Compare the2025 Toyota SequoiaVS 2025 Cadillac Escalade ESV

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Sequoia 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 ESV doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Sequoia has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Sequoia has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Sequoia and the Escalade ESV 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, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available four-wheel drive.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Sequoia for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Cadillac only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Escalade ESV.

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

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Sequoia has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engine in the Escalade ESV.

The battery on the Sequoia is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Sequoia’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Escalade ESV’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Sequoia’s reliability 30 points higher than the Escalade ESV.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sequoia second among large suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Escalade ESV isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is ranked fifth.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota third in overall reliability. Cadillac is ranked 21st.

The Sequoia’s 3.4 turbo V6 hybrid produces 17 more horsepower (437 vs. 420) and 123 lbs.-ft. more torque (583 vs. 460) than the Escalade ESV’s 6.2 V8.

As tested in Car and Driver the Toyota Sequoia is faster than the Cadillac Escalade ESV:

On the EPA test cycle the Sequoia gets better mileage than the Escalade ESV:

Regenerative brakes improve the Sequoia’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

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

The Sequoia Capstone handles at .76 G’s, while the Escalade ESV Sport 4WD pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Sequoia’s turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Escalade ESV’s (40.2 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

The Toyota Sequoia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 350 pounds less than the Cadillac Escalade ESV.

The Sequoia is 1 foot, 6.9 inches shorter than the Escalade ESV, making the Sequoia easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sequoia has .9 inches more front hip room and 1.4 inches more third row hip room than the Escalade ESV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Sequoia’s middle and third row seats recline. The Escalade ESV’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Sequoia’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Escalade ESV’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Sequoia’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Escalade ESV’s (9120 vs. 7300 pounds).

The Sequoia has a higher standard payload capacity than the Escalade ESV (1555 vs. 1500 lbs.).

The Sequoia has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Escalade ESV (1730 vs. 1600 lbs.).

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sequoia to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.