Even though pretty much any car manufacturer is downsizing their engine size or simply going EV, General Motors decided it was time to put a supercharged V8 under the hood of the Cadillac Escalade. Yes, you heard me right. The already noneconomic American SUV is going to become even less economical. This is odd timing to reveal such a vehicle considering the gas prices have been sky rocking in the past couple of months. Anyways, the Cadillac Escalade-V will be in a price range where the customer is far more concerned about the pleasure behind the wheel than their vehicle’s fuel consumption. Of course, this isn’t just about money, and there’s something unethical about a massive, supercharged V-8 SUV for the environment. Nevertheless, studies have proven it’s precisely the kind of vehicle people want, and you can tell with the colossal success some Stellantis models had over the past years. 

For me, the question isn’t why Chevrolet did this, but more why they haven’t done it before. As you might know, rules and regulations are getting stricter every year, and we are almost to the point where a vehicle like the Cadillac Escalade V won’t be able to meet them all. Look at Dodge produced the Durango Hellcat for only a sad year, but it is what it is, and we are glad the American Manufacturers’s done it. In Cadillac cases, it’s a bid different since General Motors is producing much more EV than Stellantis, allowing the company to use green credit to make vehicles like the CT5-V Blackwing and the Escalade-V now. Well, nobody will tell you that, but it appears to be clear for me the only reason GM can offer an SUV like this is thanks to his EV sales.

A Supercharged V-8?

We don’t have any information or any numbers yet, and even if there’s a slight chance for the American SUV to offer a completely different engine, we are pretty sure the Cadillac Escalade-V will be powered by a supercharged 6.2 liters V-8 like the one you find under the hood of the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. We are talking about 668 horsepower and 659 foot-pounds of torque of pure insanity here. In my opinion, this would be the perfect upgrade over the 420 horsepower 6.2 N/A V-8 we find under the hood of the regular Escalade.

Even if Cadillac didn’t reveal much information about the new Escalade-V, we’ve noticed quite a few upgrades compared to the regular version with only the couple pictures the American manufacturer sent to us so far. If you look closely, you can see that some exterior panels are quite different, such as the front bumper, which is way more aggressive. The American SUV also gets a four-exhaust tip And a very distinctive V logo on its tailgate. If you haven’t seen them up to this point, I’ll just remind you there are big Brembo brakes with the red caliper, and these aren’t there just to be evident since the Escalade-V is a massive vehicle that needs massive brakes to be able to stop.

We will get more information about the 2023 Cadillac Escalade V closer to its full reveal, set for spring 2022. General Motors has not given any date for now, but I’m sure we can expect the first couple of units on the market by the end of the year.

Jean-Sébastien Poudrier