The 2027 Cadillac Escalade IQ and IQL are the battery-powered versions of the iconic Escalade, offering impressive range and performance. The IQ and slightly longer IQL versions are completely different Escalades underneath, with more mechanical commonality with GM's big electric pickups than with their gas-powered namesake.
Dual electric motors provide all-wheel drive and up to 750 horsepower. A massive battery pack delivers up to a claimed 465 miles of range, and recharging is speedy. Like the regular Escalade, the IQ/IQL is a luxurious conveyance with three rows of seats. It's also an expensive proposition, starting at well over $100,000.
View Price on AmazonExpert Tip: If you really want to go electric with a three-row family vehicle, but the Escalade's sheer size is a bridge too far, consider the Cadillac Vistiq. We expect to see no significant changes to the Escalade IQ and IQL for 2027.
The Escalade IQ is all-wheel drive and generates as much as 750 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque. That's only in Velocity Max drive mode, which unlocks peak output for as long as you keep it enabled, rather than a brief boost mode common in other EVs. Outside of that mode, the Escalade IQ makes a mere 680 horsepower.
The Escalade IQ far outweighs its 6290-pound V-8-powered alternative, crushing the scales with its 9120-pound curb weight. When we drove the Escalade IQ, we found that it offers a plush ride but discombobulated, unsettled handling. The steering is vague and requires lots of corrections, and the body moves around a lot over pavement undulations.
In Comparison: In our testing, the Escalade IQ got to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, while the IQL took 4.7 seconds. Both figures are quick, given the mega-SUV's sheer tonnage. However, the junior-sibling Cadillac Vistiq is quicker (3.6 seconds), as is the Lucid Gravity Touring (3.7 seconds).
What good is a rolling monolith if it can't pull its towering toys behind it? No problem, says the Cadillac Escalade IQ's 8000-pound towing capacity. That's only 200 pounds behind the 8200-pound max towing capacity of the gas-powered Escalade.
The long-wheelbase IQL can tow up to 7500 pounds. But the real challenge of using an EV to tow isn't so much weight as it is the massively diminished driving range caused by the additional weight and rolling resistance.
The EPA doesn't provide a driving range estimate for the Cadillac Escalade IQ—it's over the weight limit where that is required—but GM claims that the IQ can travel 465 miles on a single charge, while the IQL is good for 460 miles. To do it, the Escalade IQ and IQL use a huge 205-kWh battery pack. On our own 75-mph highway driving range test, the Escalade IQ achieved 380 miles.
Once it's time to recharge this giant battery, the Escalade's 800-volt architecture supports DC fast-charging rates that can supposedly deliver a gain of 116 miles of range in 10 minutes. When charging at a Level 2 charger, the IQ is good for 19.2 kW AC, or roughly 36.5 miles of range per hour.
Source: caranddriver.com
