The Complete Guide to Cadillac: Every SUV, Sedan and EV, Explained

How to tell your CTs from your XTs and your IQs.

Cadillac

Cadillac is General Motors’s luxury division. Currently based in Warren, Michigan, the Cadillac Automobile Company was founded in 1902 from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company (after Henry Ford left). General Motors bought the brand in 1909.

Cadillac established itself as America’s premier automotive manufacturer during the first half of the 20th century, with a particular emphasis on engine technology. It was so successful that the company became a byword for grandeur, which we still use today: the Cadillac of “___.”

However, poor business decisions in the 1980s and increased luxury market competition from abroad tarnished Cadillac’s reputation and left it somewhat behind its luxury rivals.

Cadillac has undergone successive reinventions and nomenclature changes, focusing on performance and crossovers.

Since then, Cadillac has undergone successive reinventions and nomenclature changes, focusing on performance in the 2000s and crossovers in the 2010s. 

The 2020s will see Cadillac spearhead GM’s hard push into electric vehicles. What that will mean — for a brand still dominated by V8 performance and combustion crossovers — remains unclear, however, we already have our first clues in the form of today’s current Cadillac models.

Cadillac SUV Models

2024 Cadillac XT4

cadillac xt4
The 2024 Cadillac XT4
Cadillac

The XT4 is Cadillac’s subcompact crossover. It debuted for the 2019 model year.

We loved its looks in testing and found it sufficiently luxurious. It’s not quite as sporty as some of its rivals but makes up for it with a lower price tag.

Models

  • Luxury
  • Premium Luxury
  • Sport

Engine

  • Turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four (235 hp, 258 lb-ft)

Base MSRP: $37,895

2024 Cadillac XT5

cadillac xt5 suv
The 2024 Cadillac XT5
Cadillac

The XT5 is Cadillac’s compact crossover. It debuted for the 2017 model year. The XT5 is longer than the XT4 with more cargo space and an available V6 engine.

We found it an agreeable companion in testing but wished it had more space. It can hold children or gear … but not both.

Cadillac has said that the 2024 model year will be the last for the XT5 in the US. 

Models

  • Luxury
  • Premium Luxury
  • Sport

Engine

  • Turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four (235 hp, 258 lb-ft)
  • 3.6-liter V6 (310 hp, 271 lb-ft)

Base MSRP: $44,295

2025 Cadillac XT6

cadillac xt6 suv
The 2025 Cadillac XT6
Cadillac

The XT6 is Cadillac’s midsize crossover with three seating for seven occupants.

The Premium Luxury and Sport trims can be specced with the same six-cylinder engine as the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave, giving it a bit less oomph than rival midsize options from Mercedes and BMW.

Models

  • Luxury
  • Premium Luxury
  • Sport

Engines

  • Turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four (235 hp, 258 lb-ft)
  • 3.6-liter V6 (310 hp, 271 lb-ft)

Base MSRP: $49,195

2025 Cadillac Escalade

cadillac escalade
The 2025 Cadillac Escalade
Cadillac

The Escalade is Cadillac’s flagship, full-size luxury SUV. It’s the brand’s most expensive and best-selling vehicle, with Cadillac selling nearly 40,000 of them per year.

In testing, we’ve found multiple versions of the Escalade to be spacious, luxurious and tech-forward — if not especially fuel-efficient.

The Escalade V model bumps the power to 682 hp and 653 lb-ft of torque and the starting price to around $150,000. 

Models

  • Luxury
  • Premium Luxury
  • Premium Luxury Platinum
  • Sport
  • Sport Platinum
  • Escalade V

Engines

  • 6.2-liter V8 (420 hp, 460 lb-ft)
  • Supercharged 6.2-liter V8 (682 hp, 653 lb-ft)
  • 3.0-liter inline-six turbo diesel (277 hp, 460 lb-ft)

Base MSRP: $81,895

Cadillac Sedan Models

2025 Cadillac CT4

Cadillac ct4
The 2025 Cadillac CT4
Cadillac

The CT4 is Cadillac’s smaller compact sedan that debuted in 2020 as a replacement for the departed ATS.

The apex predator of the lineup is the CT4-V Blackwing, which packs 472 hp and is tuned for track duty. In testing, we found it nimble, precise and a bit more usable than the CT5-V Blackwing.

