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Caddy’;s big SUV doubles up on eights.
Now in its 4th generation considering that its 1999 introduction, the Cadillac Escalade remains one 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 large-livin’ 2015 Escalade makes no excuses for its imposing presence.
Constructed on the very same truck-based underpinnings as the rest of GM’s full-size SUV fleet, the 2015 Cadillac Escalade initially launched with the recently updated 6.2-liter V-8 mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Generating 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, the engine eagerly shouldered its substantial load, hustling the 6-speed-equipped Escalade about town and down the highway with ease. But while we were busy flogging the 6-speed Escalade on the test track, GM was finalizing plans to place its new 8-speed gearbox (essentially the very same transmission that handles gear-swapping duties in the Corvette) into the Escalade, as properly 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 reasonably straightforward way to increase performance 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 higher initial gear facilitates seamless takeoffs, and the a lot more tightly spaced ratios imply the transmission stays busy even beneath light acceleration. But it shuffles amongst gears with a precise, almost imperceptible action, hardly ever letting the revs climb above 3000 rpm. Mat the accelerator at any speed, nevertheless, and the tach swings for the cheap seats, the transmission letting the beefy V-8 rev to around 5700 rpm just before grabbing another gear. Thanks to the tighter gap among ratios, the engine spends far more time in the meaty portion of its torque curve, producing the most of its output and lending a more fluid really feel to the proceedings.
Playing the Numbers
First impressions formed, we set off for the track in search of confirmation that our finely honed seat-of-the-pants meter was correctly 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 data 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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Unfortunately, the 8-speed Escalade remained just as thirsty as our 6-speed test car, returning the exact same 14 mpg in mixed driving. To be fair, neither GM nor the EPA have been claiming otherwise the newer version’s 15/21-mpg city/highway estimates are barely far better than the 6-speed model’s 14/21 mpg (that’s 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 Control adaptive suspension toiling to keep the huge girl on the level.
Fans of the Escalade’s opulent interior and brassy exterior will be pleased to know that very small has changed outside of the powertrain. The giant Cadillac nonetheless brandishes its glitzy grille and fascia with pride, our newest version riding high on optional 22-inch wheels ($ 600). Accessing the leather-lined, clubroom-like, Kona Brown interior is produced easier by the optional energy retracting side steps ($ 1695), a function we’d leave off unless we have been hampered by stature or lack of flexibility. We really took a liking to the organic matte-wood interior trim, which appears a tad much more organic sans the usual ladled-on gloss finish. Needless to say, virtually each creature comfort and gadget in the GM catalog makes an look here—heated and cooled front and rear seats, all manner of security assists and blind-spot warnings, a 4-color head-up show, Bose audio, and much, a lot more. It is as you’d count on of an $ 89,360 SUV—which now has a transmission more befitting of its lofty sticker.
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Geared for Luxury: 2015 Cadillac Escalade eight-Speed Automatic Tested
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