As Cadillac Society was the first to report, the age of the diesel-powered Escalade is over. The refreshed 2025 Cadillac Escalade features a revised powertrain lineup that leaves the diesel option behind in the wake of extremely low demand for the turbodiesel models. Just how low? Cadillac Society is here to tell you.
In a recent interview with Cadillac Society Executive Editor Alex Luft, Cadillac Escalade marketing manager Donnelly Baxter revealed the take rate for the diesel Escalade option.
“The decision to drop the diesel was really driven by customer demand,” Baxter said. “The 2024 model is the only vehicle currently left in the full-size luxury SUV segment with a diesel engine, and we only had a five percent take rate on it.”
Baxter explained that the low take rate in diesel-powered Escalade models points toward the fact that buyers are more interested in internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with gasoline engines, which is what they’re used to, or they might be ready to make the shift to electric. For that, Cadillac affords its buyers the luxury of choice, offering either the refreshed 2025 Cadillac Escalade for those who want to stick with ICE and the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ for customers ready for an all-electric luxury SUV.
In the absence of a turbodiesel option, the only engine available for the “regular” Escalade is the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 gasoline engine (production code L87), which is capable of 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. A power upgrade is still available in the form of the high-performance Cadillac Escalade-V, which features the supercharged 6.2L V8 gasoline engine (production code LT4), rated at 682 horsepower and 653 pound-feet of torque.
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