Cadillac’s best-selling vehicle is a full-size SUV, and just in case it’s not big enough, the company also makes a fuller-sized SUV. They’re about to replicate that pair with electric vehicles (EVs). The Escalade has been the brand’s signature model for years, with the extended-length Escalade ESV for those who need even more space.
Last year, the company introduced an electric equivalent of the Escalade, the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ. You probably know what’s coming next.
Yesterday, Cadillac introduced the inevitable – a stretched Escalade IQ, the 2026 Cadillac Escalade IQL. It offers more cargo space, more third-row legroom, and unique styling to set it apart. It’s also likely the most expensive thing to appear on your local Cadillac sales lot unless your neighborhood dealership is one of the few to get a $300,000 ultra-luxury Celestiq to show off.
More Third-Row Room, Cargo Space
The 2026 Cadillac Escalade IQL starts at $132,695, including the destination charge. Production is to start midyear.
The Escalade IQ is more than just an Escalade with a battery. With a sports-car-like 0-60 mph time of just 5 seconds, a monstrous 750 horsepower at every trim level, and a stunning 55-inch dashboard display, it’s arguably a more impressive luxury vehicle than even the classic Eskie.
Cadillac saw little reason to improve on those figures for the Escalade IQL. The stretched electric model gets a virtually identical cabin from the driver’s seat and all the same mechanical parts as the standard IQ.
Most of what’s new is in the third-row. The rearmost passengers get an extra 4.4 inches of legroom, an extra inch of headroom, and nearly an additional inch of shoulder room. The cargo area behind their seats grows from 23.7 to 24.2 cubic feet. Third-row seats are power-folding.
The additional space comes thanks to a longer tail and a slightly more upright rear pillar, giving the IQL a boxier design, but only if you look closely.
If you’re buying the model with extra passenger space, you might want to invest in the Executive Second Row package, which adds a jaw-dropping 42 speaker AKG sound system, as well as heated and ventilated seats, 12.6-inch screens, and stowable tray tables for second-row passengers.