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2023 Cadillac Escalade-V Drag Races G 63, New Range Rover Settles for 3rd Place

Although it’s based on a lowly half-ton pickup truck, the Cadillac Escalade isn’t exactly cheap. Whether you’re getting the 6.2-liter small block or the 3.0-liter turbo diesel, GM's luxury division is charging more than $80,000 for the most basic configuration. By comparison, the Silverado 1500 High Country 6.2 Crew Cab Standard Bed will cost you approximately 68k.
2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover 10 photos
Photo: Throttle House on YouTube
2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover2023 Cadillac Escalade-V drag races G 63 and Range Rover
We’re only scratching the surface, though. Introduced for the 2023 model year, the most expensive Escalade of them all is the V series that retails from a simply ridiculous $149,990 excluding freight. Customers who prefer the long-wheelbase variant have to shell out $3,000 on top of that, and somewhat greedy of Cadillac, the adaptive headlights cost $1,095 extra.

There is, however, a reason for this insane pricing. The V-series Escalade is the most powerful full-size SUV in production today, made possible by the LT4 supercharged V8 borrowed from the CT5-V Blackwing. Gifted with a 2.7-liter blower compared to the 1.7-liter unit in the mid-size luxury sedan, the Escalade-V cranks out 682 horsepower and 653 pound-foot (885 Nm).

Pretty impressive for a cam-in-block powerplant, for sure, but we also have to remember that Cadillac’s muscled-up SUV is a pickup truck underneath. The Escalade-V in the featured clip weighs 6,217 pounds (2,820 kilograms), which is quite a bit more than the 5,842 pounds (2,650 kilograms) of the Mercedes-AMG G 63. The other contender, namely the Range Rover P530, is lighter still (make that 5,530 pounds or 2,508 kilos) because of its unibody construction.

The question is, can these full-size leviathans keep the Escalade-V at bay over the quarter mile? Thomas and James of Throttle House are much obliged to answer that question with a dig race that starts at the 8:36 mark of the video. The Caddy launches unexpectedly well for its curb weight, yet the hand-built V8 engine of that G-Wagen immediately gets its turbos spinning.

Unfortunately for Gelandewagen enthusiasts, the Escalade-V takes the win by a small margin. The roll race, on the other hand, sees the G 63 obliterate the Escalade-V. As expected, the BMW-engined Range Rover finished dead last.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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