The 2023 Cadillac Escalade V is a 682-hp Corvette SUV We Can Get Behind

Well, those Cadillac emails that I opted into a couple of years ago for up-to-the-minute CT5-V Blackwing information are finally paying dividends. After flooding my inbox with unwanted Lyriq propaganda for months, things changed this morning with an announcement that General Motors is finally getting back into the money-printing high-performance SUV segment. The General invented and subsequently abandoned this part of the new car market after minting just 4,697 GMC Typhoons between 1992 and 1993 (alright, we will include the ’06-’09 Trailblazer SS, but it has still been 14 long years since we’ve had a dog in this fight!). After a few recent teasers, Caddy officially let the cat out of the bag about the long-awaited marriage between its hallowed “V” badge and its most high-profile vehicle, the Escalade.

The fifth-generation Escalade has been one of, if not THE only vehicle on the market that has been able to hold a candle to the C8 Corvette in terms of consumer excitement. In fact, Road & Track even dubbed the Escalade “the hottest new vehicle on the US market” after Edmunds crunched the data and found that people are spending, on average, $17,197 over sticker to get their hands on one. The Escalade has been so dominant that it accounted for half of all luxury SUVs sold in America in Q4 of 2021 .

GM isn’t letting this momentum go stale either, the 2023 Escalade V is officially on its way, and it is looking every bit like the Z06 SUV that we’ve all at least wondered about for years. The V’s main attraction is lurking behind a sinister black mesh grille. The automotive media collectively presumed the tried-and-true LT4 V8 would stake claim to its fifth engine bay (C7 Z06, 2017+ Camaro ZL1, V3 CTS-V, 5-V Blackwing) in the Escalade V, but Cadillac’s ultimate interpretation of the Tahoe platform has been keeping a 6.2L secret this whole time!

Under its expansive hood, the Escalade V features a new mutant beast of a supercharged powerplant. It shares its displacement with most modern small-block V8s, but the unnamed motivator has tossed the LT4’s 1.7L supercharger aside in favor of a C7 ZR1-style 2.65-liter unit. It isn’t an LT5, though, as it lacks that motor’s trick dual-fuel injection system, but what it does have is forged steel connecting rods and crankshaft, forged aluminum pistons, and titanium intake valves. Whatever name it ends up with, the Escalade V is bringing some serious firepower into the fast SUV octagon. With final ratings of 682 HP and 653 lb-ft of torque, the latest member of the V family outmuscles even the upcoming C8 Z06, making it the second most powerful internal combustion vehicle GM has ever produced.

Other technical highlights include a full-time AWD system and a mandatory 10-speed automatic transmission. GM greatest hits like MagRide 4.0 and the eLSD also make an appearance on the spec-sheet. Massive 16.1-inch front brake rotors and red Brembo calipers peek out from behind an exclusive set of 22-inch wheels. Combined with adaptive air ride springs, these features combine to ensure that this 6,217-lb. behemoth has all-around performance chops (and the ride quality that Cadillac owners expect) to match its straight-line prowess. Speaking of which, they are claiming a 4.4-second sprint to 60 and 12.74 seconds in the quarter.

Other than a “V” button (like the ‘Vette’s Z) on the steering wheel, the interior is standard Escalade fare (which is in no way a bad thing), and it hasn’t lost its truck-ness in the transformation to high-performance, either. The V will still tow 7,000 lbs. – that is enough to tow a C8 Z06 on an average car hauler, with about 1,700 lbs. to spare – and it has a payload of 1,140-1,330 lbs. depending on which model you choose.

Production will be limited to an undisclosed number of units and, with a starting price of $149,990, takes the crown as the most expensive passenger vehicle ever offered by General Motors. Deliveries begin late this summer, and, most importantly, since this beauty isn’t desecrating the Crossed Flags, we are happy to give it the full CorvetteBlogger seal of approval!

Source:
hagerty.com

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