2023 Cadillac Escalade V-Series Review – The Fun of Wretched Excess

No one, but no one, needs a 2023 Cadillac Escalade V-Series.

Sure, some folks can make a reasonable argument for needing a large SUV for towing or hauling people and stuff. Far fewer people who drive these things need them rather than want them, but there is a use case.

Not for the V.

It’s one thing to say that no one really needs the luxury coddling – that’s a want. But mix in this powertrain – yeah, you don’t need this thing. But there’s a decent change that even if large, luxurious, powerful SUVs make you cringe – even if you’re one of those card-carrying members of Greenpeace who used to solicit donations from me at my local Walgreen’s – you’ll want this rig. At least after you dig into the throttle pedal.

There’s a beast of a motor underhood – a supercharged 6.2-liter that makes 682 horsepower and 653 lb-ft of torque. Despite the massive weight over 6,000 pounds, there’s enough thrust on hand to give any driver with a heavy right foot and plenty of open space in front a case of the grins.

It sounds pretty frickin’ cool, too.

Backing up a sec, here’s what you get when you opt to have the hyphen and the “V” after “Escalade”: 22-inch wheels, different front and rear fascias, quad exhaust outlets, launch control, magnetic ride control, adaptive air suspension, unique tuning for the rear springs and damper hardware, software calibrations specific to the trim, a V drive mode that lowers the suspension, turns on the active exhaust, and lets you customize the drive-mode settings. There is also V badging throughout, and Brembo brakes with red-painted, six-piston calipers. Along with other items.

I never had the chance to really push this Escalade on a challenging road – the one rural two-lane I drove on served up only gentle curves – so I can’t tell you if this behemoth handles like a Blackwing. I’d bet it wouldn’t be that good, though you’d still be pleasantly surprised. What I can say is that what I did experience, whether in the sportier drive modes or not, was a large SUV that felt much more buttoned down and tight than you’d expect. It handles pretty well, though one can only bend the laws of physics so far.

Ride-wise, the ‘Slade was silky smooth but never soft. Aside from the V8, the ride might be this Caddy’s best feature. It was my favorite part of the driving experience, acceleration aside.

I also found the available SuperCruise hands-free driving assistance feature to work fairly well – and I was enamored with the digital gauge cluster’s ability to show me a front-facing camera view as I drove. It was clear and cool-looking and was a nice way to avoid visibility suffering from the long hood, though at times I was tempted to look at it instead of out the windshield. The night-vision feature is cool, too.

I never lacked space or comfort, as you’d expect. After a while, the novelty of the fuel-sucking V8 wore off (well, not totally) and I just settled into a rhythm of relatively stress-free driving. The Escalade V is just pleasant to commute in. Spacious, smooth, silent – it’s a luxury experience.

The only letdown involves some interior materials that feel a bit dated and downmarket for the price – and compared to the competition.

It takes a deep bank account to bring one of these bad boys home. The starting price for my test unit was just a hair under $150K and with options the as-tested price was $155K and change.

That includes standard and available features like the aforementioned V features, electronic limited-slip differential, navigation, premium audio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear-seat entertainment, head-up display, panoramic sunroof, camera rearview mirror, wireless device charging, heated steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, heated second-row seats, power liftgate, tri-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, power running boards, and a console refrigerator. Plus the usual suite of ADAS systems – trailer blind-zone alert and brake-pad monitoring are the standouts there.

Fuel economy is a predictably dismal 11 mpg city/16 mpg highway/13 mpg combined.

I can’t imagine ever needing this vehicle or anything like it. But I gotta admit, I kinda want one.

[Images © 2023 Tim Healey/TTAC]

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