(By Tom Lohnes) – The Cadillac Escalade has long been a staple in the luxury SUV segment. With the current version being the best yet, the only gripe with the new ‘lade is power. With up to 420 horsepower on tap, this huge Cadillac is definitely not slow, but a bit more grunt would definitely not hurt. Well, Cadillac has an answer for that, and it wears a V badge.
Powered by what is most likely the LT4 out of various GM performance cars, this fast Caddy is General Motor’s first real performance SUV since the Trailblazer SS back in 2006. With a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 under the hood, this new Escalade will be making 650 horsepower at the least. The CT5-V Blackwing has 668, so expect that and maybe a bit more. A 10-speed auto will most likely be the only transmission, and AWD will be standard. If they really wanted to though, they very well could put a Tremec TR60-60 and a rear-drive platform for fun. This will never make it past GM’s notoriously strict product planning department, but you can always dream.
In the video attached, you can see the Escalade V doing some pulls, ranging from light to extremely heavy. You can definitely hear the V8, and supercharger whine is definitely present. For something with an absolutely atrocious power-to-weight ratio, this thing sure gets up and moves. The V is lower than the standard Escalade, so there isn’t a lot of suspension travel under throttle.
The Escalade V should be arriving sometime in 2022, and expect production to be extremely limited due to a supercharged SUV not exactly fitting their EV portfolio.
