Auto N Sider | 2021 Cadillac Escalade Platinum 4WD

Sure…GM’s new Corvette goes faster.  Their Bolt gets better mileage.  But for taking you and up to 7 passengers down the road with regal but still understated attitude, Cadillac’s Escalade is still the icon.

Comfort?   Of course.

Style?   Sure.

Safety?   State of the art.

But it’s technology that makes the all new ’21 Escalade so much more than just a “Tahoe in a Tux”.

While Escalades start in the mid $70’s, tack another hundred or two a month onto your lease payments…add all the available packages… and enjoy it all…including technology that simply hasn’t been available before.

But before we look at that, let’s start with the “bones”.

All Escalades come with a 420 HP 6.2 liter V-8 and a 10-speed automatic.   Plus for the first time, Cadillac offers an optional 277 HP 3.0 liter Duramax Diesel.   The Duramax’ claim to fame is its 460 lb ft of torque.   If you plan to do some towing with your Escalade, the Duramax is an option well-worth considering.

Second-row captain’s chairs are standard.   If you want a bench, it’s available.

And three rows are standard…with up to 121 cu ft of cargo room…and 142.8 cu ft if you opt for the “might be bigger than your garage” extra-long ESV version.

Now for some of those little touches that make an Escalade an Escalade:

Let’s start with a curved 38” Oled display screen.    Bigger and with more clarity than ever before.

And coming soon, Cadillac’s “Super Cruise” …the closest thing to hands-free driving available today.

Here’s more:   Semi-aniline 16-way adjustable heated, cooled and massaging front seats.   An extended sunroof so all three rows can enjoy the outdoors.   Built-in Alexa.   8-color ambient lighting.   Rear view mirror camera-vision…with a remote washer.   36-speaker audio.   A virtual light show of front, rear, Cadillac Crest and puddle lighting.  Dual independent 12.6” screens for your second row passengers

And then there’s available extras like a console refrigerator / freezer, night vision, an automatic power door sill step, soft-close doors, computerized mag-lev air-ride suspension…and hey…how about the ability to raise your suspension a couple of inches…just in case you plan to get your Escalade dirty and actually use your four-wheel-drive somewhere out in the boonies.

With a widow sticker of $109,500, our 4WD Escalade Platinum offered just about everything available on four wheels today…and posted EPA mileage figures of 14 MPG city and 19 highway.   If you need more MPG’s, go for that Duramax diesel and get mileage to rival what you might get in a compact car.

Yes…thanks to the Duramax, Cadillac’s Escalade now offers more than one way to have it all.