Big American Luxury! 2025 Lincoln Navigator vs. 2025 Cadillac Escalade

When it comes to iconic luxury SUVs, two of the most celebrated in pop culture are the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. They have been trading blows for over 25 years at this point, and while the Escalade has had the upper hand in recent years, the Navigator is ready to bring this rivalry back like its 2002 all over again. Both these large luxury SUV’s have been refreshed or redesigned this year! So, who wins in this six-figure, 2025 Lincoln Navigator vs. 2025 Cadillac Escalade battle? Well, that is what we are going to find out today!

Pricing and Equipment

While it’s not as much of a consideration for people spending well over 6-figures on a vehicle, let’s mention the pricing quickly before we get into all the other elements.

Back in 2002, these SUV’s cost about $50 grand, but it’s safe to say that those days have long passed. Now the Navigator’s base price is $5 below $100,000, and our as-tested prices today are $108k and $122k in the Lincoln and Cadillac respectively.

MSRP (Premium Luxury Platinum 4WD): $119,395 | Options: $700 | Destination: $1,995 | Total: $122,090

MSRP (Reserve Jet 4WD): $102,995 | Options: $3,615 | Destination: $1,995 | Total: $108,605

Exterior Design

So, walking up to their exterior designs, it goes without saying these two have presence – and a lot of it. They are both big, bold, and fancy which is exactly what buyers want in this segment. The Escalade Platinum features a traditional flashy chrome grille, while our Navigator with Jet Appearance has a sportier blacked outlook. We don’t award points for styling differences but know that you can get black or chrome grilles on either SUV.

Moving past that, they feature fancy full-LED projector headlights, with entry and exit animations. Neither of them has fog lamps, and while both have illumination in their grilles, it’s only the Escalade with the illuminated logo as well. Lincoln fights back with dynamic turn signals, though.

Heading on around to the side, this is a great place to get a sense of just how big these two SUVs are. Lengthwise, they are both right at 210 inches long in their standard wheelbases, and both also offer longer versions as well.

Lengths: Escalade: 211.9-inches | Navigator: 210.0-inches

Regardless, 22-inch alloys complete their flashy designs, either in all black or chrome, depending on your preference. Additionally, for 2025, both are now offering 24-inch wheels straight from the factory if you want the ultimate pizzaz. Lincoln will even go a step further giving you the choice of a two-tone painted roof.

In the rear, the Escalade goes for a boxier appearance, but the feature sets are largely the same between the two. They have spoilers, hidden wipers, and gigantic fully-LED taillights with animation. 

Escalade also includes exposed exhaust outlets, and as body-on-frame SUV’s, they have large amounts of capability: 8,000 and 8,700 lbs of towing in the Cadillac and Lincoln respectively. That’s greater than a 5% difference.

Escalade: 8,000 lbs. | Navigator: 8,700 lbs.

Additional Features

Now as far as other features, they have fully loaded mirrors with things like power fold and auto-dimming, plus they both also have every single active safety system as standard equipment. Advanced semi-autonomous driving systems are also part of those packages, named Cadillac SuperCruise and Lincoln BlueCruise. Both work at high speeds and on pretty much all highways but SuperCruise also works on many secondary roads plus has better real-world performance in our experience. Because of that, we’ll give it a half point advantage, but keep in mind Lincoln’s BlueCruise is free for an additional year before you must pay a subscription for it.

Warranty-wise, both models are covered longer than many luxury rivals and match each other besides for the Lincoln not including any complimentary maintenance unless you get the Black Label trim.

Navigator: Warranty: Basic Warranty: 4yr/50k mi | Powertrain: 6yr/70k mi | Comp Main: N/A

Escalade: Warranty: Basic Warranty: 4yr/50k mi | Powertrain: 6yr/70k mi | Comp Main: 1 Visit

Anyway, that’s the end of the exterior, and I promise there are very impressive cabins coming up.

Interior Design

So, walking up the vehicles, both have smart entry systems and remote start on the fob. Both also have the fan-favorite power running boards, and to make entry and exit even easier, Escalade is also including 4 fully power-operated doors this year. That’s incredibly fancy and, in addition, it has soft close doors which aren’t on Navigator.

NOTE: Escalade power door functionality will be turned on via a software update soon.

Now glancing inside the interiors of these two, they really have that wow factor which is so important in this segment. Obviously, there is a lot to get into with tech and features but first let’s talk about the seats.

They feature real leather seating, but the Escalade’s is an ultra-premium semi-analine quality and has a fancier quilted design compared to the plainer Navigator seat.

Of course, the seats are also heated and ventilated, have memory functions, and are highly adjustable. The Navigator is more adjustable, though, with standard 24-way Perfect Position seats compared to the Escalade’s 16-ways of adjustment. The other nice thing both have is power massaging for relaxation after a long day at work. 

