Yahoo Finance 2020 Cadillac Escalade Spied: It's Still Big and It's Poised to Be More Practical
What It Is: The next-generation Cadillac Escalade, seen here in both short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase ESV guises and covered in camouflage. (Of the two Escalade lengths, the stubbier one lines up with the mechanically similar Chevrolet Tahoe, while the ESV is a fancier Suburban.) General Motors is putting the finishing touches on its redesigned full-size-SUV lineup, which spans the aforementioned Chevrolets, GMC's Yukon and Yukon XL, and the Escalades you see here. As usual, the SUV updates follow hot on the heels of GM's latest full-size pickup trucks for Chevrolet and GMC, which were all new for 2019.
Why It Matters: Gas prices continue to stay hunkered low to the ground, fueling—pun intended—ever-more demand for large trucks and SUVs. That, in turn, has led to automakers paying greater attention to the once utilitarian full-size-SUV segment. Lincoln's latest Navigator is quite good, and Mercedes-Benz is expected to release an all-new GLS-class soon. (The aging Benz is our current favorite among large SUVs, and we've given it a 10Best Trucks and SUVs award two years running.) Long story short, as strong as the Escalade brand is, the new model will need to push the envelope to stay relevant in the face of ever better competition.
Platform: Innovation is a good way to keep up with the full-size SUV Joneses, and the Escalade, like its Chevrolet and GMC counterparts, is getting a big upgrade: an independent rear suspension. Lincoln's Navigator has had an independent rear instead of a truck-style solid rear axle for years; the Benz has never used a stick axle. It is an important development, one sure to improve the Cadillac's rather stiff, jouncy ride and add confidence to its elephantine handling. The new suspension design bolts in to GM's latest T1 platform, which as we've made clear, is shared among the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban as well as the GMC Yukons. Expect to see some weight savings in the new rigs, as well as stiffer frames and bodies for added refinement. As you can tell from these camouflaged prototypes, the Escalade and Escalade ESV will remain blocky and imposing in appearance.
Powertrain: The outgoing Escalade comes with a single engine option, a 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 driving the rear or all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission. We anticipate the new model will keep that arrangement, albeit possibly with the engine making more horsepower and gaining the same novel fuel-saving cylinder-deactivation feature introduced on the latest Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks. But Cadillac may also add its new 500-plus-hp twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V-8 engine to the lineup as an upgrade.
Competition: BMW X7, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GLS-class, Range Rover.
Estimated Arrival and Price: Today's Escalade starts at close to $100,000, so don't expect the new model to cost any less than that; the ESV will be even pricier. Look for the new Cadillac SUVs to appear early in 2019 at an auto show and go on sale by the end of the year.
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