Hennessey Performance has done it (over and over) again, lining two behemoth SUVs for a quarter-mile dragstrip race that's more suitable for high-performance sports cars. Despite that, both look and feel glorious. However, only one of them sounds genuinely nasty.
The dawn of the EV revolution is upon us – how often have we heard that over the past couple of decades? And, yet, here we are, still lingering with ICE-powered freaks as if we like sitting at the edge of climate change's abyss. However, there is bliss to be found, at least as far as the automotive industry is concerned.
And some automakers are trying to strike a balance between legacy and the zero-emissions future. Just look at Dodge, which is dropping the ICE-powered Challenger and Charger in favor of nine levels of Banshee EV prowess for the upcoming production version of the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept car. However, if you hurry, there's still a three-row SUV available for purchase with the SRT Hellcat V8 madness on board and 710 feisty ponies.
Now, look at Cadillac, which has been relying on the Escalade series for years to cash those fat, full-size ritzy SUV checks. And now they're not just giving you the option of a 682-hp Escalade-V and Escalade-V ESV high-performance SUV but also the choice to pony up $130k for the first-ever, all-electric Escalade IQ with even more oomph, up to 750 hp!
But why are we talking about Cadillac and Dodge at the same time? Well, simply because Hennessey Performance has lined up their bonkers Durango SRT Hellcat H1000 that recently fought a close battle with the BMW M4 Competition for a skirmish with a stock Cadillac Escalade-V. The stats are easy to comprehend, by the way.
It's 'no change at all' for the 682-hp Escalade-V that weighs 6,200 lbs. according to the tuner versus a 1,000-hp Durango that's also lighter (though not by much) at 5,715 lbs. So, from a dig, anyone cares to wager against the Dodge? I didn't think so, as a couple of standard drags showed you could probably park a bus between the H1000 Durango and the Escalade-V.
Of course, the good folks at Hennessey tried to make this a little more even, so they gave the Escalade-V a rolling start – but even that was not enough to secure the win. However, there's one thing the Cadillac won – our hearts and minds, and it's all thanks to the nasty supercharged V8 plus exhaust sound. In contrast, the modded Durango didn't sound cool at all – and even its driver awarded the audio crown to the Caddy!
That's pretty interesting, right? Oh, well, with the advent of the Escalade IQ and the likes, it's going to be an uphill battle for automakers to secure these passionate reactions…
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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