Escalade-V? Customers, Dealers Want it, Says Caddy

All the cool (German) kids are doing it, so why wouldn’t Cadillac? The vogue for big performance SUVs may soon hit the Cadillac if comments made by Cadillac’s Escalade product manager, Dave Schiavone, to Detroit publication Muscle Cars & Trucks are anything to off.

“Ever since we came out with the V-Series on the CTS, we’ve had dealers and customers always asking for (an Escalade-V),” said 2021 Cadillac Escalade Product Manager, Dave Schiavone in an exclusive interview with MC&T. “We’re always looking at opportunities, and where we can take portfolios.”

As Schiavone suggests, the idea that the Escalade should be given a performance variant dates back some time. Sources have been claiming that this latest generation of Escalade would come with a V version. 

Indeed, MC&T reported in 2019 that the high-power Escalade would be coming with a 6.2-liter LT4—which makes up to 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. Since we know that Cadillac is willing to use the Blackwing name even if the Blackwing engine isn’t in the car, it seems likely that the Escalade could gain that name, too.

Already, the non-V Escalade makes use of a 6.2-liter L84 V8, which makes a healthy 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to that potent combination, it can get to 60 mph in as little 5.5 seconds. The CT4-V is supposed to hit 60 in 5.1 seconds. So the Escalade is no slouch.

Given the Escalades size and heft, though, there may be diminishing returns on horsepower. Whether or not customers care when they can boast about 650 hp, is another matter entirely.