Compare the2026 Cadillac Escalade IQVS 2024 Acura ZDX

The Escalade IQ has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The ZDX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Escalade IQ. But it costs extra on the ZDX.

A passive infrared night vision system standard on the Escalade IQ Premium helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The ZDX doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Escalade IQ’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The ZDX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Escalade IQ and the ZDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The Cadillac Escalade IQ weighs 3068 to 3699 pounds more than the Acura ZDX. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the Escalade IQ 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Acura covers the ZDX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the ZDX ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Escalade IQ’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the ZDX’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 2 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escalade IQ’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in long-term dependability. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Acura is rated below average.

The Escalade IQ’s electric motors produces 392 more horsepower (750 vs. 358) and 461 lbs.-ft. more torque (785 vs. 324) than the ZDX A-Spec’s standard electric motor. The Escalade IQ’s electric motors produces 260 more horsepower (750 vs. 490) and 348 lbs.-ft. more torque (785 vs. 437) than the ZDX A-Spec AWD’s standard electric motors. The Escalade IQ’s electric motors produces 251 more horsepower (750 vs. 499) and 241 lbs.-ft. more torque (785 vs. 544) than the ZDX Type S’ standard electric motors.

As tested in Motor Trend the Cadillac Escalade IQ is faster than the ZDX A-Spec AWD electric motors:

The Escalade IQ can travel longer on a full charge than the ZDX on a full charge:

For better stopping power the Escalade IQ’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the ZDX:

For better traction, the Escalade IQ has larger tires than the ZDX (275/50R24 vs. 265/50R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade IQ has standard 24-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the ZDX A-Spec. The ZDX’s largest wheels are only 22-inches.

The front and rear suspension of the Escalade IQ uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the ZDX, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Escalade IQ has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Escalade IQ’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The ZDX doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escalade IQ’s wheelbase is 14.4 inches longer than on the ZDX (136.2 inches vs. 121.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Escalade IQ is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than on the ZDX.

The front grille of the Escalade IQ uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The ZDX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Escalade IQ uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The ZDX doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Escalade IQ has standard seating for 7 passengers; the ZDX can only carry 5.

The Escalade IQ’s cargo area provides more volume than the ZDX.

The Escalade IQ’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the ZDX’s (7500 vs. 3500 pounds).

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Escalade IQ has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The ZDX doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Escalade IQ also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Escalade IQ’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The ZDX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Escalade IQ has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The ZDX doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Escalade IQ Premium has standard massaging front and rear seats (rear massaging seats optional on Premium). Massaging seats aren’t available in the ZDX.

The Cadillac Escalade IQ stands out above the Acura ZDX by offering not one, but two Qi-compatible phone chargers in the front seat. This convenience helps travelers with multiple devices to keep powered up on-the-go. Wireless charging eliminates lost or cluttered charging cables and two of them provide more flexibility. The Escalade IQ Premium also offers an optional two-device Qi charging system for the second row seat and the ZDX doesn’t.

The Escalade IQ’s Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Auto Parking will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The ZDX Type S’ automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

The Cadillac Escalade outsold the Acura ZDX by over six to one during 2024.