Cadillac is hard at work preparing for the next generation of their big bruiser Escalade. Lincoln’s counterpart, the Navigator, makes a healthy 450 horsepower from its Raptor engine. How does Cadillac plan to compete? A new report suggest it’s going to get some help from the Camaro.
According to a posting from Muscle Cars and Trucks, the Escalade is going offer the supercharged V8 that powers the Camaro ZL1 and the Corvette Z06. While details are light on when this engine will go in, or what type of performance to expect, it is apparently going to be a “powerhouse.”
The 650-horsepower and 650 lb-ft that comes from the LT4 would be a great performance boost in a vehicle like the Escalade, but it would be a bit surprising to see General Motors not use the new Blackwing twin-turbo V8 that Cadillac is working on. A flagship engine really should be in a flagship product and, with SUV sales the way they are, the next-generation Escalade will be the flagship.
There is another possibility, though less likely. Cadillac could be reserving the Blackwing name for a series of engines, and those engines might be different depending on the application. It seems ridiculous, though, for Cadillac to not offer that engine eventually in the Escalade, especially since it’s going to appear in other products.
Cadillac does need to do something to stand out, however. While the Escalade is certainly a premium offering, it’s starting to show its age compared to something modern like the German competition and the new Navigator. Lincoln has stepped up its game recently, and the upcoming Aviator will use an advanced hybrid powertrain that makes 600 lb-ft of torque. That hybrid architecture is expected to roll out in varying degrees across both Ford and Lincoln.
Hopefully we’ll know soon enough if this supercharged V8 report is true.
[Image: Cadillac]
It still has a rubbish chassis and interior. There is only so much an engine can do. GM should outsource the Escalade design and engineering to FCA. They have already proven they can build superior trucks and SUVs.
I guess akear is one of the guys who’s testing the Escalade mules. I mean, how else would he know the thing has a “rubbish chassis and interior” before it’s even introduced to the public?
The next gen gets a new chassis w/ IRS.
2 things that Cadillac needs to get better w/ the new model: (1) better packaging (not the most efficient use w/ all that size) and (2) new interior design language w/ the befitting level of materials (the “new” design in the CT5, XT6, etc. is still not up to par).
Better packaging would be nice in an 80s Suburban kinda way, but without the solid rear axle the next Escalade will fizzle out with decent sales in the beginning and few within 3-4 years. The only thing GM has over every other full-size is the Solid rear axle, without it the Escalade is a useless vehicle, and the current owners know that.
This is a farewell to the GM SUVs, they have been making them more car like over the last 2-3 generations but this is the final nail in the coffin.
The vast majority of Cadillac sales (of which the Escalade makes a significant proportion) are located in the major urban metro areas.
43% of the 925 or so Cadillac dealerships only sell about 50 Cadillacs a year (being smaller dealerships in more rural areas, usually adjoined to a Chevy/GMC dealership) – accounting for only around 9% of the total sales volume.
You really think not having a solid-rear axle makes any sort of difference to the vast majority of Escalade buyers? (Actually, one of the biggest complaints about the Escalade has been about its ride quality.)
They may have messed up the current generation but the GMT800 rode fantastic, and don’t forget the town car had the same setup. If a car with a solid axle rides poor it’s a problem with the engineering not the axle.
Fact is the Escalade despite being older and having a much poorer quality interior is still outselling the navigator. Among full-size SUVs GM is number 1 and everyone else is a bit player, it used to be a much larger segment but the advent of IRS has destroyed the entire segment. The only player to retain any market share is the GM trucks and without the solid rear they have as much cache as the Armada, Sequioa, etc; and the sales will collapse as they did for all of those trucks post IRS transition.
“A flagship engine really should be in a flagship product”
What makes the LT4 less “flagship” worthy vs the Blackwing?
GM is probably going to learn that they could have just saved all the Blackwing development costs and used the existing LT architecture in the first place.
Because a lot of people equate OHC as far superior and modern as compared to OHV. It is a nonsense argument; both designs have some great attributes and drawbacks, but image and perception move the metal, especially as the price goes up. While I can see the higher RPM as being desirable in a sportscar, in a luxury SUV I consider it meaningless. But I am not even remotely ever being a customer for a full size truck like this.
Crappy NVH.
GM has never solved that issue with the SBC, which is why none of the last three generations have ever been used in any proper luxury cars despite their excellence otherwise.
