2025 Cadillac Escalade vs 2024 Chrysler Pacifica

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica maintained its contemporary appeal despite not undergoing frequent redesigns. Its smooth exterior styling, featuring a modest grille, offered a refreshing alternative to the flashier designs of competitors like the Toyota Sienna. Chrysler's decision to avoid dressing up the Pacifica like an SUV, as seen with the Kia Carnival, resulted in a clean look, further enhanced by the hidden sliding-door tracks. The Pacifica was available in various trims, including Touring, Touring L, Limited, and Pinnacle, with LED lighting standard across all models. The interior of the Pacifica was equally distinctive, with a minimalist dashboard design that integrated controls seamlessly. The Pinnacle trim, in particular, boasted luxurious touches like brown Nappa leather upholstery and quilted contrast stitching, although some elements still felt less premium due to the presence of plastic materials.

In contrast, the 2025 Cadillac Escalade embodied old-school Cadillac luxury with its updated design, distinguishing itself from its platform-sharing siblings, the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban and GMC Yukon/Yukon XL. The Escalade's new front end brought it stylistically closer to Cadillac's EV lineup, featuring large vertical headlights and tall, vertical taillights reminiscent of classic Cadillacs. The availability of 24-inch wheels added to its imposing presence. Inside, Cadillac focused on hiding its shared platform origins, introducing a 55-inch OLED curved display that spanned the dashboard. The Escalade offered a range of trim levels, with the Premium Luxury Platinum model featuring an illuminated Cadillac crest and grille surround. The interior boasted luxurious materials, with options like Renaissance Red leather and open-pore wood trim, creating an upscale ambiance that belied its mainstream origins.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica was powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine, producing 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, while all-wheel drive was available on higher trims. The Pacifica's V6 engine, known as the Pentastar, had a long history within the Stellantis lineup and provided sufficient power for peppy acceleration. It also offered a maximum towing capacity of 3,600 pounds. The chassis tuning prioritized comfort and stability, making it a refined choice compared to rivals. However, some weight transfer was noticeable during acceleration and deceleration.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade, on the other hand, dropped the Duramax turbodiesel option, leaving only the naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter V8 engine, producing 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. The Escalade-V featured a supercharged version of the V8, delivering 682 horsepower and 653 pound-feet of torque. All models came with a 10-speed automatic transmission, ensuring smooth shifts and efficient highway cruising. Rear-wheel drive was standard, with four-wheel drive optional on most models. The Escalade-V had a performance-oriented all-wheel drive system. Magnetic Ride Control damping was standard on all but the base trim, enhancing ride quality, although the Escalade's body-on-frame construction limited its handling capabilities compared to unibody competitors.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica offered ingenious Stow 'n Go seating, allowing second-row seats to fold flat into the floor, creating large in-floor storage bins. This feature dictated the use of second-row bucket seats, resulting in a seven-seat configuration. An eight-seat option was available with the Touring L trim, but it couldn't be combined with Stow 'n Go or all-wheel drive. The Pacifica provided ample passenger space, with competitive headroom and legroom in the first two rows. Cargo space was generous, with 32.3 cubic feet behind the third row, 87.5 cubic feet behind the second row, and 140.5 cubic feet with all seats folded. The Stow 'n Vac built-in vacuum cleaner was a convenient addition, available on select trims.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade offered both short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase configurations, with the latter providing increased cargo space and third-row legroom. The Escalade ESV's extended length resulted in 41.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, 94.1 cubic feet behind the second row, and 142.8 cubic feet behind the first row. The standard-length model offered 25.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, 72.9 cubic feet behind the second row, and 121 cubic feet behind the front seats. The Escalade's towing capacity reached 8,100 pounds for the standard model and 8,000 pounds for the ESV. Seating for up to eight was available, with second-row captain's chairs as an option.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica featured a 10.1-inch touchscreen with the Uconnect 5 infotainment system, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM, and Amazon Alexa compatibility. The instrument cluster included analog gauges with a 7-inch digital display. The Pacifica also offered up to 12 USB-C ports, built-in navigation, and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. The Uconnect Theater system provided rear-seat entertainment with dual 10.1-inch touchscreens, wireless headphones, and Amazon Fire TV connectivity. The FamCam rear-facing interior camera allowed parents to monitor rear-seat passengers.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade introduced a 55-inch door-to-door display, incorporating a digital instrument cluster, central infotainment touchscreen, and front-passenger touchscreen. A tablet-like touchscreen handled climate controls and other functions. The Escalade offered a 19-speaker AKG audio system as standard, with a 36-speaker version available. Additional features included an augmented-reality head-up display and night vision. The Escalade retained standalone wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with a hard button for vehicle operation. The optional Executive Second Row Package added dual 12.6-inch screens, massage seats, and headrest speakers.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica received a five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover crash tests. It was named a 2023 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), although it missed the highest award due to low scores in certain crash tests. Standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and rear park assist. Optional features included a 360-degree camera system and park assist.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade came equipped with standard driver-assist features such as 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 provided warnings through vibrations. The Escalade also featured teen-driver monitoring and Super Cruise, a hands-free driving system. While current crash-test ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA were unavailable, the Escalade's safety features were comprehensive.