2025 Cadillac Escalade ESV

American values writ large on four wheels, the 2025 Cadillac Escalade ESV isn’t just a large luxury SUV; it’s the only Cadillac that’s bigger than a regular Escalade. The ESV offers three rows of abundant passenger space, a cargo area reminiscent of the Great Plains, and enough leather to clothe a touring rock band, plus the latest technology and safety equipment, all in a surprisingly easy-to-drive package despite its roughly apartment-like dimensions.

The shorter, smaller variant is reviewed separately, as is the all-electric Cadillac Escalade IQ.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of full-size luxury SUVs, including the Cadillac Escalade ESV.

As the midcycle refresh for the Escalade ESV (this generation was launched for the 2021 model year), the 2025 Escalade ESV sees a range of interior and exterior upgrades, plus new equipment and technology. The front and rear of the vehicle’s exterior are freshened, with details drawn from the Celestiq and Lyriq EVs, including a standard illuminated crest in the grille. Also new are 24-inch wheels, the largest yet offered on an Escalade, and a range of new exterior colors.

The 2025 Escalade ESV’s cabin draws on the Escalade IQ’s aesthetic and technology, including a full-width 55-inch display, AKG 19-speaker audio, and standard Super Cruise. An Executive Second Row package adds luxury and productivity features.

The Escalade ESV’s popular Premium Luxury trim starts just above the $100,000 mark, putting it in direct competition with the Lincoln Navigator L, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer L, and, to a degree, the somewhat smaller and slightly more affordable Mercedes-Benz GLS.

Before buying a new Escalade ESV, be sure to check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really be paying. The Escalade’s resale values are average for its class. Recouping more money when you sell your vehicle can mean more money to roll into the next one, allowing you to buy a nicer car, have lower payments, or both.

Amply powerful and delightfully refined, the 2025 Escalade ESV is both responsive and smooth from the driver’s seat. It’s not the most powerful or quickest full-size SUV around — the Navigator L and Grand Wagoneer L both offer more power — but it’s as powerful as it needs to be, and few will ever dig into its vast reserves.

The Escalade ESV is also surprisingly easy to drive and maneuver, despite its length and capacious interior. On the open highway, it’s a stable, comfortable devourer of miles.

Of course, if you should somehow find yourself needing a 3-row SUV that can tow a boat and also hit 60 mph in about 4.4 seconds, there’s the 682-hp Escalade-V ESV, a truly maniacal masterpiece of engineering excess.

Fuel Economy

Despite its extra size, the 2025 Escalade ESV pays no penalty in terms of gas mileage, rating the same as its smaller counterpart at 17 mpg combined in rear-wheel-drive (RWD) form, or 16 mpg combined with 4-wheel drive (4WD). That’s exactly on par with the Grand Wagoneer L and Navigator L, which also get 17 mpg combined ratings. The smaller Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 gets 21 mpg, but upgrading to the more powerful GLS 580 with its V8 engine nets just 16 mpg combined.

The Escalade ESV’s cabin is an impressive space, and not just because it’s so vast. Material quality is excellent, and the dash-spanning screen, infotainment touchscreen, and digital instrument cluster add the glossy sheen of the cutting edge. Even the Escalade ESV’s head-up display is handsome, with bright colors and easy adjustments.

The second row is nearly as spacious as the front, with 41.7 inches of legroom, on par with the Navigator L and about an inch less than the Grand Wagoneer L. The Escalade ESV’s third row is spacious, offering 36.6 inches of legroom, a bit less than the Navigator L or the Grand Wagoneer L, but about 1.7 inches more than the non-ESV Escalade.

Cargo volume is one of the Escalade ESV’s greatest strengths in the segment, with its 142.8 cubic feet of maximum volume and 41.5 cubic feet behind the third row both near the top of the class. The Grand Wagoneer L, for example, offers about 10 cubic feet less total cargo capacity, but also has about 3 cubic feet more space behind the third row. The Navigator L is a bit smaller, offering 36.1 cubic feet behind the third row and 121.6 cubic feet overall.

Inimitably and unmistakably a Cadillac, the Escalade ESV is a large, tall, long, well-proportioned full-size SUV that wears its bold design elements with grace. For 2025, that exterior has been updated with newly vertical LED lighting, unique grille treatments for different trims, and the newly available 24-inch wheels — the largest ever offered for the Escalade.

The new paint shades available for 2025 add to the premium aesthetic with the deep gray-green Aegean Stone, a gold-flecked blue called Deep Sea Metallic, or the light bronze Latte Metallic.

55-inch digital dashboard
This massive screen is impressive in itself, and it provides access to a comprehensive suite of tech, including night vision, available on the V-Series and Platinum trims.

Super Cruise
Hands-free driving is not only possible, it’s pleasant, and available on hundreds of thousands of miles of mapped roadways, and the system is now standard on the Escalade ESV. In our testing, Super Cruise is easily among the top hands-free systems.

AKG audio system
With 19 speakers, even the “standard” AKG audio system in the 2025 Escalade ESV is impressive, but if you’re a genuine audiophile — or you just like to max things out — higher trims get a 36-speaker system, and a 40-speaker version is available if you opt for the Executive Second Row package.

Magnetic Ride Control
This adaptive suspension system becomes standard equipment in the Premium Luxury trim and higher models. Enhancing both comfort and control, it is well worth the price of entry.

Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist
As easy as the Escalade ESV is to maneuver for something its size, it is still quite sizable. So no surprise that a system that lets the ESV park itself is a welcome companion, especially in tricky or tight spaces.

Power-operated doors
This power-opening door system, standard in the Platinum and V-Series models, takes soft-close doors to the next level, adding the ability to open as you approach with the key fob, for example. All four doors can be opened or closed with the touch of a button.

All non-V-series Escalade ESVs share an engine: the brand’s familiar and potent 6.2-liter V8 rated for 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Rear-wheel drive is standard, with available 4-wheel drive.

The Escalade-V ESV, however, gets a supercharged version of the same engine rated at 682 hp and 653 lb-ft of torque. The ESV V comes with standard all-wheel drive.

Both versions of the ESV use a 10-speed automatic transmission. When properly configured, the Escalade ESV can tow up to 7,100 pounds.

Warranty

The Escalade ESV is covered by Cadillac’s new-vehicle warranty for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever happens first. This is a typical warranty duration for the luxury segment. The vehicle’s first scheduled maintenance is free, and Cadillac also includes roadside assistance and a powertrain warranty for six years or 70,000 miles.

Safety

Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has crash-tested the refreshed Escalade or Escalade ESV, but the pre-refresh version earned a 4-Star rating from NHTSA. Standard safety equipment includes automatic emergency braking with forward collision warning and pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assistance, a 360-degree camera system, and Super Cruise hands-free driving.