They say strive to be different. American automaker Cadillac, once famed for its iconic builds, is waking up from a long slumber. Taking advantage of the SUV madness, the 2023 Cadillac Escalade V packs enough heat to stand against any Hellcat, AMG, or Alpina wandering about. The thought of a production batsh*t crazy Escalade was long overdue. Jakub and Yuri of the TheStraightPipes got to review this crazy-powered SUV.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Cadillac hasn’t been doing too badly. Still, there was a noticeable reluctance in their performance department. For some reason, they weren’t stretching out for opportunities compared to their closest rivals.
The split between full-fledged performance V variants and the tamer V-badged models made the 2023 Cadillac Escalade V’s intention clear – luxury and performance.
Well, there’s no doubt the 2023 Cadillac Escalade V is a performance SUV. Under the hood, it packs a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 making 682 hp (691 ps) and 653 lb-ft (883 Nm) of torque. It harnesses all this power with the help of a standard all-wheel drive and a 10-speed automatic transmission.
The 2023 Cadillac Escalade V is the first official V. “It’s the first official one because a lot of people have been making their Vs over the years and stuff. Dealerships and like companies and you know like side businesses,” Jakub explained.
Compared to other SUVs they’ve reviewed, like the Jaguar F-Pace SVR, the duo argues the Escalade V doesn’t handle as well turning on sharp bends. Its true nature comes out driving hard down straight lines.
There are a couple of reasons why the Escalade V is a handling nightmare around tight corners. It comes with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, which doesn’t do a good job cornering, especially if it locks. The result is a drift instead of a nice line of cornering. Add a high center of gravity and the fact that it still clads a truck-like suspension kit.
It’s hard not to ignore the crackles made by the V Escalade. It’s surprisingly legal and joins the list of the not-so-neighborly vehicles, with pops and bangs that last up to six seconds driving on ‘V-Mode.’
The duo couldn’t help but praise the Super Cruise function on the 2023 Cadillac Escalade V. They admit it’s better than Ford’s BlueCruise.
As you’d expect, the 2023 Cadillac Escalade V doesn’t come cheap at $149,990, considering the base model Escalade costs $79,590. Would you pick it over the Alpina Xb7, Dodge Durango Hellcat, or the Maybach GLS?
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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