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Caddy’;s big SUV doubles up on eights.
Now in its 4th generation given that its 1999 introduction, the Cadillac Escalade remains 1 of the automotive world’s patron saints of conspicuous consumption. Checking in 1.5 inches wider, 1.4 inches longer, and about 25 pounds heavier than the model it replaced, the massive-livin’ 2015 Escalade tends to make no excuses for its imposing presence.
Built on the exact same truck-based underpinnings as the rest of GM’s complete-size SUV fleet, the 2015 Cadillac Escalade initially launched with the lately updated 6.2-liter V-8 mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Making 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, the engine eagerly shouldered its substantial load, hustling the 6-speed-equipped Escalade around town and down the highway with ease. But even though we have been busy flogging the 6-speed Escalade on the test track, GM was finalizing plans to put its new 8-speed gearbox (primarily the identical transmission that handles gear-swapping duties in the Corvette) into the Escalade, as effectively as in the 6.2-liter-equipped Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, and GMC Yukon Denali. GM figured that transplanting the 8-speed into the ’Slade would be a relatively basic way to enhance efficiency on a quantity of fronts. Curious to see if the General’s hunch paid off, we re-upped for an Escalade equipped with the new ’box and strapped on the test gear.
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As was the case with the 8-speed-equipped GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Silverado we drove earlier, low-speed drivability is substantially enhanced with the new transmission. A numerically larger very first gear facilitates seamless takeoffs, and the far more tightly spaced ratios mean the transmission stays busy even under light acceleration. Yet it shuffles in between gears with a precise, nearly imperceptible action, hardly ever letting the revs climb above 3000 rpm. Mat the accelerator at any speed, even so, and the tach swings for the inexpensive seats, the transmission letting the beefy V-8 rev to about 5700 rpm prior to grabbing an additional gear. Thanks to the tighter gap in between ratios, the engine spends far more time in the meaty portion of its torque curve, generating the most of its output and lending a much more fluid really feel to the proceedings.
Playing the Numbers
Initial impressions formed, we set off for the track in search of confirmation that our finely honed seat-of-the-pants meter was properly calibrated. Initial up was the zero-to-60-mph dash, where the 8-speed Escalade posted a 5.6-second run, laying waste to the 6.1-second time of the 6-speed truck. The rest of the information continued to fall in favor of the 8-speed, with the quarter-mile passing in 14.1 seconds at a trap speed of 99 mph, edging out the 6-speed’s run of 14.7 at 96 mph.
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However, the 8-speed Escalade remained just as thirsty as our 6-speed test automobile, returning the identical 14 mpg in mixed driving. To be fair, neither GM nor the EPA had been claiming otherwise the newer version’s 15/21-mpg city/highway estimates are barely greater than the 6-speed model’s 14/21 mpg (that is for 4-wheel-drive examples like ours rear-drive Escalades pick up 1 mpg on the EPA highway cycle with the 8-speed). Grip on our 300-foot skidpad remained unchanged at .75 g, GM’s Magnetic Ride Manage adaptive suspension toiling to preserve the huge girl on the level.
Fans of the Escalade’s opulent interior and brassy exterior will be pleased to know that quite tiny has changed outdoors of the powertrain. The giant Cadillac nonetheless brandishes its glitzy grille and fascia with pride, our most recent version riding higher on optional 22-inch wheels ($ 600). Accessing the leather-lined, clubroom-like, Kona Brown interior is made easier by the optional energy retracting side actions ($ 1695), a function we’d leave off unless we were hampered by stature or lack of flexibility. We actually took a liking to the all-natural matte-wood interior trim, which appears a tad far more organic sans the usual ladled-on gloss finish. Needless to say, practically each creature comfort and gadget in the GM catalog tends to make an appearance here—heated and cooled front and rear seats, all manner of safety assists and blind-spot warnings, a 4-color head-up show, Bose audio, and considerably, a lot more. It’s as you’d expect of an $ 89,360 SUV—which now has a transmission far more befitting of its lofty sticker.
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Geared for Luxury: 2015 Cadillac Escalade eight-Speed Automatic Tested
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