Cadillac Escalade

2026 CADILLAC ESCALADE BASE 6.2L V8 REAR-WHEEL DRIVE — US SPECIFICATION

ENGINE AND DRIVETRAIN

The Escalade is powered by GM's L87 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8, an aluminium-block Gen V pushrod unit of 6,162 cc with direct injection, variable valve timing and Dynamic Fuel Management cylinder deactivation. Cadillac rates it at 420 hp (313 kW) at 5,600 rpm and 460 lb-ft (624 Nm) at 4,100 rpm; the 420 hp figure is quoted on premium unleaded fuel. Drive goes through a 10-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, tow/haul mode and tap-up / tap-down manual shifting, operated by an electronic console shifter. Automatic Stop/Start is fitted with a driver-selectable disable button, and Automatic Vehicle Hold is standard.

This unit is a rear-wheel-drive Escalade. Four-wheel drive was not fitted, so the single-speed transfer case offered on 4WD cars is absent. Traction at the driven axle is managed by a mechanical limited-slip rear differential on a 3.23:1 final drive; the electronic limited-slip differential offered elsewhere in the range is not fitted. Engine and transmission oil coolers and a high-capacity air filter are standard. Cadillac's published EPA ratings for this configuration are 15 mpg city, 19 mpg highway and 17 mpg combined (15.7, 12.4 and 13.8 litres per 100 km on conversion), against a 90.8-litre fuel tank.

CHASSIS, STEERING AND BRAKES

Suspension is Cadillac's Premium Smooth Ride passive damping, which isolates the cabin from coarse surfaces. The Magnetic Ride Control and Adaptive Air Ride systems available higher in the Escalade range are not fitted to this car, and it therefore does not offer selectable ride height. Steering is rack-mounted electric power assist with variable effort. Braking is by four-wheel ventilated discs with anti-lock, Brake Assist, Hill Start Assist and DuraLife corrosion-resistant rotors; the parking brake is electronic. StabiliTrak electronic stability control with traction control and rollover mitigation is standard. Wheels are 22-inch ten-spoke alloys in a polished and Dark Android finish with laser etching, on 275/50R22 all-season blackwall tyres. A full-size P265/70R17 all-season spare is carried underbody on a locking mount, and Tire Fill Alert supplements the direct tyre-pressure monitoring system.

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES

Overall length is 5,383 mm on a 3,073 mm wheelbase, with a body width of 2,059 mm excluding mirrors and an overall height of 1,948 mm. Kerb weight is 2,442 kg, split 1,231 kg front and 1,210 kg rear. Gross vehicle weight rating is 3,357 kg (7,400 lb), giving a maximum payload of 915 kg; axle ratings are 1,678 kg front and 1,950 kg rear. Cargo volume is 722 litres behind the third row, 2,064 litres behind the second row and 3,412 litres with both rear rows folded. Front head room is 1,074 mm and front leg room 1,131 mm; second-row leg room is 1,060 mm and third-row leg room 886 mm, with 988 mm of head room in the second row and 970 mm in the third.

EXTERIOR

The body carries Galvano Chrome bodyside mouldings, body-colour door handles with a chrome strip and illuminated LED door-handle accents, bright roof-mounted side rails, and fixed black assist steps running from wheel well to wheel well. Lighting is LED front and rear, with vertical light-blade tail lamps, Adaptive Forward Lighting that steers the low beam with vehicle speed and direction, IntelliBeam automatic high beam and automatic headlamp levelling. Glazing is acoustic laminated at the front with solar-absorbing and deep-tinted rear glass. The heated, power-folding body-colour mirrors are driver-side auto-dimming with integrated turn-signal indicators and ground illumination. Rainsense automatic wipers, a variable-speed rear wiper, a rear camera washer, upper active aero shutters, a capless fuel fill and a locking fuel door are standard. An AutoSense power liftgate opens on key-fob proximity with a programmable memory height. The roof carries side rails only — the cross rails needed to mount a load are an accessory and were not fitted to this car.

INTERIOR AND SEATING

Seating is for seven in a 2+2+3 layout: front buckets, power-release second-row bucket seats that fold and tumble at the press of a button, and a power-folding 60/40 split third-row bench. Upholstery is Cadillac Inteluxe synthetic leather in Jet Black — this grade is not fitted with genuine leather or semi-aniline hides. Both front seats are 12-way power adjustable with power lumbar, and the driver's seat, mirrors and steering column store two-driver memory plus an easy-exit position. The front seats and the outboard second-row seats are heated and the steering wheel is heated; ventilated or massaging seats are not fitted, nor is the Executive Second Row Seating Package. Climate control is tri-zone automatic with rear air conditioning, a cabin air filter and a rear window defogger. The cabin has 126-colour selectable ambient lighting, bright sill plates, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering column, an auto-dimming interior mirror, carpeted floor mats, a covered front console with dual cupholders and electronic climate controls, a 110-volt three-prong household outlet in the console and cargo area, and a 12-volt auxiliary outlet. A panoramic sunroof, a console refrigerator, power-close doors and rear-seat entertainment screens are not fitted.

INFOTAINMENT AND CONNECTIVITY

The centrepiece is Cadillac's 55-inch diagonal curved HD front display, which spans the instrument panel and combines a 14.2-inch driver cluster with the central infotainment screen. It carries navigation capability, connected apps, per-driver profiles and natural voice recognition, and supports Augmented Reality navigation that overlays turn guidance on a live forward camera image in the cluster. Wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are standard, as are Bluetooth telephony and audio streaming, wireless phone charging and steering-wheel audio, telephone and cruise controls. Audio is the AKG Studio 21-speaker system with amplifier and subwoofer; the 38-speaker AKG Studio Reference system with Dolby Atmos is not fitted. Connectivity is by 5G with OnStar services capability, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, in-vehicle apps and a SiriusXM with 360L trial, bundled under a three-year OnStar One plan. A three-channel Universal Home Remote is fitted.

DRIVER ASSISTANCE AND SAFETY

Eight airbags are fitted — frontal and knee airbags for driver and front passenger, seat-mounted side-impact airbags in the front row and head-curtain airbags for all three rows in outboard positions — with a front passenger sensing system, height-adjustable three-point front belts with pretensioners and load limiters, and second- and third-row belt indicators. Active systems standard on this grade are Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking, Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking, Reverse Automatic Braking, Rear Cross Traffic Braking, Rear Pedestrian Alert, Side Bicyclist Alert, Blind Zone Steering Assist, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, the Safety Alert Seat, Buckle to Drive and Teen Driver. Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance for compatible roads is standard on this grade, enabled by the included three-year OnStar One plan; an eight-year plan extension is offered but was not taken on this car. Parking is supported by HD Surround Vision and Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist, which can steer, brake and shift to park the vehicle. Night Vision and the Head-Up Display available elsewhere in the range are not fitted. Security covers a theft-deterrent unauthorised entry system, steering column lock, interior camera movement sensor and rear child door locks.

TOWING AND CAPABILITY

Heavy-duty trailering equipment is standard: a trailering hitch platform, a seven-wire harness with independently fused trailering circuits and a seven-way sealed connector, plus a tow/haul mode selector and Hitch Guidance, which overlays a centred guideline on the rear camera view to line the hitch up with a trailer. Cadillac quotes a maximum trailer weight of 8,200 lb (3,719 kg) for a properly equipped rear-wheel-drive Escalade with the 6.2-litre V8. An integrated trailer brake controller, the in-vehicle trailering app, Hitch View and trailering assist guidelines are offered on the Escalade but were not fitted to this car, so a trailer requiring electric brake control will need an aftermarket controller.