6.2 L V8, 682 hp and 653 lb-ft: if there is a series of data to remember following the virtual launch of the 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V, it is these. The full-size SUV, which has always been restrained when it comes to performance, is now seeking to emancipate itself by offering the most powerful mechanics ever implemented in a Cadillac model. Already divisive, the juggernaut born in 1999 provokes by drawing inspiration from Stellantis with its Hellcat engine models.
Posted at 11:45 a.m.
It is therefore useless to specify that the exercise essentially seeks to generate large profit margins to paradoxically support General Motors’ (GM) costly electric shift. At $179,998 when it goes on sale in the summer, it’s nearly double the price of the entry-level, short-wheelbase version ($94,293) and nearly $20,000 more than a Mercedes-Benz. GLS in AMG livery. It will therefore be fairly expensive in exchange for a substantial gain in velocity.
A known V8 under the hood
Technically, this Escalade-V receives the block from the CT5-V Blackwing sedan. Engineers, however, topped it off with a larger 2.65L supercharger to compensate for the SUV’s more restrictive air intake and exhaust look. The advantage of such an approach compared to that of turbocharging remains the linearity of the power delivery as well as the smoothness at low revs. On the other hand, fuel consumption suffers. Cadillac hasn’t revealed its estimates, but the Escalade-V should be quite a glutton at a time when gas prices are rising visibly. As long as there is a drop…
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CADILLAC
The interior of the Cadillac Escalade-V features a huge 38-inch OLED screen that wraps around the cockpit.
This mechanism is teamed with a 10-speed automatic transmission obviously tuned for the very different mandate. All-wheel drive cannot be deactivated to ensure the stability of this vehicle with its very high center of gravity. Electromagnetic shock absorbers arrive as reinforcements to consolidate its foundations. They are lined with pneumatic cushions to adjust the height and play the role of springs. Moreover, despite its 2.9 tons, the Escalade-V can complete the 0-96 km/h in 4.4 s, which makes this kind of technology necessary to avoid kissing a tree at the first turn.
In short, the idea is crazy and probably anachronistic, but Cadillac persists and signs.