The SBC is better than any turbo four in refinement, but Cadillac is putting those in their sedans.
I just don’t feel it. Crappy NVH compared to what? I have the same engine now that Genesis puts into the G90 and it’s not any smoother than was my 345 “HEMI”. Ditto with the Mercedes, Infiniti, Maserati, and Jaguar V6 engines I test drove.
I don’t have a ton of driving experience with the LT engines, does the Chrysler V8 really give superior NVH compared to GM’s offerings?
NVH can be mitigated for far far less than the cost of developing a new V8 engine, especially in a large SUV where space is not at a premium.
ajla the hemi’s have an edge since they use cast iron. While seemingly low tech CI is great for quelling NVH.
The old 5.4 in my GT500 with its CI block was way better at controlling NVH compared to the all aluminum Coyote in the 2015 GT I had. It was such a difference I thought the Coyote had some sort of mechanical issue. Turns out the all aluminum engine and further weight reduction gave the illusion on an engine about to go tits up.
The GT500 also had an after market shifter that used urethane and metal bushings to reduce play.
Please expand on this ‘NVH’ you speak of within the LS engine platform. I only ask because I have 3 of them and obviously do not get it. The only time I find the noise to be out of line is when I mat it. Otherwise I have found them to be quiet and reasonably efficient.
…Please expand on this ‘NVH’ you speak of within the LS engine platform. I only ask because I have 3 of them and obviously do not get it. The only time I find the noise to be out of line is when I mat it. Otherwise I have found them to be quiet and reasonably efficient…
This. Exactly this. LS engines definite scream when you plant the pedal, otherwise I’m not seeing the NVH arguement. That may have held true decades ago (literally) but NVH + LS engines for more than a decade does not compute.
End of days.
Why?
It’s a hot rod engine deserving of the Camaro or the Corvette but seems just to be disorganized thinking, product planning and marketing on GM’s part. It appears we’ve gone full circle back to the horsepower wars of the ’50’s and the power is all that matters. And in typical fashion Jeep will one up it with a 808 HP Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
Seems like a move made by an outfit that has nothing left to offer.
“Seems like a move made by an outfit that has nothing left to offer.”
That’s because they’ve given up, GM now always takes the cheap and easy way out. The sad thing is GM knows how to make great cars, they just choose not to :(
Or Cadillac recognizes how many G63 AMG’s and X6M’s and such sell for ridiculous money, and they want on that ridiculous money train too while there’s any left to be had?
I demand a Navigator 7.3TT PHEV with 1000 horsepower and 1000 lb-ft of torque.
Talk about gravy money…how much does that supercharger cost GM? Gonna be some yuge incremental profits on this one.
I don’t see what people are upset about here. Escalade customers will pay for an engine that lets them walk away from German V8s. As for the Blackwing, it will probably be DOA. They aren’t putting it in enough cars for Cadillac to ever work through its teething issues. It won’t be around long enough for there to be aftermarket support either.
Honestly I dont get GM sometimes.
Sharing engines from high end sports car to high end luxury vehicles is the one part of being a volume manufacturer that is actually useful.
Nobody is gonna be irritated that their Caddy has the engine from a Corvette. Everybody is irritated when their Caddy has the same cheap plastic interior as a Camaro.
And yet GM sees zero problems with the latter but balks at the former.
“Nobody is gonna be irritated that their Caddy has the engine from a Corvette.”
Hell, 90% of them would brag it has a Corvette engine.
Yeah just read the Craigslist ads for Whale Era Roadmasters/Caprices/Fleetwoods
“CORVETTE ENGINE” – meh, not really. Corvette derived perhaps but not an actual CORVETTE ENGINE.
People want SUVs.
People want massive HP (as long as gas is cheap).
So they are just giving the people what they want.
As mentioned the developement cost is near zero, so this is easy money.
A 650-hp SUV would be a first class sleeper. Go for it!
I am a current Cadillac owner in my mid-30s on the West Coast. That makes me a rare bird. I am loyal to Cadillac because my dad loves the brand, and because I’ve had a great experience with my current CTS.
If Cadillac does not absolutely NAIL the next Escalade on all fronts, I’ll be out and just lease an Audi or RR Velar like every other d-bag in Los Angeles.
This report is promising, as it signals Caddy knows they have to bring out all the stops to stay competitive.
