Photo: Hennessey on YouTube / edited by autoevolution
Hennessey Performance Engineering recently introduced the H850 upgrade package for the Cadillac Escalade-V. Although it's not as impressive as the H1000 upgrade package, 850 ponies at the crankshaft are more than plenty in a full-size luxury SUV with truck underpinnings.
To demonstrate how much of a difference said package makes, Alex from Hennessey Performance Engineering decided to race the H850 Escalade-V against a bone-stock supertruck. Pictured at the Pennzoil Proving Grounds at Lonestar Motorsports Park in Texas, the Ram 1500 TRX also rocks a 6.2-liter V8 topped by a thumpin' great supercharger.
The most powerful internal combustion-engined truck between the 2021 and 2023 model years, TRX develops 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) at full chatter. Ford Motor Company dethroned it with the 2024 model year Ford F-150 Raptor R, which makes 720 ponies and 640 pound-feet (868 Nm). Considering that Ram will replace the V8-engined TRX with the inline-six RHO, the F-150 Raptor R will soldier on as the most powerful internal combustion half-tonner in the US market.
What about the Caddy? In stock form, the LT4 bests the Hellcat by three pound-feet of torque (653 pound-feet or 885 Nm). However, it plays second fiddle in terms of maximum output, with Cadillac quoting 682 horsepower. The H850 package ups the crankshaft numbers to 850 ponies and 855 pound-feet (1,159 Nm), of which 694.51 ponies and 725.82 pound-feet (984 Nm) actually reach the wheels.
Equipped with a Ford-GM automatic transmission boasting 10 gears compared to the ZF-supplied eighter of the Ram 1500 TRX, the Cadillac Escalade-V isn't exactly light. Make that 6,217 pounds (2,820 kilograms) for the standard wheelbase compared to 6,443 pounds (2,922 kilograms) for the off-road pickup from Ram.
Photo: Hennessey on YouTube
TRX runs a 2.62 final drive ratio and 35-inch tires, while Cadillac's punchiest internal combustion sport utility vehicle has 3.23 gearing, almost 33-inch tires, and all-wheel drive rather than four-wheel drive. Given the aforementioned, it goes without saying that Escalade-V has the upper hand in a drag race. GM advertises the pricey sport utility vehicle with 4.4 seconds from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) and 12.74 seconds at 110 miles per hour (177 kph), respectively.
By comparison, Ram claims 4.5 and 12.9 seconds at 108 miles per hour (174 kph). Based on these numbers, are you surprised that H850 Escalade-V gapped the completely stock Ram 1500 TRX by two-and-a-half car lengths? Unfortunately, Alex from HPE didn't use any performance meters or Dragy apps to record the elapsed times.
There is, however, a problem with both of these vehicles. That problem is pricing, with GM charging $152,295 sans destination and Hennessey Performance Engineering moving the grand total beyond the $200,000 mark. Pricing for the H850 package hasn't been made public, although we do know that Hennessey lists the Mustang Dark Horse-specific H850 upgrade package at $49,950.
Over at Ram, the 2024 Ram 1500 TRX is $96,585 from the outset as opposed to $69,995 for the 2021 model. Everyone with a passion for all things four wheels definitely understands how inflation and CAFE regulations work, but in Stellantis-owned Ram's case, this $26,590 difference reeks of greed.
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. Full profile
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