The 2026 Electric Escalade IQL: A Week with the Monstrous SUV
Before heading on a trip to Tahoe last weekend, GM offered me the use of the company’s 9,000-pound monument to excess – the new 2026 electric Escalade IQL (starting at $130,405) – for a week to test-drive. Before you continue, note that I’m not a professional car reviewer. TechCrunch has excellent transportation writers; I am not one of them. I do, however, drive an electric car.
First Impressions: Size and Styling
I was immediately game. I’d first glimpsed one last summer at a car show, where some regional car dealers had stationed themselves at the end of a long field dotted with exquisite vintage automobiles. My immediate reaction was “Jesus, that’s enormous,” followed by a surprising admiration for its design, which, despite its enormous scale, shows restraint. For lack of a better word, I’m going to say it’s “strapping.” Its proportions just work.
However, my excitement waned pretty quickly when the car was dropped off at my house a day before our departure time. This thing is a monstrosity — at 228.5 inches long and 94.1 inches wide, it made our own cars look like toys. My first apartment in San Francisco was smaller. Trying to drive it up my driveway was a little harrowing, too; it’s so big, and its hood is so high, that if you’re ascending a road at a certain slope – we live midway down a hill; our mailbox is at the top of it – you can’t see whatever is directly in front of the car.
Getting Comfortable with the Tank
I contemplated just leaving it in the driveway for the duration of the trip. The alternative was to grow more comfortable with the prospect of driving it 200 miles to Tahoe City, so I tool around in it that night and the next day, picking up dinner and heading to an exercise class — just basic stuff around town. When I ran into a friend on the street, I volunteered as quickly as possible that this was not my new car and that I was going to possibly review it; was its size ridiculous? It felt like a tank. I had to wonder: other than hotels that use SUVs like the Escalade to ferry guests around, what kind of monster chooses a car like this?
Five days later, it turns out that I am that kind of monster.
Image Credits:Connie Loizos
Performance in Adverse Conditions
Look, I don’t know how or when I fell for this car. If I’d written this review after two days, it would read very differently. Even now, I’m not so blind that I don’t see its shortcomings. The Escalade’s performance in a terrible snowstorm really won my heart, but let me walk you through the steps between “Ugh, this car is a tank” and “Yes! This car is a tank.”
Just getting into it requires a little more exertion than would seem to make sense. I’m fairly athletic and I still found myself wondering if this thing shouldn’t come with an automated step stool.
Inside is where digital maximalism does its work. The dashboard boasts a 55-inch curved LED screen with 8K resolution, functioning more like a situation room than a car display. Front passengers receive their own screens. Second-row passengers enjoy stowable tray tables, dual wireless chargers, and — in the most lavish version of the car — massage seats that will make them forget they’re in a vehicle at all. Navigation is handled seamlessly via Google Maps. The polarized screen technology is commendable: while one of my kids binge-watched Hulu in the front seat, not a frame of it leaked into my sightline from behind the wheel.
The cabin is designed to ensure that no one inside feels crowded, and it delivers remarkably well. Front legroom stretches to 45.2 inches; the second row offers 41.3; even the third row manages 32.3 inches. Seven adults could comfortably share this machine for an extended duration without fraying each other’s nerves. Heated and ventilated leather seats with 14-way power adjustment are standard in the first two rows, and the whole system runs on 5G Wi-Fi.
Driving Technologies and Sound Experience
The Escalade also comes standard with Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free driving system. True car reviewers seem to appreciate it; when I tried it, however, the car felt alarmingly drift-prone between the lane boundaries, triggering a series of warnings. This included a red steering wheel icon, seat pulsing alerts, and a chime that signifies a “driver takeover request.”
And did I mention the 38-speaker AKG Studio sound system? It’s simply outstanding.
The exterior is a handsome, albeit imposing, giant. At first, I found the grille — which is purely ornamental — almost comically overwhelming. This SUV is undoubtedly designed for individuals who want to exude authority or perhaps just want to appear significant while dealing with existential crises. Pulling up to a glass-fronted restaurant one night, I may have inadvertently blinded half the diners as the Escalade’s headlights flooded through the windows.
