The New Cadillac Escalade IQ Has an Intercom for Passengers

The Cadillac Escalade IQ has a Cadillac-estimated 460 miles of all-electric range, weighs over four tons, and has 24-inch wheels, all of which signal large by any measure. It also has something you might more commonly see in a limousine or van: a rear intercom for passengers to speak to the front row and the driver, and vice versa. Cadillac calls it “Conversation Enhancement.”

The feature, as spotted by The Drive, is also available on other Cadillac models, including the Vistiq and Celestiq. Conversation Enhancement uses the car’s speaker system and microphones to allow the driver to hear what’s going on in the back—for parents to monitor their young ones, perhaps, for passengers to communicate with their chauffeur, or for a group of adults riding together to more effectively talk.

Cadillac incorporates mics in the back of the vehicle. They are mounted to the optional 38 and 42 speaker setups. That allows the driver and passenger riding shotgun to hear the rear of the car clearly, according to The Drive. And if you’re stuck in the middle and you want to opt of the conversation altogether, second-row passengers can turn their mics off.

The feature is included with the Escalade IQ and gas-powered versions of the Escalade as well, in which it will probably have a bit more utility, since the all-electric Escalade is quieter without an internal combustion engine powering it. Conversation Enhancement is also a reminder that the soundscape of electric cars is fundamentally different from internal combustion cars. And across all setups, luxury automakers are seeking to control what drivers and passengers hear at all times, and customize it to their desires.

Noise cancellation is one of those features, much like in one’s headphones, though the eeriness of complete silence is not desirable either, nor quite possible just yet. Still, long gone are the days when the sounds you hear in the cabin are a combination of rubber slapping the road, the natural roar of the engine, and the ambient noise of the outdoors. Instead, the Escalade promises a well-appointed conference room on wheels, which is a bit less isolating than simply adding another screen.

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