It took a while, but GM has apparently decided that there should be a Cadillac Escalde V. This is it.
V ‘has stood for the fast version at Cadillac since the beginning of this century. The letter is more or less for the brand what the M is for BMW, although this has recently changed. The CT4-V and CT5-V are in fact considerably less powerful than their predecessors with a ‘V’. In fact, they are now sub-toppers, to make way for real powerhouses with the addition ‘Blackwing’.
The Escalade, Cadillac’s largest SUV, has never received the V treatment until now. While more and more fast pick-ups appeared and smaller SUVs such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee from competitor FCA (Stellantis) also got a huge engine under the hood, the largest SUV segment so far remained free of these types of ‘Performance versions’. in the U.S.
However, Cadillac now sees a market for an Escalade V, perhaps because with the recent change of course this does not necessarily mean an all-out super-SUV. After all, it is not a Blackwing, so just above average smoothness suddenly suffices. The cars you see here are clearly more powerful versions of the new Escalade presented last year. They have a lower front bumper and four exhaust tailpipes, although not yet in final shape.
Judging from these spy images, the Escalade V appears in both the ‘short’ and the long ESV form. Our sources expect that the 6.2 V8 from the CT5-V Blackwing does indeed reside under the hood, but that of course results in less intense performance in this mastodon. In the CT5, this block is good for 668 American horsepower, but that may change for the Escalade.