2 years ago

Overview
As the flagship of the Cadillac brand—and therefore the entirety of the General Motors portfolio—the 2022 Escalade SUV offers every high-tech item and the utmost in luxury features. Luckily, due to the Escalade's massive size, Cadillac could fit it with a lot of those features. Fine leather, genuine wood, and shiny metal trims line the cabin. A huge, curved digital display dominates the dashboard, serving up both infotainment- and the driver-gauge displays in a unique way. The Escalade's exterior draws inspiration from the gorgeous Escala concept car scaled up to size XXL and adapted to the Escalade's boxy silhouette. Most Escalades will roll with the standard 6.2-liter V-8 but Cadillac also offers a more fuel-efficient 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six as an option. No matter the engine, the Escalade's ride and handling are luxury-car appropriate—but, of course, don't expect the playfulness you'll find in the brand's sedans.

What's New for 2022?
Lane-keeping assist and lane-departure warning are now both standard on the base Luxury trim while the Premium Luxury, Sport, and Platinum models now come standard with Cadillac's Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving feature as well as front and rear automated emergency braking. The new Touring package adds air suspension, soft-close doors, and illuminated door sill protector plates to Premium Luxury and Sport models.

To truly deck out the Escalade in its best features, go for the Premium Luxury Platinum trim. It adds semi-aniline leather, 16-way power-adjustable front seats with massage, soft-close doors, and an AKG audio system with 36 speakers. It also comes standard with a self-parking feature, a head-up display, and adaptive cruise control.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance
Cadillac's biggest SUV is powered by either a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that makes 420 horsepower and can deactivate half of its cylinders when cruising to save fuel or a turbo-diesel 3.0-liter inline-six. A 10-speed automatic transmission will be standard with both engines, and buyers will be able to choose from rear- or all-wheel-drive setups based on their individual needs. As with its siblings, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and the GMC Yukon, the 2021 Escalade now rides on an all-new platform with an independent rear suspension to help provide a smoother ride. Higher-end models also offer an air suspension with adaptive dampers that use computer-controlled shock absorbers. At our test track, the long-wheelbase Escalade ESV with the V-8 engine sprinted to 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds. The diesel engine sounds less refined than the V-8, but for some buyers that compromise is worth the improved fuel economy and low-end torque.

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