New Segment Leader? 2025 Infiniti QX80 vs. 2025 Cadillac Escalade

If you’re looking to spend over $100,000 on a flagship SUV, chances are you’ve checked out the iconic Cadillac Escalade. This luxury SUV has been tearing up the sales charts since it first launched into pop culture, and now it’s getting a mind-boggling new interior for 2025! But, rival Infiniti has also made quite the splash when they launched the all-new QX80 last year, designed to go head-to-head with the luxury big dogs like Escalade. So, who wins in a 2025 Infiniti QX80 vs. 2025 Cadillac Escalade battle? Let’s find out!

Pricing and Equipment

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

Starting with the Cadillac, we have the fully loaded Premium Luxury Platinum trim level which gives you the most features and luxury. All in, we’re sitting at a steep $122,000, after destination.

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

Moving to the QX80, we also have an equivalently loaded model called Autograph. As expected, the underdog is a little less expensive, but perhaps not as much as you’d think, coming in at $112,590 all in.

MSRP (Autograph 4WD): $109,900 | Options: $695 | Destination: $1,995 | Total: $112,590

Exterior Design

Now walking up to these two can be somewhat akin to wearing Gucci clothing. They are both big, bold, and fancy which starts especially in the front. It’s practically a segment requirement to have huge grilles, and they do; the Escalade Platinum has a traditional flashy chrome one and the QX80 Autograph goes for a more subtle smoked chrome finish. 

As expected, both have fancy full-LED projector headlights, with entry and exit animations. Neither of them has fog lamps, and while both have illuminated logos, it’s only the Escalade with an illuminated grille as well.

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 over 211 inches long, although it should be noted here that the Escalade also offers an extended wheelbase model called the ESV. You’ll see later in this comparison just how much space these SUV’s have on board, but the QX80 does not give you the ability to choose even more space, even if needed.

Lengths: Escalade: 211.9-inches |  QX80: 211.2-inches

Regardless, 22-inch alloys attempt to fill out the wheel wells as equipped with very different designs. It’s only the Escalade that offers ridiculously big 24-inch wheels, though, and only the QX80 Autograph that gives you two-tone roof options. While you can do those things aftermarket on either SUV, we’ll award a half point each for that additional customizability straight from the factory.

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

Escalade also includes exposed exhaust outlets, and as body-on-frame SUV’s, they have large amounts of capability: 8,000 and 8,500 lbs of towing in the Cadillac and Infiniti respectively. That 500 extra pounds will award it a half point.

Escalade: 8,000 lbs. | QX80: 8,500 lbs.

Additional Features

Now as far as other features, both have fully loaded mirrors with things like auto-dimming, and they both also have every single active safety system as standard equipment in these loaded trim levels. Advanced semi-autonomous driving systems are part of those packages, that but when it comes to hands-free highway driving, the Escalade’s SuperCruise system is significantly more capable than the QX80’s ProPilot system. SuperCruise works at high speeds, on pretty much all highways and even some two lane roads and has automatic hands-free lane changing.

Warranty-wise, both models are covered longer than their German rivals, but the QX80 has some additional benefits. It’s basic warranty last 10,000 more miles and it has 3 years of complimentary maintenance over the Escalade.

INF: Warranty: Basic Warranty: 4yr/60k mi | Powertrain: 6yr/70k mi | Comp Main: 3 years

ESC: 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 are obviously going to have smart entry systems to unlock the doors and remote start. To make entry and exit easier, it is worth noting that only the Escalade has power running boards, plus it’s now also including 4 fully power-operated doors this year. That’s incredibly fancy and, in addition, it has soft close doors which are also unavailable on QX80.

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 have elaborate quilted semi-aniline leather seating, which is one of the nicest grades of leather for those who don’t know. Of course, the seats are also heated and ventilated, have memory functions, and are highly adjustable with 16 settings. 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 impresses. They have liberally applied leather, real wood and aluminum surfaces over practically anything you can touch. Etched metal speaker grilles are throughout the cabin and the headliners are even finished in Alcantara. Overall, both will make you feel like the king of the road, as they should for the price.

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, but the areas dedicated to gauges are approximately the same size and both have tons of customizability and functionality. One of the real crowd pleasers is that you can have put a live camera feed from the front camera in both models, and they both also have head up displays. However, only the Escalade has an available night vision system. 

The steering wheels have both gone to 2-spoke designs for 2025, and they are heated, power-adjusting, and leather wrapped, with rains sensing wipers as well.

Storage and Technology

Next up is the major point category of interior storage, where, as you might expect, both excel. In addition to a lot of storage, each model has opted for the cool box console refrigerator to keep drinks cold. Those are effectively the same size and they both have wireless charging pads. Escalade has more storage cubbies in the front but is missing the pass-through storage area QX80 has. Overall, we’ll give a half-point advantage to QX80.

Escalade moves to a new column-mounted shifter this year and the Infiniti has a push-button shifter. When you shift into reverse, both SUV’s have some fun tricks up their sleeves. There are tons of views to switch among, including that expandable front view I already mentioned on the Infiniti. They also can 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 all over, but the Escalade sounds even better. It has elite-tier sound quality and its AKG is one of Mason and I’s all-time favorite audio systems.

