Beneath our respectable outer personality, I think we all have something of an alter ego.
Recently, I’ve had a bit of an infatuation with John Varvatos clothes and my alter ego, at least in my own deluded mind and inflated self-perception, is that of an elegantly aging rock star. My style icons are people like the late Steve McQueen and David Bowie and the still-with-us Mick Jagger and Bryan Ferry – well dressed, aging comfortably, accepting it. Yet still exceptionally cool, casually elegant and ever so slightly eclectic.
This is the essence of the Escalade V, well dressed, comfortably cool and slightly eclectic. And in the Emerald Green color of my demo car, given the performance capability it almost feels slightly understated – at least for an Escalade. Underneath this veneer of respectability, however, is a 680hp engine and unexpectedly loud, snarling racing-exhaust that crackles and pops. The Escalade in V guise is entirely irreverent with the full potential to be a bit of hooligan.
The interior of the Escalade is nicely finished, and Cadillac has certainly come a long way in the quality of the materials, fit and the build quality. There are a number of subtle styling cues that give away the V Series specifications, and of course the discreet badging. However, it is only when you fire up the Escalade and press the V button, that you appreciate that this is a horse of an entirely different color. The engine note drops a few octaves from gentle hum to a deep growl and there is no-mistaking the performance tuning of the monstrous V8 beneath the hood.
Cadillac touts the Escalade-V as the industry’s most powerful full-size SUV, and it is the latest iteration in the V Series line-up that was first introduced in 2004. The fifth generation Escalade debuted in 2021 and is built on a well proven and versatile platform. The exterior features of the Escalade-V are relatively subtle with the black sports mesh grille and air-intakes and the black styling around the windows. The rear fascia incorporates a body-colored diffuser with openings for the quad exhausts and also has the black 22-inch 18-spoke alloy wheels that nicely offset the Edge-Red color of the Brembo calipers that are also unique to the performance-oriented Escalade-V. Other cues to the capabilities of V Series are the fairly discreet V logos on the steering wheel, front door trims and tailgate.
Stepping into the Escalade-V, it is all business and is based on the Escalade Platinum’s interior. My demo car came in the black semi-aniline leather, which is on all three rows of the seats and with black Zebra wood accents on the center console, dash and door panels. The build quality, fit and tactile feel of the materials are excellent and the switchgear, transmission and controls are thoughtfully placed all within easy reach. The heated and ventilated front seats come replete with massage functions and are incredibly comfortable for extended time in the saddle. They also offer just enough lateral support, while also making the Escalade easy to jump in and out, particularly with the convenient electronic side-step.
The Escalade also features the curved OLED screen with a high resolution 38 square inch display, which has an augmented reality feature that projects live camera images of the road ahead on the central display cluster and can overlay directional information when a navigational route is active. It’s a bit trippy watching the screen display the road ahead on the cluster. The display has a very cool thermal night vision feature, which can identify pedestrians and animals and highlights them in the display in yellow. The Escalade’s premium infotainment and vehicle settings are intuitive and easy to navigate, accessible through the 16.9 inch digital color display that also includes capabilities for voice recognition, Apple Car-Play and a range of connected Apps. The audio system, a critical component of the Escalade experience doesn’t disappoint. The AKG Studio Reference audio system with 3D surround sound through its 36 speakers, including speakers in the headrests offers exceptional fidelity and the obligatory deep base that you would expect. The Escalade also features Cadillac’s ‘Super Cruise’ system which is the hands-free drivers assistance system that uses cameras in real-time, sensors and GPS paired with LIDAR map data, that allows for hands free driving on most major routes and highways.
Now let’s get down to the meat and potatoes and why you are really here dear reader. The power and performance of the Escalade-V comes from a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that puts the power down through a 10-speed transmission and full-time all-wheel drive system to enhance traction. The Escalade-V uses the same supercharged V8 as the CT5-V Blackwing but incorporates a larger supercharger that compensates for the higher inlet and exhaust restrictions in the SUV configuration. The 2.6L R2650 TVS supercharger spins up to 13,500 rpm producing a whopping 10 pounds of boost. The supercharger features a unique-four lobe rotor systems that delivers a broader power band producing increased torque at the lower end and more power at high rpm. As in the CT5-V Blackwing, the engine has been designed to withstand the significantly higher output and cylinder head pressures that come with through a forced induction system. This includes lightweight titanium intake valves and aluminium cylinder heads that are more heat resilient than convention castings.
The result of all this is an engine that produces 682 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 653 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm. The transmission sends transferred torque to the full-time active all-wheel drive system that splits torque between the front and rear wheels to ensure the V is optimizing traction in all conditions, always ensuring that some torque is directed to the front wheels. This propels the Escalade-V from 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds, which is incredibly impressive for a full sizes SUV weighing in at over 6,200 pounds.
Carving my way along Lucas Valley Road, the agility of the Escalade belies its size. The magnetic ride control system, adaptive air suspension with air springs at all four corners and the V-series software calibrations, provide for a series of customizable performance settings. This provides for heightened feel without sacrificing ride comfort that is synonymous with the Escalade. The V button on the center console allows me to tailor the driving mode between Tour and Sport, which adjusts the engine responsiveness, steering, and lowers the ride height in Sport mode by 0.8 inches. Squeezing the throttle and powering out of corners like a slingshot and then braking hard, hearing the crackles, pops and bursts of the exhaust as I downshift into the next turn. The Escalade feels like a high-performance sedan, but with a much higher ride and better visibility. Then I glance in the rearview mirror and see two rows of seats behind me. It feels like an alternate reality. It’s taking me a bit of time to process that I am in super-size SUV weighing in at over 6,200 pounds that has the agility and performance of a well fettled sports car.
The beauty and the bizarre appeal of the Escalade-V is that is that it is entirely paradoxical. It looks every bit the refined and elegant full-size SUV. However, slip it into V Mode, the exhaust sound drops a few notes and the Cadillac releases a cacophony of sounds turning heads and initiating the occasional disapproving glare. It just doesn’t seem quite right, particularly in the quiet residential streets of Marin County where I live.
The V is in fact completely nuts and I love that GM would build a car like this. On the final few days, I also discovered the engine sound has a stealth mode to avoid disturbing the neighbors, but why take away all the fun.
The Escalade V, however, is not inexpensive. The price point is a hefty premium over the Escalade Sport and from the exterior, other than some subtle styling cues and the V badging it doesn’t look all that different. The Escalade V is directly priced in line with the Alpina XB7, AMG GLS 63 and for an extra $20-30k you can get a Range Rover Autobiography or Maybach GLS. This seems to be a slightly different strategy that the CTS-V Blackwing, which is also a phenomenal car, has the same power plant as the Escalade V and is priced considerably lower than many of its competitors with similar and arguably better performance.
The V clearly creates a brand halo for the Escalade, it is a remarkable machine, extraordinarily fun to drive and easy to live with, but for the price and performance capabilities above of the regular Escalade I think I would like to see some styling cues that offer a great differentiation over the Escalade Sport. I just want it to look that little bit more aggressive and different to reflect the performance and also additional $50k, maybe with some carbon fibre trim, spoilers or arches,.
However, maybe that’s the real appeal and the genius is that the Escalade V remains cool, calm and collected and entirely respectable on the surface, but when you press that V button you unleash the Rock Star that is inside all of us.
The base price of the 2023 Escalade-V is $148,195 and additional options on my demo include the Dark Emerald Metallic at $625 and the console refrigerator with freezer at an additional $700, which brought the total to $151,265 including destination charges.
For more information on the Escalade V visit the Cadillac Escalade webpage here.
Photographs by James Henderson.
