Before a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe, GM handed over the keys to its newest electric flagship — the Cadillac Escalade IQL, a 9,000-pound, all-electric SUV starting at $130,405. The offer was simple: take it for a week and see what I think. I’m not a professional auto critic — just someone who drives an EV — but I was curious. I had first seen the Escalade IQL at a car show months earlier, where it towered over a field of classic cars. My initial reaction was shock at its sheer scale, followed by reluctant admiration. Despite its massive footprint, the design felt surprisingly controlled — almost athletic. “Strapping,” I thought. The proportions worked.

That admiration faded slightly when the SUV was delivered to my San Francisco home. At 228.5 inches long and 94.1 inches wide, it dwarfed everything around it. My first apartment had less square footage. Navigating it up my steep driveway was nerve-racking; the hood is so high that cresting a hill temporarily erases whatever lies directly ahead. For a moment, I considered leaving it parked for the entire Tahoe trip.

Instead, I forced myself to acclimate. I ran errands. Picked up dinner. Drove to a workout class. Each outing felt like piloting heavy machinery. When I ran into friends, I rushed to clarify: this wasn’t my car. Wasn’t its size absurd? It felt like a luxury tank — the sort of vehicle hotels use to shuttle VIP guests, not something a normal person chooses.

And yet, five days later, I realized something unexpected: I had become that person.

The turning point came during a brutal snowstorm en route to Tahoe City. Where I once muttered, “Ugh, this thing is a tank,” I suddenly found myself grateful for exactly that quality. The Escalade IQL’s weight, stability, and commanding presence transformed from liabilities into strengths. Confidence replaced anxiety. In white-out conditions, the massive electric SUV felt planted and unshakable.

The experience didn’t erase its shortcomings — its size remains impractical in tight urban environments, and maneuvering requires constant awareness. But somewhere between navigating steep driveways and powering through mountain snow, the narrative flipped. The Escalade IQL isn’t subtle. It isn’t modest. It’s unapologetically enormous. And in the right conditions, that enormity becomes its superpower.