QX80: 24-speaker Klipsch Reference Premiere Audio

Escalade: 36-speaker AKG Reference Premium audio

Moving on from that, let’s talk climate controls. Here, it appears they’ve copied each other’s homework. They have a smaller secondary display that mainly functions for climate controls and has haptic feedback. Overall, they’re relatively easy to use while driving and both have 3-zones.

That being said, the QX80 has a industry-first trick up its sleeve: biometric cooling. This system uses sensors to monitor the driver and passengers body temperatures and adjusts the climate according to that instead of just cabin temperature. This should eliminate the need to adjust the temperature after a workout for example.

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. You know it’s 2025 when the Infiniti’s dual 14.3-inch displays look almost subdued in comparison to the behemoth setup in the Escalade. While we will give a point for the display literally being significantly bigger, keep in mind how much you personally want as to not feel too overwhelmed.

They are both very smooth and responsive screens with fantastic resolution. They have Google built in so natively in the system you have Google Maps and assistant, as well as wireless Android Auto and CarPlay.

We also must mention the passenger display on Escalade that gives the opportunity to watch YouTube, Hulu or other streaming services while someone else is doing the driving.

Finally, for the front of the cabins, both have rear camera mirror systems, and panoramic moonroofs.

Rear Seats and Cargo

Now let’s head for the important back areas, starting with the seats. Both go for the executive feel with captain chairs but that’s basically where the similarities end. First, while still spacious, the Escalade has a legroom and headroom advantage over the QX80 of about 10%. That’s a meaningful difference greater than the 5% threshold to score a point.

QX80: 37.6-inches of legroom | 36.2-inches of headroom

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

Space-aside, when you are sitting in the seats, you will be spoiled more in the Infiniti. Its seats are power adjusting instead of manual, heated and 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 Infiniti also has a center console with storage and a screen to adjust all kinds of settings.

That being said, we must point out Escalade is now offering equivalent features to this in an Executive Rear Seating package. It costs a whopping $7,500 extra but be aware you can get it now this year if these are must have features for you.

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 QX80 not only because of its power ability, but because it wouldn’t require child seat removal like Escalade, which folds flat instead.

Previously, the QX80’s third row was not a great place to spend time, but with this new model, they have largely caught up to Escalade. Just like with the second row, the Escalade still commands a space advantage of about 6% more leg and headroom, even with this standard wheelbase version.

QX80: Legroom: 32.9-inches | Headroom: 36.2-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 premium leather seats and very good comfort in terms of thy support. There are chargers and vents back here, but only the Infiniti gives you heated third-row seats.

Moving around back to the cargo, both have hands-free power tailgates, but only the Escalade can pop the rear glass independently.

Once open, the Escalade’s extra boxy design pays dividends with the max cargo capacity being larger in all three seating configurations. At the maximum level, there’s about a 7% difference between the two of them.

QX80: Behind 3rd Row: 22.0 cu.ft. | Behind 2nd Row: 59.0 cu. ft. | Maximum: 101.0 cu. ft.

Escalade: 3^rd row: 25.5 cubic feet / Behind 2^nd row: 63.0 cubic feet / Max: 109.1 cubic feet

Both have power-folding third row seats and spare tires. 

So now let’s take this fight to the streets and see how they stack up there!

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, while the QX80 goes for a new approach with a 3.5L Twin-Turbocharged V-6 engine. This smaller engine makes more horsepower and torque, at 450 and 516 vs. 420 and 460 in the Escalade, respectively.

QX80: 3.5L Twin Turbo V6: 450 hp | 516 lb.ft

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

As far as the transmissions are concerned, the Infiniti has a 9-speed automatic and the Cadillac a 10-speed automatic. Both are smooth and responsive and power is put to the ground via 4WD systems.

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. To deliver the best possible ride qualities, these two are rocking adjustable air suspensions and adaptive dampers. This allows both to eat up road imperfections without disturbing the occupants, but we’d give the slight edge in ride quality to Escalade.

One thing that might surprise you is that neither of them handle badly despite their size, especially the new Infiniti. It’s Dynamic Digital Suspension system works hard to reduce body roll, and it is quite effective when you take this beast on a backroad. Because of this, it feels more agile and maneuverable.

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.

QX80: 56.1 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 QX80’s smaller displacement engine is only providing 1 MPG better combined than the Escalade’s burly V-8.

QX80 3.5TT 4×4: 15/19/17 MPG

Escalade 6.2L 4×4: 14/18/16 MPG

Value Assessment

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 considers 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 Infiniti is below industry average reliability.

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 Infiniti comes in at 41.2% after 5 years.

Obviously, there was also a price gap between them at the original purchase, about $9,500 in favor of the QX80.

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 Infiniti QX80 vs. 2025 Cadillac Escalade Winner!

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: 

• In-car technology (55-inch screen, audio system, power doors)
• Space (second, third row, cargo capacity)
• V8 powertrain

QX80: 

• Rear seat features for the money (standard on Autograph as opposed to $7500 on Escalade)
• More power and torque
• Traditional interior feel

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!