Obviously.Ĭadillac engineers told us the Escalade had to earn its V badge, but they didn't want to ruin what makes this model so special. As for fuel economy, the EPA hasn't posted official figures yet, but we expect them to be atrocious. We'll talk more about those additions in a moment. The V gets some other go-faster goodies including six-piston Brembo front brakes and Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 with Air Ride Adaptive Suspension. When using the Escalade V for more mundane tasks, it can tow 7,000 lbs.Īll of that power goes out to a V-specific all-wheel-drive system, which varies the torque split based on driving conditions. Cadillac hasn't quoted a top speed, but we estimate the Escalade-V will reach the limiter at 124 mph ask us how we know. In the quarter-mile, Cadillac estimates the V will run under 12.8 seconds. The Escalade-V is plenty quick, blasting to 60 mph in under 4.4 seconds (4.5 in the ESV) thanks to launch control. No, that's not as much as the 710-hp Durango Hellcat, but the Dodge is no longer in production. However, it gets a larger 2.65-liter TVS supercharger that ups the output to 682 horsepower and 653 lb-ft of torque. Under the hood, the LT4 6.2-liter V8 engine is shared with the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. Like the standard Escalade, the V comes in standard-wheelbase and extended ESV guises, with the latter providing more passenger and cargo space. The red was by far our favorite of the examples we saw, but Emerald Green also sounds intriguing. The V's color palette includes Radiant Red Tintcoat, Argent Silver Metallic, Black Raven, Crystal White Tricoat, and Dark Emerald Metallic. This is a small change that we appreciate, especially as many high-performance SUVs cheap out with faux pipes.Ĭadillac already had one of the most attractive designs in the full-size segment, and the Escalade V is no exception. At the back, the engineers fought hard to eliminate the standard bumper with fake exhaust outlets in favor of some sweet quad tips.

Unique front and rear fascias plus V-specific 22-inch wheels, red brake calipers, and a few V badges (three total) designate the V from the standard Escalade. An Escalade is already an ostentatious vehicle given its size and overall bling, so the designers didn't need to go overboard with this new V model.

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