Audi Hits the Reset Button for A4 and A5 Series, but the 2025 Caddy Escalade Is Way Cooler

The third week of July was pretty darn hot – just like many places on planet Earth (yes, there is no such thing as global warming, just like there were no ice ages in the past, cough, cough). This summer saw automakers quite busy bringing out their latest and greatest models for a spin, and we really need to discuss them while they're fresh and roasted.

We started with Tesla offering a sizeable range boost as a paid upgrade for the Model Y RWD, and some owners are not happy with the prices - 30 or 50 miles for $1,000 and $1,600, respectively. What do you think? Is it okay to ask for more money for updates when other carmakers release them free of charge as part of their regular model year changeover or during the mid-cycle facelifts? If you don't need a family EV crossover SUV but rather would like to dwell around in a little sports car, Toyota has just brought back the Hakone special edition for the 2025 GR86 model with a new Ridge Green paintjob and other goodies.

Meanwhile, somewhere around the world, the most affordable electric vehicle in the UK is Dacia's refreshed Spring, which starts from £14,995 or less than $20k, but over in Australia, you're getting ritzy options like the all-new G45 fourth-generation 2025 BMW X3 with the base 188-hp 20 xDrive model and a few versions of the Smart #1 and #3 models, complete with Brabus variants. That's not all, because the Nissan Nismo sporty brand is officially returning to Europe with an electric twist as the Japanese company will soon launch the Ariya Nismo sporty electric crossover on the Old Continent.

America saw quite a few new model year introductions – such as the 2025 Mazda CX-5, the base and intermediate 2025 Porsche Macan RWD and 4S all-electric luxury crossover SUVs plus the Panamera GTS and Turbo S E-Hybrid flagship, or the special edition sendoff for the local Volkswagen Tiguan as the next generation is set to arrive soon. Speaking of exclusive models, Jeep also debuted the 2024 Jeep Gladiator High Tide Edition as a Florida-only product, while the 2024 Chevy Corvette Stingray and Z06 are finally available in Europe through AEC Specialty Vehicles (AECSV), a subsidiary of AEC Group, which formally launched last summer to focus on officially importing some of GM's vehicles to Europe.

Naturally, pricing is crazy, but it's good to know that General Motors' products are reaching more corners of the planet – the Chevrolet Colorado also went on sale in South Korea with a single Z71 trim level. Speaking of quirky things, the 2024 Cupra Born VZ electric hot hatch just went on sale, the Audi Q4 e-tron family gained a new base level with steel wheels (!), and the all-new Volkswagen ID. Unyx electric CUV is a rebadged Cupra Tavascan for China.

Back to America, the Audi A5 and S5 will arrive in sedan form only (it's a five-door liftback, actually, just like the previous Sportback, but with a sedan-like design) as the A5 and especially the S5 are the hot station wagons the region can't have. That's too bad because the latter packs more punch than the Audi S4 Avant it replaces – 362 horsepower, up 13 ponies compared to the previous installment. That's probably courtesy of the MHEV plus 48V system, though Audi doesn't mention that expressly.

Audi's new A5 and S5 models sit on the new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) and have gained larger dimensions to reposition in the mid-size segment alongside the upcoming Audi A6 e-tron. Sadly, the introduction of the new family has essentially led to the retirement of the old A5/S5 Sportback as well as the A5/S5/RS 5 Coupe and Convertible models. We'll know more about the US-spec models in due time; for now, the company has only released the European pricing and specifications.

Anyway, the 2025 model year has also arrived for the S650 seventh generation Ford Mustang, and the bad news is that being the only V8 pony car on the market means the corner office head honchos will try to profit by raising prices – hence, the GT and Dark Horse models are now more expensive across the board. The good news is that you can save a pretty penny from the $325k Ford Mustang GTD by ordering a GT or Dark Horse and then treating it to Roush Performance's new supercharger kit, which costs less than $10k and leads to an increase in power to no less than 810 hp.

As for the coolest and single most important introduction of the week, this time around, we nominate the candidacy of the 2025 Cadillac Escalade. It's merely a refresh designed to keep it in line with the upcoming all-electric Escalade IQ, but many will call it a homerun because it's got everything new. We are talking about a new face and loads more features, plus the mighty Escalade-V is sticking around for at least another model year. The new front fascia brings it in line with the Escalade IQ but also models like the Celestiq and Lyriq; there are optional 24-inch alloy wheels as a nod to the aftermarket realm's love of bigger shoes, fresh colors like Aegean Stone (green), Deep Sea Metallic (blue), or Latte Metallic (light bronze), and even power doors for both opening and closing.

Moving inside, the previous dual-screen assembly now seems entirely puny – the 2025 Escalade gets a humongous dash-wide display stretching 55 inches from the left to the right A-pillar. There's a 35-inch display for the driver and a 20-inch one for the front passenger with video streaming options. Curiously, unlike on other GM models, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still present and accounted for, and the second-row passengers get 12.6-inch touchscreens if someone pays for the optional Executive Second Row package.

What remains the same is the 6.2-liter V8 with or without supercharging, 420 hp on regular models, and 682 hp when opting for the Escalade-V. While the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban got an upgraded 3.0-liter Duramax diesel engine, the Cadillac Escalade is not offered anymore – most likely because of a lack of interest from customers. By the way, the performance V-Series model gets some exclusive goodies, and except for the base Escalade, all other trims get standard Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 with the Air Ride adaptive suspension plus Super Cruise.