2025 Cadillac Escalade vs 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe presented a bold departure from its predecessors, showcasing a design that was both unique and upscale. While previous models hinted at a futuristic aesthetic, the Santa Fe embraced a boxier shape, prioritizing storage capacity without sacrificing elegance. This design choice was a nod to Hyundai's commitment to forward-looking technology and efficiency, as articulated by design chief SangYup Lee. The Santa Fe's exterior was further enhanced by a sophisticated palette of colours and anodized-finish badging, with various trims offering different wheel sizes to complement its upscale appearance. Inside, the Santa Fe impressed with premium styling, particularly in the all-terrain XRT and Ultimate Calligraphy trims, where luxurious materials and thoughtful design choices created a comfortable and elegant cabin environment.

In contrast, the 2025 Cadillac Escalade continued to embody old-school luxury while integrating modern design elements. The updated front end brought the gasoline Escalade closer in style to Cadillac's electric vehicles, featuring large vertical headlights and distinctive taillights reminiscent of classic Cadillac tailfins. The Escalade offered both standard and long-wheelbase configurations, with the latter providing additional cargo space and third-row legroom. Inside, Cadillac focused on differentiating the Escalade from its GM siblings with a screen-centric interior design, highlighted by a massive 55-inch display spanning the dashboard. The Escalade's interior was further elevated with high-quality materials and curated motifs, offering a luxurious experience for both driver and passengers.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe offered a unique approach to powertrains in Canada, with the hybrid powertrain as the entry-level option. The Preferred models featured a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid engine, delivering an estimated 231 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. Other models came with a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, coupled with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. All-wheel drive was standard across the lineup, and the Santa Fe offered various driving modes, including Normal, Sport, and Snow, with the XRT trim adding off-road capabilities. Fuel economy varied between the hybrid and gas powertrains, with the hybrid being more efficient. The Santa Fe's towing capacity reached up to 1,587 kilograms, with the XRT trim offering additional capacity due to enhanced cooling features.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade, meanwhile, dropped its diesel engine option, leaving the naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 as the primary engine, producing 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. The Escalade-V variant boasted a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 with 682 horsepower and 653 pound-feet of torque. All models featured a 10-speed automatic transmission, ensuring smooth and efficient power delivery. In Canada, four-wheel drive was standard, with the Escalade-V offering a performance-oriented all-wheel drive system. Despite its powerful engines, the Escalade's handling was limited by its body-on-frame construction, lacking the agility of some competitors. The optional Performance Upgrade Package, including Brembo brakes, enhanced the Escalade's braking performance, but the vehicle's overall dynamics remained more suited to comfort than sporty driving.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe's design focused on maximizing cargo space, with a longer wheelbase and body compared to its predecessor. This extra space was primarily allocated to the cargo area, designed for car camping and tailgating. Despite the emphasis on cargo, the Santa Fe maintained a comfortable interior, with spacious first and second rows. The third row was snug, typical for small to midsize SUVs, but the Santa Fe offered flexibility with seating configurations, including reclining captain's chairs. The cargo area provided 413 litres of space, expandable to 2,267 litres with seats folded, and featured practical touches like a UV sanitization compartment and flush grab handles for loading.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade offered generous interior space, particularly in the long-wheelbase ESV model, which extended cargo capacity and third-row legroom. The standard model provided 722 litres of cargo space behind the rear seats, expandable to 3,412 litres with seats folded. The Escalade's towing capacity reached 3,675 kilograms, competitive within its segment. Inside, the Escalade accommodated up to eight passengers, with options for second-row captain's chairs. While the Escalade excelled in first-row headroom and legroom, it faced competition in second and third-row space from rivals like the Lincoln Navigator. The Escalade's interior was designed for versatility, with power liftgate and folding seats simplifying cargo management.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe featured a curved panoramic display, a first in its segment, enhancing the cabin's luxurious feel. The touchscreen interface was intuitive, with crisp graphics and easy phone pairing via wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 12-speaker Bose stereo, dynamic voice recognition, and multiple USB ports were standard, with higher trims offering additional features like wireless charging. Hyundai's BlueLink system provided vehicle access and information, with upgraded functionality in trims above the base model, allowing for keyless entry and remote access via smartphone.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade embraced high-tech innovation with a 55-inch door-to-door display, integrating digital instruments, infotainment, and passenger screens. A separate touchscreen managed climate controls, complemented by a rotary dial. The Escalade offered a 19-speaker AKG audio system, with an optional 36-speaker upgrade and features like an augmented-reality head-up display and night vision. Cadillac balanced technology with usability, retaining standalone wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and incorporating haptic feedback for touch controls. The optional Executive Second Row Package added luxury features for rear passengers, including screens, wireless chargers, and massage seats.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe came equipped with a comprehensive suite of safety and driver-assistance features, standard across most trims. These included adaptive cruise control, forward collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot monitors, and lane-keep assist. Higher trims added features like a 360-degree camera system, blind-spot view monitor, and remote automatic parking. The Santa Fe also introduced driver monitoring, using an infrared camera and capacitive sensors to ensure driver alertness, with escalating warnings if attention waned.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade offered a robust array of standard safety features, including adaptive cruise control, blind-zone steering assist, and a 360-degree camera system. GM's Safety Alert Seat provided tactile warnings, and the Escalade featured Super Cruise, a hands-free driving system for mapped roads. While Super Cruise had improved, it still required manual control in certain situations. The Escalade's safety tech was comprehensive, though crash test ratings were unavailable at the time of writing.