In America, we’re accustomed to excess, and that’s somewhat of what you get in Cadillac’s largest and longest SUV ever, the new Escalade IQL, which happens to be fully electric. Since its introduction, the new Escalade IQ and longer IQL variant have captivated many with being large and literally in ‘charge.’

Powering the new Cadillac Escalade IQL is the largest battery you can find in a consumer vehicle, a 205 kW unit that combines a couple of 400-volt units together for an 800-volt setup that energizes two motors for a total output of 750 horsepower and 785 lb-ft of torque. That power comes on smoothly and gets this electrified mammoth that weighs around 9,000 pounds up to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. With all that weight shifting around the Escalade, IQL surprisingly handles well for its size and heft, where you have suspension tuning that doesn’t allow the body to loft around. In fact, the Escalade IQL rides like a dream, dampening road imperfections, which is a combination of having the air suspension and magnetic dampers, along with the 24-inch tires that have a rather large sidewall. Yes, these are some serious tires, ones that are fundamentally rated for heavy-duty trucks and inflated to around 70 psi, but you get none of that body jiggle or roughness you’d find in comparable body-on-frame SUVs or heavy-duty trucks. In all, the Escalade IQL rides better than any large SUV I’ve driven, even with the 24-inch wheels.

There’s no other way to put it, the Escalade IQL is a lot of vehicle, and there’s a lot of engineering that made such a vehicle possible, all with making it a cohesive luxury package that doesn’t falter. Engineers seemingly thought of just about everything from its almost aggressive all-wheel-steering to virtually shortening the long 136.2-inch wheelbase and 19-feet of luxurious body work, to the air suspension that lowers the large SUV for easy entry and exit. Even the braking, either through on-demand braking regen by pulling on a steering wheel paddle or normal braking, feels natural and substantial for such a large and heavy vehicle. There’s also a one-pedal driving mode that works well after a short learning curve. Surprisingly, there’s a taste of torque steer if you accelerate hard and have the slightest turn of the steering angle. Such a trait seems as if the electric motors are attempting to shift the weight transfer, but you must slightly fight back in your steering at times during such a time.

The power from the Escalade IQL also permits towing up to 7,500 pounds, but you’ll greatly cut your range, just as we’ve seen with other EVs.

As far as electric range and efficiency, the Cadillac Escalade IQL pulls some amazing feats in having an estimated range of 460 miles. With such a number, range anxiety mostly evaporates, but charging it up is somewhat of an experience when you have such a large battery. With such, the Escalade IQL can fast charge, up to a rate of 350 kW using a capable DC fast charger via CCS connection or using the Tesla NACS adaptor. Such a speed is essential to charge up the massive battery to about 80% in a reasonable amount of time, which takes about 40 minutes from about a 5% state of charge. Now, when it comes to charging up at home using a level 2 charger, you’re going to want to plan some things out, as a simple overnight charge may not suffice to charge up the Escalade IQL to 100%, as you’re looking at just over 13 hours using a 50-amp unit at a level of 11.5 kW.

For the rate at which the Escalade IQL uses electricity, which comes out to about 59 MPGe combined, but I found real-world driving to come in as high as 2.3 miles per kWh when you’re in town and keep off the highway, which equates to around 77 MPGe. Either way, real-world driving will yield about 460 miles out of a full charge in mixed driving situations and slightly lower if you drive only on the highway and interstate.

The interior space of the Escalade IQL is massive and form-fitting of its exclusive electric platform, which has allowed Cadillac to do things a little differently from the gas-powered Escalade. A lot of the equipment found in the gas-powered sibling carries into the Escalade IQL, including the large 55-inch infotainment screen setup, along with other highlighted amenities that make the Escalade the American standard in the luxury SUV segment that it is known for.

The seating areas are spacious with the welcoming heating, ventilation, and massaging functions up front. The “L” part of the Escalade IQL benefits from offering up slightly more space out back, adding to the appeal of having 7 seating and some cargo capacity to spare. Speaking of cargo room, there’s the added bonus of having a massive front trunk (frunk), which is accessible by a power opening and closing front hood. This space is a hidden gem adding as much as 12.2 cubic feet of storage making the Escalade IQL even more versatile and poised as the ultimate luxury EV SUV cruiser.

Functionality of the many luxury features comes with redundancy through the touchscreen, physical control knob, and buttons found on the center console. There is a bevy of other add-ons that add to the appeal, such as an active cooler under the center console and the massively sized glass panel roof, which is somewhat of a love or hate thing, as it allows the sun to beat down on you and is only resolved by placing a manual latching shade in place. The glass roof sunshade is cumbersome as you must physically unfold it and clip it into place – something that feels rather odd in a vehicle that costs over $150,000. Here, Cadillac could have integrated a power sunshade at least, and I call them out for this misstep. The other misstep that I consider is once again not having Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone integration for the new lineup of GM’s EV vehicles. You may get Apple Music now embedded into the Google/Android-powered infotainment system, along with the installation of Android apps. Still, there are many like me who will miss the ease of Apple CarPlay’s integration into the mix. Otherwise, making wise use of the same platform that underpins and powers GM’s Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, and Hummer EV, but adorned in the luxury plushness of the Escalade, is a respected move, and I can’t knock them for being this bold.

As far as advanced tech, Cadillac sticks with tradition in bringing the latest SuperCruise hands-free driving to the Escalade IQL, which works wonderfully without fault in normal conditions on pre-mapped roads. The power doors, which often prove to be a novelty for some when you simply want the door to open to your desired spot, are clever in their ability to stop before hitting a vehicle that you’re parked next to or bumping into your body.

At the upper echelon for an EV, the Cadillac Escalade IQL may be overkill for some, but for those who like living large and in (full) charge, this is the king of the hill and the largest electrified SUV you can buy right now. “Large” seems to be the theme here, and such is carried into its pricing at $158,745 for my nicely loaded Escalade IQL Premium Luxury test vehicle, which can easily crest $200K if you opt for the Curated by Cadillac bespoke customization options, giving you a wide palette of unique colors and accouterments to choose from.