Back in 2019, Cadillac Society reported that the next-generation Cadillac Escalade would gain a high-performance variant. Then, in March of this year, Cadillac chief engineer hinted that such a model could be on the horizon, solidifying our initial report. Now, our spies recently caught an early prototype of the Cadillac Escalade-V in question as it underwent testing.
Though the prototype – an extended-length Escalade ESV – is draped in a healthy amount of vinyl and black-and-white camo, we can still make out a few key details. For instance, the front fascia appears to have been revised to be more aggressive and lower to the ground than that of the “regular” Escalade. In addition, the bottommost part of the front fascia appears to feature a splitter, though the camo does a fine job of obfuscating the details.
The Cadillac Escalade-V prototype rides on a set of stylish multi-spoke wheels with a gray or matte-black finish wrapped in Bridgestone Alenza tires. It’s unclear whether this wheel and tire combination will reach production or be replaced with a different set of wheels and tires. Also note the retractable running boards tucked neatly underneath the body.
Out back, this Escalade-V prototype is equipped with a quad exhaust setup via two double-tipped outlets. The tester is not wearing the production, through-fascia exhaust trim pieces, which will likely be similar to the parallelogram-like tips used on the CT4-V, CT5-V and their Blackwing variants.
We expect the Cadillac Escalade-V to be powered by the supercharged 6.2L V8 LT4 engine. That’s the same powerhouse used in the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, where it’s good for a whopping 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac’s 10-speed automatic transmission will do shifting duty, while specially-tuned Magnetic Ride Control will deliver an adaptive suspension capable of relaxed touring as well as high-performance driving.
Expect the Cadillac Escalade-V to launch in 2022 as a 2023 model year vehicle.
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