2025 Cadillac Escalade vs 2025 Toyota Sienna

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade continued to embody the essence of old-school Cadillac luxury, having evolved significantly since its debut in 1999. The updated design further distinguished it from its platform-sharing siblings, the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban and GMC Yukon/Yukon XL. The most notable exterior change was the new front end, which brought the gasoline Escalade stylistically closer to Cadillac's electric vehicles. The headlights were redesigned as large vertical bars, complemented by smaller horizontal daytime running lights. At the rear, the Escalade retained its tall, vertical taillights reminiscent of classic Cadillac tailfins, and for the first time, 24-inch wheels were available, enhancing its imposing presence.

Inside, Cadillac made significant efforts to differentiate the Escalade from other GM full-size SUVs. The interior featured a screen-centric design, with a new 55-inch OLED curved display spanning the dashboard, replacing the previous 38-inch version. The Escalade offered various trim levels, with the Premium Luxury Platinum models adding an illuminated Cadillac crest and grille surround. The interior materials ranged from synthetic leather in base models to real leather in higher trims, with curated interior motifs available. 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 2025 Toyota Sienna, while maintaining its minivan roots, attempted to inject some style into its design. The trapezoidal grille, upswept body lines, and hidden sliding door tracks gave it a distinctive look, though it still resembled a minivan. The rear end featured narrow taillights with sharp corner spears, drawing a family resemblance to the Camry sedan. The Platinum package introduced new flower-petal wheel designs, replacing the previous split-five-spoke design. Despite these efforts, the Sienna remained unmistakably a minivan, prioritizing practicality over style.

Our test vehicle, the top-of-the-line Toyota Sienna Limited with the Platinum package, showcased the new-for-2025 Magnetic Grey paint colour. The Canadian lineup included LE, XLE, and XSE trims, with prices ranging from $51,219 to $73,753, including destination charges and fees. Toyota updated the Sienna's interior for 2025, with the Platinum package featuring a new woodgrain finish. While a 17-year-old passenger criticized the material, adult professionals found the interior improved from previous iterations.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade dropped the Duramax turbodiesel inline-six engine, 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 gasoline twin-turbo V6. The Escalade-V, however, 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 was standard on most models, while the Escalade-V had a model-specific all-wheel drive system designed for performance. All trim levels, 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. Despite these features, the Escalade's handling couldn't match the polish of a Range Rover or the on-road agility of a BMW X7. The V8 engine provided quick acceleration and a pleasing sound, but the brakes lacked confidence, prompting the recommendation of the Performance Upgrade Package with Brembo six-piston front calipers.

The 2025 Toyota Sienna featured a hybrid powertrain with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The front-wheel drive was standard, with an available all-wheel-drive system featuring an additional rear-mounted electric motor. The net horsepower rating was 245, which was modest for a vehicle seating up to eight and towing up to 1,587 kilograms. However, the electric assist motor provided immediate torque, preventing the Sienna from feeling sluggish. In city driving, the powertrain was quiet, but hard acceleration revealed the CVT's droning sound.

The Sienna's hybrid powertrain prioritized fuel economy, with an official rating of 6.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving for the front-wheel-drive model. However, during testing, the Sienna averaged 8.9 L/100 km combined. While the handling was predictable and secure, it lacked excitement, and the steering was not particularly crisp. The Sienna XSE offered a sport-tuned suspension for a racier look, but expectations for driving enjoyment should be tempered. The standard suspension provided a smooth, absorbent ride, akin to a marshmallow on wheels, and the test vehicle was impressively quiet on the highway.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade was available in short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase configurations, with the latter, the Escalade ESV, offering increased cargo space and third-row legroom. The ESV was 33.5 centimetres longer between the wheels, contributing to a 383.5 cm increase in overall length. Regardless of length, the Escalade provided ample interior space, with seating for up to eight or seven with second-row captain's chairs. The standard-length model offered 722 litres of cargo space behind the rear seats, 2,064 litres behind the second-row seats, and 3,412 litres behind the front seats, all best-in-segment figures. ESV models further stretched cargo space to 1,175 litres behind the third row, 2,664 litres behind the second row, and 4,043 litres behind the first row.

The Escalade's towing capacity was 3,675 kilograms for the standard-wheelbase model and 3,628 kilograms for the ESV, meeting segment expectations. However, Cadillac didn't offer the same towing features as Lincoln, which included driver aids for trailer backing and hitch alignment.

The 2025 Toyota Sienna prioritized form and function, offering unique seating and cargo solutions. The front seats were power-adjustable and heated, with ventilated and perforated leather in the Limited with Platinum package. However, the cushions felt hard after extended driving. The Platinum's second-row captain's chairs with ottoman-style leg rests were popular with teenagers, and the refrigerated compartment on the back of the centre console was a hit. The third-row seat accommodated adults, and the sliding side doors and second-row seats made loading and unloading easy. All but LE models had a hands-free power liftgate.

Storage space was generous, with a wide tray under the centre console, though finding secure places for one-litre water bottles was challenging. The Sienna offered 949 litres of cargo space behind the third-row seat, 2,129 litres behind the second-row seats, and a maximum of 2,860 litres. However, this was less than every minivan rival due to the lack of removable second-row seats. Toyota's research suggested most minivan owners didn't maximize space by removing seats, but for those needing maximum load space, the Sienna might not be ideal.

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. Climate controls and other functions were managed by a tablet-like touchscreen below, along with a rotary dial. 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 made usability a priority, retaining standalone wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a hard button for vehicle operation. The rows of icons on the main screen and supplementary screen were easy to decipher, though the voice recognition system wasn't as sophisticated as those from BMW or Mercedes. The smaller control screen featured haptic feedback, but actual knobs were preferred over touch-based sliders. The optional Executive Second Row Package added 12.6-inch screens, dual wireless device chargers, and upgraded seats with massage and headrest speakers.

The 2025 Toyota Sienna featured a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel and a 12.3-inch touchscreen display for the Toyota Audio Multimedia (TAM) infotainment system in higher-spec models. The Limited with Platinum package included a four-zone automatic climate control system, a 10-inch head-up display, and a camera-based digital rearview mirror. The TAM system offered access to four connected services plans, with varying complimentary subscription periods. The digital assistant, part of the Drive Connect plan, responded accurately to commands, though features were unavailable if the subscription lapsed.

The Sienna Limited paired the infotainment system with a 12-speaker JBL premium audio system, though the sound was muddy with excessive bass. The four-zone climate control system was appreciated, and the digital rearview camera offered zoom-in/zoom-out capability. The see-through surround-view camera and HUD were helpful, though the HUD didn't communicate blind-spot warnings.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade came equipped with standard driver assist features, including adaptive cruise control, blind-zone steering assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, and a 360-degree camera system. GM's Safety Alert Seat conveyed warnings through vibrations, and the vehicle featured teen driver monitoring and Super Cruise, a hands-free driving system. Super Cruise allowed for hands-free driving on mapped roads, though the handoff to manual control was abrupt. Crash test ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA were unavailable at the time of writing.

The 2025 Toyota Sienna featured Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) 2.0, which included forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centring assist, and adaptive cruise control. The Sienna also had automatic high-beam headlights, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. The lane-centring assist performed well, though the adaptive cruise control required human intervention during sudden traffic braking events. The Sienna added a rear-seat reminder system for 2025, alerting the owner to movement within the cabin. The NHTSA gave the Sienna a five-star overall rating, though it scored three stars for driver protection in a frontal impact.