Now getting inside and breaking down the bigger point of overall material quality, these two both impress. They have liberally applied leather, real wood and aluminum over many of the surfaces, however, Escalade has the edge. It has real metal speaker grilles, real leather on the dash instead of a leatherette, and even a headliner finished in Alcantara. Because of its extra attention to detail, it’ll take the materials point.

Now let’s start to look around and assess individual items, starting with our gauge clusters. Obviously, both are part of a larger screen system this year, but the areas dedicated to gauges are approximately the same size, and both have tons of customizability and functionality. The Escalade does have several advantages here. It’s the only one to include a night vision system, and because of the positioning of the Lincoln’s screen, it oddly doesn’t include a head up display like Cadillac.

The steering wheels have actually both gone to 2-spoke designs for 2025, evoking old-school designs, and they are heated, power-adjusting, and leather wrapped, with rain sensing wipers. Lincoln also gives you things like power-adjusting pedals, but keep in mind all of these must be adjusted within the screen.

Storage and Technology

Next up is the major point category of interior storage, where, as you might expect, both do well. The Escalade’s visually looks a bit different and that’s because it gives you a cool box for keeping things cold which oddly isn’t offered on the Lincoln.

Besides that, though, the console is slightly bigger on the Lincoln and they both have wireless charging pads. Navigator additionally adds a floating center console for all those “extra things” you want to put somewhere, so overall it’ll take the storage point.

Escalade moves to a new column-mounted shifter this year and the Lincoln has a push-button shifter. When you shift into reverse, they of course have 360-degree cameras and can also self-park.

But before we get into other tech, it’s time to talk audio. It goes without saying that these high-end audio systems both sound awesome, with speakers scattered just about everywhere, especially in the Caddy. It has 8 more speakers including in places such as the headrests, so we will give the slight edge to that system. 

Navigator: 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D Audio

Escalade: 36-speaker AKG Reference Premium audio

Moving on from that, let’s talk climate controls. Both are featuring 3-zone automatic setups which are relatively easy to use while driving despite both being adjusted in screens. The main differences worth pointing out are that the Lincoln includes a fragrance system standard on all models but does require air vent adjustment in the screen. That extra complication and while driving will give Escalade a half-point advantage.

Alright so now it’s time to talk about the elephant in the rooms: the main screens. We already somewhat got into this, but Escalade has taken tech to a new level this year with its standard 55-inch pillar-to-pillar display. Navigator, not to be outdone, has opted also for a pillar-to-pillar display measuring in at a measly 48 inches. That’s a 14% size advantage for the Escalade, but more important that that is the mounting of them. The Cadillac’s display is much closer to the occupants and in the Lincoln it’s much more in your line-of-sight. They also have Google built in as well as things like wireless Android Auto and CarPlay, but the part in front of the passenger can be used for streaming entertainment in the Caddy.

Finally, for the front of the cabins, we have auto-dimming mirrors but interestingly only the Escalade has the rear camera ability for when cargo obstructs your view. Both include panoramic moonroofs.

Rear Seats and Cargo

Now let’s head for the important back areas, starting with the space. Both come in within fractions of an inch of each other for leg and headroom and will far outdo many of the German rivals you may be cross-shopping.

Navigator: 42.0-inches of legroom | 37.9 -inches of headroom

Escalade: 41.7-inches of legroom | 38.9 -inches of headroom

But space-aside, which SUV will spoil you more? Well in this case, it’s the Lincoln with second row seats that are power-adjusting instead of manual, ventilated instead of just heated, and they even have lumbar and massage. 

While some may prefer the accessibility of the gap between the seats, the Lincoln also has a center console with storage and a screen to adjust all kinds of settings.

All that is included in a $2700 package on the Navigator, but we must point out Escalade is now also offering equivalent features to this in a $7500 Executive Rear Seating package. We obviously don’t have that package, despite the Caddy already costing significantly more on the sticker. 

There are still even more features to mention: you have rear seat entertainment screens on the Cadillac only, lots of rear plugs on both, and neither have sunshades for the side windows.

Alright, now let’s move to the next row. Getting into the third row is superior in the Navigator not only because of its power ability, but because it wouldn’t require child seat removal like Escalade, which folds flat instead.

Once back in the third rows, you’ll quickly find these are some of the very best way-back seats in the entire industry. That being said, the Navigator does hold a significant advantage in third row legroom, although their headroom is the same.

Navigator: Legroom: 43.5-inches | Headroom: 37.4-inches

Escalade: 34.9 inches of legroom | 38.2 inches of headroom

Both SUV’s seat 3 across back here and still coddle you with leather seats and very good thy support. There are USBs and vents as well, and neither have a heated third row as equipped, but one is available on Navigator.

But perhaps just as important as the back seats are the cargo areas. Both have hands-free power tailgates, but only the Escalade can pop the rear glass independently.

