2ND PLACE: 2021 Cadillac Escalade
ESV 4WD Premium Luxury
Let’s address the elephant in the room
right off the bat. Yes, Cadillac makes a
shorter Tahoe-based version of the 2021
Escalade instead of the Suburban-based
one we have. Yes, we asked and looked for
one. No, the extra 15 inches of sheetmetal
(or 1.5 inches of third-row legroom
and extra cargo capacity) didn’t help or
hurt the Escalade. And no, having the
standard-length Escalade wouldn’t have
changed a thing—the Escalade’s few flaws
are endemic to the whole lineup.
But before we delve too deeply into the
why, a quick overview of the what. The
fifth-generation Escalade is easily the
most impressive in the model’s 22-year
history. Although it still shares its plat-
form with the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban
and GMC Yukon, this Escalade marks the
first time GM opened its pocketbook suffi-
ciently wide to allow Cadillac to meaning-
fully differentiate the Escalade from its
corporate cousins.
And spend Cadillac did, on new features
such as three impressive curved OLED
screens, upgraded materials, and cool
tech such as augmented reality. But it
still shares powertrains with Chevy and
GMC. Power comes courtesy of a revised
6.2-liter V-8 that makes 420 hp and 460
lb-ft of torque mated to a 10-speed auto-
matic. A 3.0-liter turbodiesel I-6 is also
available. This Escalade was equipped
with optional all-wheel drive (4WD with
low range is an additional option).
Like the old Escalade, the new one’s
ride trends on the sportier side. It’s hard
to tell if that’s a deliberate tuning choice
or if it’s due to the standard 22-inch
wheels and rubber-band tires. We guess
the latter. “The suspension really grates
on you, these little bounces, bumps,
and hops,” Morrison said. “It feels like a
constant low-frequency vibration that
goes through the chassis and into the
cabin. It goes against the idea of hauling
people in luxury.”
The firmer ride pays dividends on
winding roads, though, as body control is
fantastic for a vehicle in this segment, and
the well-weighted and accurate steering
makes the Cadillac drive like a smaller
vehicle than it actually is.
The Cadillac’s powertrain—the sole
naturally aspirated mill of the bunch—
left us wishing for some turbochargers.
A luxury vehicle should be able to waft
you away effortlessly, but despite Cadil-
lac’s exceptionally smooth 10-speed auto-
matic, the largely carryover V-8 lets you
see it sweat. After the initial surge of
torque off the line, there’s really not much
left in reserve for passing or long uphill
grades. The Escalade isn’t slow in the
grand scheme of things, but in this crowd
it brings up the back of the pack in every
single instrumented test save for braking.
(This was also true for the last standard-
length Escalade we tested.)The Escalade begins to claw some
points back once you climb aboard.
“When you step inside, it’s apparent the
driver has the best seat in the house,”
Segura said. “The curving, leather-
wrapped 38-inch (combined) OLED
display is the cabin’s best feature.” Evans
agreed: “This is Star Trek stuff in a car.
The small touchscreen to the left of the
instrument cluster is clutch, and putting
not just the map but also the augmented
reality navigation in the instrument
cluster is a step ahead of what Mercedes is
doing, and way ahead of the rest.”
The Escalade’s cabin is also unquestion-
ably roomy, with adult-friendly second
and third rows. Thanks to the added
length of this ESV model, it has moreTHE FIFTH-GENERATION CADILLAC ESCALADE IS EASILY
THE MOST IMPRESSIVE IN THE MODEL’S 22-YEAR HISTORY.