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When the Cadillac Escalade V arrived for 2023 it might have been one of the loudest SUVs money could buy. The 2025 refresh ended up bringing more than a tech overhaul and front end redesign, it put a muzzle on the rowdy V SUV.
After spending a week living with and road tripping in the 2025 Cadillac Escalade V both myself and my buddy Philip noticed this iteration of the V seemed … quieter than before. Turns out that’s because it is. Cadillac spokesperson Michael Albano confirmed to The Drive the 2025 Cadillac Escalade V is indeed quieter than the outgoing model due to modified exhaust tuning.
“We just turned it down to an 11,” Albano said.
The man isn’t wrong, because the 2025 Escalade V is still hilariously loud with a thunderclap upon cold start and a burble at idle that would send shivers down the Devil’s spine.
The change was done in the name of refinement. But the hardware was in no way modified, according to Albano.
The sole reason the Escalade V is quieter than before comes down to different exhaust tuning. Albano didn’t divulge details on how exactly, but was clear and repeated twice that the hardware didn’t change, only the tuning of the system changed.
The tuning changes also go beyond the physical exhaust hardware. The Escalade V’s active noice cancellation system’s been retuned to be more refined than before. The result? While cruising down the highway the Escalade V’s exhaust doesn’t drone, and that’s doubly true for those seated in the second row, according to my bud Philip. He sat back in the second-row of both the 2023 model when it launched and this updated 2025 model for nearly 700 miles. The man would know.
For anyone looking to wake up the neighborhood with the Escalade V you can sleep soundly, because this thing’s still fully capable of doing that. Philip noted, “We heard you long before we saw you come down around the curve.” I also purposely had the Escalade V in V mode, which opens the electronic dumps on the exhaust system. It was 7:05 am. Sorry, not sorry.
Still loud and proud, the Escalade V’s exhaust has now been … refined. Wether your neighbor will notice is unlikely, but your rear seat occupants just might.
As Director of Content and Product, Joel draws on over 15 years of newsroom experience and inability to actually stop working to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media. He’s also a World Car Award juror.
