Cadillac Escalade

The Escalade is a full-size luxury SUV with three rows and room for up to eight passengers when equipped with the available second-row bench (in place of standard captain’s chairs). It comes in both standard and extended-wheelbase versions; the latter, known as the Escalade ESV, measures about a foot longer and is reviewed separately. The Escalade shares a platform and some components with the Chevrolet Suburban and the GMC Yukon, which are built by Cadillac’s sister companies within General Motors. Properly equipped, it can tow up to 8,300 pounds.

The Escalade comes with a choice of two engines. The most common is a 6.2-liter gasoline V8 that produces 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated to an automatic transmission, which was upgraded from six to eight speeds in 2015 and again to a 10-speed unit in 2018. Cadillac added a more fuel-efficient 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-six as an option in 2021. It makes less horsepower (277 ponies) but matches the V8 for torque (460 lb-ft), and it achieves as much as 23 mpg in mixed driving according to the EPA. Rear-wheel drive is standard on the Escalate, while four-wheel drive is available as an option.

Cadillac builds the Escalade in a variety of trims, including the base version, the mid-range Luxury, the well-equipped Premium Luxury, and the range-topping Platinum, which was renamed Premium Luxury Platinum in 2021. The Sport and Sport Platinum trims joined the lineup in 2021. They’re equipped similarly to the Premium Luxury and Premium Luxury Platinum trims (respectively) but distinguish themselves with unique styling accents such as blacked-out exterior trim accents and dark-colored wheels. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration became a standard feature on the Escalade in 2016. Forward collision mitigation and lane-keeping assist followed in 2021 and 2022, respectively. They’re the only standard active safety features, but many others are offered on higher-level trims, including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and Super Cruise, Cadillac’s hands-free highway driving assistant.