The primary rival to the refreshed 2025 Cadillac Escalade is the fully redesigned 2025 Lincoln Navigator. Now in its fifth generation, the Lincoln Navigator gets a styling update that brings it in line with the rest of the Lincoln lineup, a posh, high-tech interior, standard BlueCruise hands-free driving tech (itself a Super Cruise competitor), and a clever split liftgate design. And though the two still share much in common, the 2025 redesign sets the Lincoln Navigator further apart from the also-new 2025 Ford Expedition.
The new Lincoln Navigator also features a higher price tag than the outgoing model. When including the destination charge, the Navigator now has a six-digit starting price. Let’s compare the pricing of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade and 2025 Lincoln Navigator in their respective regular-wheelbase (RWB) and long-wheelbase (LWB) Escalade ESV and Navigator L variants.
| Model | Drivetrain | 2025 MSRP + DFC |
|---|---|---|
| Escalade Luxury | 2WD | $89,590 |
| Escalade Luxury | 4WD | $92,590 |
| Escalade Premium Luxury | 2WD | $98,790 |
| Escalade Premium Luxury | 4WD | $101,790 |
| Navigator Reserve | 4WD | $101,990 |
| Escalade Sport | 2WD | $99,390 |
| Escalade Sport | 4WD | $102,390 |
| Navigator Jet Appearance Package | 4WD | $104,990 |
| Escalade Premium Luxury Platinum | 2WD | $118,390 |
| Navigator Black Label | 4WD | $118,490 |
| Escalade Premium Luxury Platinum | 4WD | $121,390 |
| Escalade Sport Platinum | 2WD | $118,890 |
| Escalade Sport Platinum | 4WD | $121,890 |
| Navigator Black Label Special Edition | 4WD | $127,090 |
| Escalade-V | AWD | $161,990 |
| Model | Drivetrain | 2025 MSRP + DFC |
|---|---|---|
| Escalade Luxury | 2WD | $92,590 |
| Escalade Luxury | 4WD | $95,590 |
| Escalade Premium Luxury | 2WD | $101,790 |
| Escalade Premium Luxury | 4WD | $104,790 |
| Navigator Reserve | 4WD | $104,980 |
| Escalade Sport | 2WD | $102,390 |
| Escalade Sport | 4WD | $105,390 |
| Navigator Jet Appearance Package | 4WD | $107,980 |
| Escalade Premium Luxury Platinum | 2WD | $121,390 |
| Navigator Black Label | 4WD | $121,485 |
| Escalade Premium Luxury Platinum | 4WD | $124,390 |
| Escalade Sport Platinum | 2WD | $121,890 |
| Escalade Sport Platinum | 4WD | $124,890 |
| Navigator Black Label Special Edition | 4WD | $130,085 |
| Escalade-V | AWD | $164,990 |
The main reason the Lincoln Navigator’s starting price is so much higher than that of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade is that the Navigator does away with the Premier trim – its previous base equipment group – and now comes standard with four-wheel drive.
The new base model – the Navigator Reserve – is comparable to the Escalade Premium Luxury. When equipped with 4WD, the pricing of the two is almost identical. The prices for the Navigator Black Label and Escalade Platinum models are also similar, although the new Navigator Black Label Special Edition has a starting price considerably higher than any Escalade Platinum model.
Naturally, the Lincoln Navigator lineup has nothing to compare to the stupendous 2025 Cadillac Escalade-V.
As the tables above make clear, the Cadillac Escalade has a much more varied model range than the Lincoln Navigator. Even though the 3.0L I6 LM2 turbodiesel Duramax engine option was discontinued in the Escalade, something that GM Authority was first to report on, the Caddy still has more powertrain options than the Navigator, in addition to having more trim on offer. Although four-wheel drive is a popular option in this class, we appreciate that GM still offers the Escalade in 2WD form in all but the V-Series model.
The new and improved 2025 Lincoln Navigator has a lot going for it, like the Lincoln Split Gate, a 48-inch coast-to-coast display on the dash, standard BlueCruise, and a potent turbo V6 engine. However, the updated Cadillac Escalade’s advantages of a lower starting price, more variety in its model range, and the incomparable Escalade-V model still make it the full-size luxury SUV to beat in our book.
[nggallery id=1218] 2025 Cadillac Escalade Photos Click to contract
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View Comments
These prices are out of control!!! Over $100k for a sport utility vehicle........am I missing something on why anyone would pay that money for a depreciating asset??
While I agree with you on the overprice part, remember this is a free market and there are always wealthier people (relatively to most of us) who are willing to pay for these.
Just like airline industry, there will ALWAYS be people who are willing to pay 3x 4x or 6x higher fare to sit in Business class, even 10x for First class. (International route outside of NA). It's been a inflationary decade. We won't know to which point the supply/demand will turnaround but this is just the reality.
Are you entitled to a luxury SUV?.
Grossly overpriced and way out of control! The fact that anyone would pay over 100K for a tarted up Tahoe or Expedition shows how out of touch so many Americans are! And you don't even get a long term reliable drivetrain from either with issues on both the 10 speed transmissions and either Ford's Ecoboost 3.5 and GM's lifter eating 6.2 that obtains gas mileage as if it doesn't even utilize cylinder deactivation! Brilliant
Maybe you should realize the target audience of these trucks are now families who earn in this range....the problem is with that it is priced out of the hands of many.
That's all fine but for these prices both of these behemoths should have drivetrains reflecting that not engine designs dating back 10 to 15 years ago with so so reliability and frail transmissions that fail or have shifting issues well before the warranty is up.
The Tahoe, Yukon and Expedition are considered premium or luxury vehicles to many buyers. Even the limousine market (livery) considers them luxury vehicles where the Town Car left that market early 2010s. If the Tahoe and Expedition was in a low $40K starting prices while the Escalade and Navigator prices start at $90K-$100K, it is another matter to talk about.
For as GM and Ford having outdated drivetrains, people obviously don't care as long as the vehicles far exceeds their expectations.
Looks like an ugly snow plow!!!!!!!!!!!
You are correct. The price on these is out of control. But to answer your question about who is paying for these, there are those who travel and those who travel well… You don’t have to agree but it’s a thing
This is why I bought a Tahoe Premier with a 5.3 engine that runs on regular gas. I ordered the cat back exhaust for a nice sound and more power, and its fast, all for $70,000
Needs the 3.0 back in the lineup
The Lincoln Navigator should offer soft-closed doors, air-ride suspension and fold-out tables from the executive seat package worthy of its price tag. This vehicle won't compete well with the Escalade as always and Ford seems to be O.K. with that. The Escalade looks so much better all around than the Navigator with the asking price tag. The refresh of the Escalade is on another level from the refreshed Navigator too.
The split tailgate from the Navigator will not dramatically increase sales volume. Ford is still sandbagging the Navigator by not offering a Grand Touring model that is currently available on the Aviator. The Aviator has soft-closed doors and air-ride suspension where the Navigator should offer them and so much more.
Ford needs to learn to take risk and will be behind GM like they were before from the product perspective. Their CUV line-up is beautiful but there will be no BEVs coming out soon and Cadillac already has BEVs coming out in a month or two with the IQ and OPTIQ. If Ford had not mismanage their operations in the past, they could compete with Lincoln on a higher level by now.