The Escalade's head of global product explains why the "standard" 682-hp Escalade V is all we're getting.
DW BurnettUp until 2021, simply seeing the letter V on the trunk of a Cadillac meant it was the most serious, most capable, most performance-oriented version of that car. But nowadays, the most serious Cadillacs have the word Blackwing affixed to the end of their names. The regular CT4-V and CT5-V have been relegated to mid-rangers, similar to cars like the BMW M440i or the Mercedes-AMG E53.
That’s why, when Cadillac introduced the first-ever Escalade V, we got to wondering: Was the brand planning to release a more extreme Blackwing variant? Stuffing a 682-hp supercharged V-8 into an Escalade is already pretty exciting, so if there was an even more capable version on the way, we had to know.
“Not on the Escalade,” David Schiavone, the Escalade’s global product manager, told Road & Track in an interview during the SUV’s launch event in Phoenix, Arizona.
“We have Blackwings and then we have V series,” Schiavone explained. “The Blackwings are really specific for track [use]. So if it’s going to be track-capable, it’s going to be on [smaller] platforms.”
DW Burnett
So essentially, the Escalade is too big to have a Blackwing variant. Cadillac wants its Blackwing-badged cars to be track-capable. And that’s certainly true of the CT4-V Blackwing and the CT5-V Blackwing, the latter of which shares most of its engine architecture with the Escalade V. But no matter how much power, chassis tuning, brake, and tire you throw at the Escalade, you can never make it a proper track car. It’s just too heavy. So an Escalade V Blackwing was never on the table.
We’re not complaining, of course. The standard Escalade V is more than exciting enough to fill the full-size performance SUV-sized hole in our hearts. It’s hilarious fun to drive, even if there’s no way its brakes would last more than two laps on a race track. According to Cadillac, most owners will use their Escalade Vs as daily-drivers to run errands, move people, and tow. And it excels at all of those things.
Does [the Escalade V] go amazingly?” Schiavone added. “It’s a three-ton rocket. It hits 60 in 4.4 seconds while being over three tons. If you’re doing straight-line accelerations, you’re going to love it.”
Keyword: Cadillac Won't Make an Escalade V Blackwing. Here's Why