Models

  • Luxury
  • Premium Luxury 
  • Sport
  • CT4-V 
  • CT4-V Blackwing

Engines

  • Turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four (237 hp, 258 lb-ft)
  • Turbocharged 2.7-liter inline-four (310-25 hp, 350-80 lb-ft)
  • Twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 (472 hp, 445 lb-ft)

Base MSRP: $36,390

2025 Cadillac CT5

Cadillac CT5
The 2025 Cadillac CT5
Cadillac

The CT5 is Cadillac’s larger mid-size sedan that launched for the 2020 model year.

The lineup features the monstrous CT5-V Blackwing, which lets you wield its 668-hp supercharged V8 with a 6-speed manual.

Although opportunities to truly uncork that on public roads in testing were few and far between.

Models

  • Premium Luxury
  • Sport
  • CT5-V
  • CT5-V Blackwing

Engines

  • Turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four (237 hp, 258 lb-ft)
  • Twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 (360 hp, 405 lb-ft)
  • Supercharged 6.2-liter V8 (668 hp, 659 lb-ft)

Base MSRP: $47,595

Cadillac EV Models

2024 Cadillac Lyriq

cadillac lyric ev
The 2024 Cadillac Lyriq
Cadillac

The Lyriq is Cadillac’s first electric car. It’s a mid size crossover based on the GM Ultium platform that debuted for the 2023 model year.

Models with an MSRP below $80,000 qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit

Models

  • Tech
  • Luxury
  • Sport

Electric Motors

  • Single-Motor RWD: (340 hp, 325 lb-ft, 314-mile range)
  • Dual-Motor AWD: (500 hp, 450 lb-ft, 307-mile range)

Base MSRP: $57,195

2025 Cadillac Optiq

cadillac optiq ev
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq
Cadillac

The Optiq is the newest vehicle to join Cadillac’s EV lineup. It is a compact electric SUV built on GM’s Ultium EV platform, slotting below the Lyriq.

It debuts as a 2025 model year vehicle with a dual motor AWD powertrain packing 300 miles of range.

Models

  • Sport 1
  • Sport 2
  • Luxury 1
  • Luxury 2

Electric Motors

  • Single-Motor RWD: (340 hp, 325 lb-ft, 314-mile range)

Base MSRP: $54,000

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
Cadillac

Cadillac has revealed the Escalade IQ. It’s a three-row electric SUV. Cadillac says it packs 460 miles of range and up to 750 horsepower in Velocity Max mode.

It will enter production in 2024 as a 2025 model year vehicle. 

Models

  • Sport 1
  • Sport 2
  • Luxury 1
  • Luxury 2

Electric Motors

  • Dual-Motor RWD: (750 hp, 785 lb-ft, 460-mile range)

Base MSRP: $130,000

Cadillac Celestiq

blue Cadillac celestiq ev
The Cadillac Celestiq
Cadillac

The Celestiq is Cadillac’s flagship electric car. It’s a full-size, five-seater liftback.

Vehicles start north of $300,000 — a price tag that will rival the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley — and are personally commissioned and hand-built.

Models

  • Dual-Motor AWD: (600 hp, 640 lb-ft, ~300-mile range)

Base MSRP: $340,000 (estimated)

Key Cadillac Terms to Know

  • CT: Cadillac Touring. It’s used for sedans, like the CT4 and CT5.
  • Northstar: This was a powerful and technically sophisticated Cadillac V8 engine used between 1992 and 2011. Intended to help Cadillac compete with German and Japanese rivals, it was well-regarded when running but prone to costly repairs.
  • Super Cruise: This is GM’s Level 2 hands-free autonomous driving system (arguably the industry standard). It started on Cadillacs but is now slowly diffusing throughout the GM lineup.
  • V: V is Cadillac’s performance division, like BMW M or Mercedes AMG. V — in the CT4-V, CT5-V now represents a high-performance car than the base model (but not an all-out track monster).
  • V Blackwing: Previously “V” meant the highest-performance version. Now, those proper V models are referred to as “V Blackwings.” So, the successor to the CTS-V in the modern Cadillac lineup is the CT5-V Blackwing.
  • XT: Crossover Touring. This denotes a Cadillac SUV like the XT4, XT5 and XT6.

When is Cadillac going all-electric?

The charging port of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
The charging port of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
Cadillac

General Motors plans to be all-electric by 2035. Cadillac had previously set a goal of becoming an all-electric manufacturer by 2030.

However, owing to recent slowdowns in EV purchasing, GM CEO Mary Barra has slightly changed that messaging, saying that Cadillac will “have a portfolio of all-electric vehicles in 2030.” This avoids an absolute commitment to the death of internal combustion Cadillacs by 2030.

Current SUVs and sedans will be phased out over the 2020s and replaced by electric vehicles. Expect the popular Escalade to be the last one to fully abandon combustion.

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