More importantly, though, the Lincoln is now featuring a split tailgate design. That allows for ultimate tailgating and will be a big deal to many shoppers in this segment.

Once open, the Escalade takes the reigns back in all 3 seating configurations, and as a maximum, has about 13% more maximum cargo space than the Lincoln. Of course, keep in mind that extended wheelbase versions will increase those numbers for those with huge space needs.

Navigator: 3^rd row: 21.6 cubic feet | 2^nd row: 60.8 cubic feet | Max: 107.0 cubic feet

Escalade: 3^rd row: 25.5 cubic feet | Behind 2^nd row: 72.9 cubic feet | Max: 121.0 cubic feet

Both have power-folding third row seats and spare tires, but only the Lincoln lets you 40/20/40 split fold your third row allowing for hauling long objects plus seating for everyone to come along.

One other important note is that the 2nd row cannot fold flat with the executive seats in the Navigator which is something to keep in mind when selecting your seating configurations.

But the fight is not over yet, so let’s take this to the streets.

Powertrains

As we head out on the streets, you’ll find completely different experiences that begin with what’s under the hoods. The Escalade continues with the classic luxury SUV formula: a large naturally aspirated V-8 under the hood, [p] while the Navigator switched away from that a while ago. It, instead, has a 3.5L Twin-Turbocharged V-6 engine. This smaller engine makes more horsepower and torque, at 440 and 510 vs. the 420 and 460 in the Escalade, respectively.

Navigator: 3.5L Twin Turbo V6: 440 hp | 510 lb.ft

Escalade: 6.2L V-8: 420 hp and 460 lb.ft

As far as the transmissions are concerned, they both share a 10-speed automatic and 4WD systems as equipped. They are smooth and responsive so nothing to complain about here.

Test Drive and Fuel Economy

While these may occasionally need to tackle a light dirt road, these are luxury SUVs designed for the road first and foremost. Here, we have one of the biggest differences between these SUVs. While Navigator has adaptive dampers standard on all models, Escalade has those plus adds a full air suspension. That means its ride is exceptionally good, and while the Lincoln’s ride certainly isn’t bad, the Escalade will feel more luxurious and smoother.

It’s also important that luxury SUVs are very quiet, which is why here at Car Confections, we take a sound-level reading of every vehicle we test out. Decibel readings are on a logarithmic scale and the smallest difference an adult can usually discern is 1 dB, which isn’t quite met here.

Navigator: 56.5 dB @ 55 MPH (official KY reading)

Escalade: 56.8 dB @ 55 MPH (Indiana reading)

Finally, when it comes to fuel economy, you might be surprised to learn that the Navigator’s smaller displacement engine is only providing 1 MPG better combined than the Escalade’s burly V-8.

Navigator 4×4: 15/22/17 MPG

Escalade 6.2L 4×4: 14/18/16 MPG

Resale, Reliability, and Value

In our reviews and comparisons, we are also adding in reliability and resale information to give you a better picture of the overall value beyond just the original MSRP. 

Beginning with reliability, we developed the Combined Reliability Index, which takes into account several studies from trustworthy sources, and combines them in a way that gives a more realistic picture. Cadillac ranks 3 slots ABOVE the industry average for all brands in reliability. While Lincoln is below industry average reliability, 4 slots BELOW average to be exact.

We also put Mason’s economics degree to work to develop a detailed Predicted Resale Value tool. After 5 years and 60,000 miles, both brands get very similar results and will hurt the pocket books for sure. Cadillac retains a predicted 40.7% of its value and Lincoln comes in at 38.1% after 5 years.

Obviously, there was also a price gap between them at the original purchase, about $13,485 in favor of the Navigator. However, because people in this segment shopping well above the $100,000 price point are not very price sensitive at all, we won’t be awarding any points for that.

I want to emphasize that if money, reliability or resale value matter less to you personally, feel free to disregard these points. And if you’d like to check out all our data about reliability and resale values, as well as learn about our methodology, make sure to head to www.carconfections.com/resale and www.carconfections.com/reliability. Buying a car is a big decision, and this is a great place to compare all the makes you might be cross-shopping.

2025 Lincoln Navigator vs. 2025 Cadillac Escalade Winner!

Wow so these two SUVs really brought all they could offer to the table! These two fought hard and which one you choose really is going to come down a lot to personal preference. Now let’s discuss who should be “your” personal winner based on those preferences…

Escalade: 

• Materials (more luxurious)
• Features (power doors, cool box, night vision)
• V8 powertrain + air suspension

Navigator: 

• Rear seat features for the money (only $2700)
• More power and torque
• Tailgate and split third row seats

Now we want to know your opinions, so make sure to head to the comment section and let us know which one you would pick!

Thanks for joining us for another Car Confections Comparison! We’ll catch you next time as we sample the latest automotive delicacies!