Compare the2025 Acura ZDXVS 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Acura ZDX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Cadillac Escalade IQ doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Acura ZDX achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Cadillac Escalade IQ has not been tested.

Both the ZDX and the Escalade IQ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Acura vehicles are better in initial quality than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Acura above average in initial quality. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Acura vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Acura 16 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

As tested in Motor Trend the ZDX Type S electric motors is faster than the Cadillac Escalade IQ:

For better stopping power the ZDX Type S’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the Escalade IQ:

The ZDX stops much shorter than the Escalade IQ:

The ZDX Type S’ tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Escalade IQ’s 50 series tires.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the ZDX can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Escalade IQ doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

The ZDX Type S handles at .86 G’s, while the Escalade IQ Sport pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The ZDX Type S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.7 seconds quicker than the Escalade IQ Sport (25.1 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the ZDX has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Escalade IQ (7 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the ZDX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The ZDX is 2 feet, 2.6 inches shorter than the Escalade IQ, making the ZDX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The ZDX is 5.4 inches narrower than the Escalade IQ, making the ZDX easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The ZDX is 11.7 inches shorter in height than the Escalade IQ, making the ZDX much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The ZDX has 5 inches more front hip room and 6 inches more rear hip room than the Escalade IQ.

The ZDX has a much larger cargo volume than the Escalade IQ with its rear seat up (29.7 vs. 23.6 cubic feet).

The ZDX is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Escalade IQ doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.