Moreover, there’s a light show launched whenever the vehicle detects your approach via the key or the MyCadillac app. It’s as if the car is greeting you, “Hey, chief, where we headed?” before you even touch the door handle. This feature comes courtesy of the vehicle’s “advanced, all-LED exterior lighting system,” highlighted by a “crystal shield” illuminated grille and crest, alongside vertical LED headlamps and “choreography-capable tail lamps.”
Navigating Downfalls
Despite its size, the Escalade IQL is surprisingly nimble. It isn’t “sports car darting through traffic” nimble, but more like, “I can’t quite believe this colossal vehicle doesn’t handle like a battleship” nimble.
Yet, there are notable frustrations. The front trunk — or “frunk” as EV enthusiasts call it — operates in perplexing and frustrating ways. Opening it requires holding the button until it’s fully raised. If you release it prematurely, it stops mid-ascent, forcing you to restart the entire process. Closing works similarly. Conversely, the rear trunk functions via two distinct taps followed by immediate abandonment of the button. Hold too long, and it simply won’t respond.
Twice, the vehicle refused to power down after I completed my drive. The car remained running even when shifted to park, necessitating some peculiar commands involving the frunk to finally shut it off.
As for the software experience, it’s fine, except for those accustomed to Tesla’s platform. After using a Tesla, everything else somehow feels like a compromise. It seems a common sentiment among those who balance a Tesla with another electric vehicle, regardless of its high-end status.
Charging Challenges
This brings us to what I consider the nadir of the trip: charging in Tahoe during winter. For all its merits, the Escalade IQL is undeniably a thirsty machine. With a battery capacity of 205 kWh — enormous by any standard — it’s necessary for a vehicle that consumes roughly 45 kWh per 100 miles, considerably more than similar electric SUVs. Cadillac estimates a range of 460 miles on a full charge, but ideal conditions are required for that to hold up. Unfortunately, Tahoe in winter is hardly ideal.
After arriving with less charge than anticipated and navigating side trips, we genuinely needed to charge by the time we reached the Supercharger in Tahoe City. Plugging into the designated stall yielded no results. We discovered that even Tesla stations accepting non-Tesla vehicles throttle energy to 6 kilowatts per hour. Meanwhile, a nearby EVGo station had closed a month earlier, and ChargePoint’s two units in the Tahoe City Public Utility lot were either broken or merely connected without actual charging. The drive to Incline Village, 35 miles away, seemed increasingly risky, and we ultimately found salvation in an Electrify America station 12 miles away.
There, we charged while fighting exhaustion, and it worked. However, the following morning revealed a different issue: tire pressure dropped to 53 and 56 PSI in the front (with a recommended 61), and 62 PSI in the rear (with a recommended 68). I’m unsure if the car was delivered that way or whether other factors were at play; regardless, someone stood at a gas station filling tires while braving icy winds (that someone was my husband). Fortunately, the tires held steady after that, even as the week unfolded.
The Snowy Serenity and Personal Revelations
Despite the hurdles, the Escalade IQL proved to be undeniably luxurious and ideal for families of four or more who prioritize space and technology. It certainly comes with notable trade-offs, such as forward visibility issues due to its commanding hood, parking challenges inherent to its dimensions, limited charging infrastructure due to its high consumption, and tires that bear the weight of 9,000 pounds. I might have previously claimed it was a beautiful car, but that it wasn’t for me.
But as the snow kept falling, and in just two days eight feet had accumulated, the ability to ski — the trip’s main intention — became increasingly difficult. Surprisingly, my apprehension turned to calm. With the Escalade’s weight and stability, it felt like driving a tank through the snow. What could have felt harrowing transformed into a serene experience. The cabin was quiet, strong, and confidently guiding us through bad weather.
By the end of my time with the Escalade, I had acclimated to its size and stopped apologizing to those waiting for me to navigate my parking challenges. I realized how much I enjoyed the elevated driving position, the premium sound system enveloping the cabin, and even the car’s light show, which still mesmerized me.
The frunk remains perplexing, and I won’t forget the anxiety of failing to charge at planned locations. Parking can be a test of patience, and I have strong views on overconsumption. Yet, I found myself wanting this car in a way that surprised me. When GM’s representative comes to collect it, I might seriously consider hiding it under a very large tarp and insisting they have the wrong address.
Image Credit: techcrunch.com