“like every other d-bag”?
Are you calling yourself a d-bag?
Hy would you want a car “like every other d-bag in Los Angeles”?
Cadihack clings to the dinosaur theory of building its vehicles. Instead of really innovating, it brings out tired old hardware and slaps something on it to make it seem new. At a price point nearing $100k, it has failed to learn that people are avoiding these dust collectors and are buying superior products from companies that are advancing the automotive segment.
And they have no problem selling them.
Translation – profit.
I mean come on man, how old is the underlying chassis on a Lexus LX570 that is just a fistful of dollars more than a Land Cruiser?
Oh wait, when Lexus does that it is genius.
I applaud the go big wastefulness…that’s Cadillac heritage. The target household for the first buyer can afford pretty much anything…the ability to say “Its gotta Vette motor” at the barbeque is a selling point. The other possibility is that they have an assembly line to make X engines, but the take rate in the corvette is lower than anticipated, so they have have extra capacity, the Escalade is an easy install, and as a truck, won’t mess up CAFE numbers too badly.
GM considered strapping a jet engine to this pig in order to achieve escape velocity, but unfortunately could not fit big enough gas tanks.
Uh, why does Cadillac sell their luxury SUVs with discounts like Chevy trucks?
Yeah, cause the German trio never discounts their wares…
When it’s near the end of its life-cycle and the competition (Navigator) is (was) new.
>Uh, why does Cadillac sell their luxury SUVs with discounts like Chevy trucks?
Based on their common chassis, they ARE essentially Chevy trucks.
The ‘flagship’ Cadillac is still just a version of the Chevy pickup. Something is very wrong here…Your people I do not understand. So to you, I shall put an end…
The ‘flagship’ Lexus SUV is just a version of a Toyota SUV. Something is very wrong here…
The Toyota that the LX570 is based on has better owner demographics than anything built in the US since the Duesenberg Model J.
@APaGtth, the Escalade appeals to those who are told what kind of safety shoes to wear to work, the Lexus appeals to those who have their shoes buffed and resoled as needed.
I saw a new LX570 today. It was pretty hard to look at. The Land Cruiser grill and rocker panels are nothing special, but Lexus should stop poaching stylists from BMW. I also talked to one of the best techs from the shop I used to manage about the Land Cruiser I’m planning on buying. Nobody who sees how cars are made prefers the way an Escalade is slapped together to the perfect machine a Land Cruiser embodies.
I have actually met a number of LX owners. They are all women. It almost seems like gender is what makes someone buy an LX instead of an LC, assuming you recognize gender as being a thing.
Mr. Atlas, it’s a combo of gender and marketing. A retired woman will gladly buy a high mile LX and use it as her winter beater. The Lexus store regards a high mile LX as a used vehicle that needs to be moved. Over at the Toyota store, there will be a waiting list for the LC coming in on trade. The list will almost be entirely men. The high mile LC will be some man’s pride and joy.
Buying a used one seems like cheating. The point is to buy a new one and then keep it long enough to talk to all of your Benz-driving peers about what a better person you are for buying real instead of disposable luxury.
I just can’t get over how well GM nailed the hearse look with this and it’s variants in black.
Who cares, reports show the next gen Escalade has moved to IRS, without the solid axle in the rear this is no more interesting than a Kia Sorento.
HOLY SH!T THE NEXT GENERATION FLAGSHIP CADILLAC ESCALADE, A VEHICLE PRICED (MSRP) AS HIGH OR HIGHER THAN PREMIUM GERMAN (AUDI, BMW, MB) AND JAPANESE (LEXUS) LARGE SUVs, WILL HAVE…
…GASP…
…INDEPENDENT REAR SUSPENSION!!!
SH!T’S GETTIN’ REAL, YO!
Ummm, you can easily drop Escalade cheddar on a Lexus LX570 – $88K for the Lexus IIRC – and seating for 7 on the Lexus costs you extra.
That engine will push it’s stellar fuel economy to 2 gallons per mile.
The fuel economy memes must be in black and white because they haven’t been relevant in at least 20 years. The 6.2L does stellar on fuel while pushing the 0-60 below 6 seconds in the Escalade. And that’s just the N/A version.
A mere passenger car engine? Horsefeathers! I demand a Hall-Scott underfloor bus engine, with a ground-shaking rumble and economy of one gallon per mile!