in its long run, has a truly good interior. The horizontally situated 55 inches of screens that serve as your gauge cluster, infotainment screen and passenger display are pretty much second to none in the automotive industry, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tech. Things like an amazing AKG stereo, Super Cruise, massaging seats, power for all four doors, and rear-wheel steering truly elevate the Escalade from a tarted-up Tahoe into a real luxury car.
Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik
Of course, save for the rear-steer, those are all things you can (and should) get on the Escalade-V. Plus, the V comes with GM’s wondrous supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V8 that pumps out a nearly violent 682 horsepower and 653 lb-ft of torque. Adding in the fact that the standard wheelbase car I drove is actually 16.6 inches shorter (the ESV is just 1.5 inches shorter than the IQL) and nearly 3,000 pounds lighter than the IQL would make you think it’s far quicker, but it isn’t.
Quiet speed
Sure, the Escalade-V is the most aggressive ‘Lade you can buy, but it’s nowhere close to being the most powerful. The dual motors of the IQ and IQL pump out an astonishing 750 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque. That delta of 68 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque, combined with the instantaneous shove of a couple of electric motors, means the short-wheelbase IQ can get from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, which is just 0.2 seconds behind the far more purpose-built V, according to Car and Driver. Because of the way electric motors are able to go from 0 power to all the power in the world instantaneously, I’ll be honest, the electric Escalade feels quicker. Obviously, the V is more dramatic, and it does a better job of pulling as speeds continue to climb, but the acceleration difference between these two is negligible at best.
Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik
Without a doubt, the IQL wallows a bit more in the corner than the Escalade-V does; its suspension just isn’t meant for any sort of performance driving, but honestly, the V’s isn’t sporty enough to really make up that difference.
It isn’t just the sheer speed that makes the Escalade IQL a better place to spend your time than the V, even though they’re largely the same from the driver’s seat. It’s the goddamn engine. Yes, I know this will sound sort of crazy coming from me — a guy who loves loud cars and big V8s — but Jesus Christ, it never shuts up. Even in the dual-mode exhaust’s quietest setting, it’s still loud as hell, with pops and crackles as you go up and down the 10-speed gearbox.
Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik
As is true for all EVs, when you aren’t hooning the Escalade IQL, it’s completely silent. Yes, there are some pumped-in noises you can mess around with, but if you don’t want those on, they don’t have to be on. It makes for an incredibly serene driving experience, and it’s not something you can replicate on even the most expensive and refined combustion-engine-powered car. However, that sort of low noise floor is something you’ll find in cheapish EVs. There’s something so wonderful about wafting along in silence, especially when you’re cocooned in 9,200 pounds of leather, wood and metal.
An industry in transition
While the Escalade IQ itself isn’t going away anytime soon (unless there’s something GM isn’t telling us, as the company did just lay off 1,500 people at the factory where it’s built), the IQL and the Escalade-V represent two sides of the same coin in the industry. It’s just that one does it much better, and nobody seems to really care. That’s why we just watched Ford scrap its all-electric F-150 Lightning in favor of an extended-range EV. Stellantis has been canceling its EV plans left and right, Volkswagen has been looking to bring more hybrids to the States as its EV business flounders, and no automaker can get away from the fact that the $7,500 EV tax credit dying in the U.S. hurt sales tremendously.
Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik
In the backdrop, we’ve got President Trump doing everything he can to stop the growth of EVs at home and the EU just proposed an end to its 2035 ICE car ban. A seismic shift is happening, and it’s going to mean more cars like the Escalade-V on the road and fewer like the IQL. I know many people will argue that these cars are both too big and expensive (base prices start at $179,335 for the Escalade-V and $136,915 for the Escalade IQL, including destination), but the point I’m trying to make isn’t about these two cars specifically. It’s about what they represent.
Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik
One is an old, outdated, and frankly obnoxious way of getting from point A to point B. Yes, it can be a lot of fun in small doses, but there’s a better way. The electric IQL shows us there’s a more serene way for you and six of your closest friends to spend some time together as you waft down the highway. Oh, and when you pull up alongside an Escalade-V at a stoplight, you just might be able to beat them in a race down the street… silently.
