2025 Cadillac Escalade vs 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan presented itself as a stylish and premium-looking compact SUV, especially when compared to its non-European competitors. Its design elements, such as standard LED headlights and taillights, along with an illuminated grille light line on the Highline R-Line trim, contributed to its upscale appearance. The exterior was further enhanced by silver roof rails on the tested Highline R-Line, while lower trims featured black rails. The rear end showcased the model name in a fashionable all-caps style, complemented by the classic Volkswagen badge. Colour options were limited on the base Trendline trim, but higher trims offered more vibrant choices, including blue and red, as well as various interior colourways.

Inside, the Tiguan offered a range of features across its trims. The base Trendline came with heated front seats and cloth upholstery, while the Comfortline added power driver’s seat adjustability and leatherette upholstery. The R-Line trims, available in Comfortline and Highline, included a panoramic sunroof, with the Highline R-Line further upgrading to real leather, front-seat ventilation, a heated steering wheel, and three-position driver’s seat memory. The Highline R-Line also provided eight-way power adjustability for the front passenger’s seat and heated outboard rear seats, enhancing the overall comfort and luxury feel of the vehicle.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade, on the other hand, embodied old-school Cadillac luxury with its updated design, distinguishing itself from its platform-sharing siblings, the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban and GMC Yukon/Yukon XL. The most significant exterior change was the new front end, aligning the gasoline Escalade stylistically with Cadillac's EVs. The headlights were large vertical bars with smaller horizontal daytime running lights, while the rear retained tall, vertical taillights reminiscent of classic Cadillac tailfins. The introduction of 24-inch wheels added to the vehicle's imposing presence.

Cadillac offered the Escalade in both standard and long-wheelbase ESV body styles, with various trim levels, including the performance-oriented Escalade-V. The interior was a testament to Cadillac's efforts to differentiate the Escalade from other GM full-size SUVs, featuring a 55-inch OLED curved display that spanned the dashboard. The Luxury base models came with Inteluxe synthetic leather upholstery, while higher trims offered real leather and semi-aniline leather options. The Premium Luxury Platinum test car impressed with its Whisper Beige upholstery and wood trim, showcasing a level of finish unexpected from a mainstream automaker.

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan was equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, delivering 184 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, avoiding the common continuously variable transmissions (CVTs). In Canada, the Tiguan came standard with Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive (AWD). Fuel economy ratings were 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 8.0 on the highway, and 9.4 combined for non R-Line configurations, while the R-Line trims had slightly higher consumption figures.

Driving the Tiguan Highline R-Line revealed some inconsistencies in power delivery, with the turbo and transmission occasionally lagging behind driver inputs. The gas pedal was touchy, even in Eco mode, and the brake pedal had excessive travel, making it poorly matched with the accelerator. Steering was light and somewhat rubbery, though visibility and handling were commendable, making the vehicle feel more maneuverable than expected for its size. Road noise was minimal, and the ride was comfortable, with only the seating surfaces drawing complaints from passengers.

For the 2025 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac dropped the Duramax turbodiesel inline-six engine option, leaving only the naturally aspirated gasoline 6.2-litre V8 engine. This engine produced 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, which was less than the Lincoln Navigator's twin-turbo V6. The Escalade-V continued with a supercharged 6.2-litre V8, delivering an impressive 682 hp and 653 lb-ft of torque. All Escalade models featured a 10-speed automatic transmission, providing a balance of low ratios for acceleration and high ratios for efficient highway cruising.

In Canada, four-wheel drive (4WD) was standard on most models, with the Escalade-V featuring a performance-oriented all-wheel drive (AWD) system. Most trims, except the base Luxury, included an electronic rear limited-slip differential and a two-speed transfer case. Magnetic Ride Control damping was standard on all but the base Luxury grade, offering adaptive damping for a smoother ride. However, even with optional air suspension, the Escalade's body-on-frame construction couldn't match the structural rigidity of unibody platforms, affecting its on-road handling compared to rivals like the BMW X7. The V8 engine provided strong acceleration and a pleasing sound, but the brakes lacked confidence, with Brembo six-piston front calipers available as part of a costly Performance Upgrade Package.

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan offered a choice between two-row and three-row configurations, with the third row being an $800 option in Canada. Opting for the two-row setup allowed for more cargo space, with 1,064 litres available with all seats in place and 2,078 litres with the rear seats folded. In the three-row Tiguan, cargo space was reduced to 340 litres behind the third row, 934 litres with it folded, and 1,849 litres with only the front seats in position. Despite the reduced cargo space, passenger space remained largely unaffected, with ample headroom and legroom in the first two rows. The third row, however, was significantly tighter, with just 858 mm of headroom and 708 mm of legroom.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade, available in both standard and long-wheelbase ESV configurations, offered generous interior space. The ESV model, with its extended wheelbase, provided additional cargo space and third-row legroom. Regardless of length, the Escalade accommodated up to eight passengers or seven with second-row captain’s chairs. The Escalade boasted the most first-row headroom in its class, though second-row headroom was slightly less than competitors like the BMW X7 and Range Rover. The standard-length model offered 722 litres of cargo space behind the rear seats, 2,064 litres behind the second row, and 3,412 litres behind the front seats, with ESV models further increasing these figures.

The Escalade's towing capacity was competitive, with the standard-wheelbase model rated at 3,675 kilograms (8,100 pounds) and the ESV at 3,628 kilograms (8,000 pounds). While it could tow as much as a Range Rover or Lexus LX, it fell slightly short of the Infiniti QX80 and Lincoln Navigator. However, Cadillac didn't offer the same towing features as Lincoln, which included driver aids for trailer backing and hitch alignment.

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan featured haptic touch slider buttons for climate control, which were responsive and easy to use. However, the physical volume knob, with its integrated on/off button, was less user-friendly. The infotainment system relied on nearly monochromatic graphics, accessed through an 8-inch centre touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The base Trendline had USB-C ports, while higher trims offered wireless charging. Volkswagen’s Digital Cockpit System was standard, with the R-Line trims featuring a fully configurable 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro screen. The nine-speaker Fender Premium Audio System was a highlight, receiving praise from audiophiles.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade combined traditional truck-like engineering with a high-tech interface. The new 55-inch door-to-door display incorporated a digital instrument cluster, central infotainment touchscreen, and front-passenger touchscreen. A 19-speaker AKG audio system was standard, with a 36-speaker version available, along with an augmented-reality head-up display and night vision. Cadillac retained standalone wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with a hard button for vehicle operation. The optional Executive Second Row Package added 12.6-inch screens, a centre console with dual wireless chargers, and upgraded seats with massage and headrest speakers.

The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan earned a 2022 Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), though it hadn't received the same 2024 distinction at the time of writing. Standard safety features in Canada included forward collision avoidance with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, emergency calling, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Adaptive cruise control, lane assist, and Emergency Assist were available on the Comfortline trim, providing semi-autonomous highway driving and parking assistance.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade came with a comprehensive suite of standard driver assist features, including adaptive cruise control, blind-zone steering assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a 360-degree camera system. GM-specific features included a vibrating Safety Alert Seat, teen driver monitoring, and Super Cruise, a hands-free driving system. Super Cruise had improved since previous tests, though the handoff to manual control in construction zones was abrupt. Current crash test ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA were unavailable at the time of writing.