2021 Cadillac Escalade Exterior Leaked Hours Before Debut

by Matt Posky

Published: February 4th, 2020

2021 cadillac escalade exterior leaked hours before debut

While the next-generation Cadillac Escalade debuts on Tuesday, the cover was pulled off early by automotive photographer Wilco Blok. The model has seen leaks before, helping to validate Blok’s image as authentic. That said, this is probably the best-quality photo we’re likely to see of the model before its official premiere just hours from now.

Visually, the 2021 Escalade maintains its familial resemblance to SUVs from GMC and Chevrolet sharing the same GMT1XX platform and has dramatically scaled back its reliance on bling. However, the de-chromed grille arguably makes it more difficult to tell apart from the Tahoe/Suburban and Yukon, which hardly seems like a wise marketing decision.

Key differences are subtle. Escalade has blacked-out pillars, its own wheels, and premium branding, though it would be hard to positively identify at any distance until you’ve gotten a glimpse of the back end (as the model is presumed to retain its signature elongated vertical tail lamps). The front features tight, horizontally oriented headlights and a raised emblem — tapping into the brand’s evolving styling language.

It’s a more contemporary design overall but it doesn’t do much to make the model feel truly special. This is no more attractive than the Tahoe and Suburban General Motors revealed in December, both of which lean into the boxy design a little more comfortably. So then, what exactly is the point of the new Escalade?

Well, Cadillac has already teased its gargantuan interior screen. The 38-inch curved OLED unit spans the entire dashboard and is aimed squarely at luxury shoppers who now prioritize tech over other elements and Clifford the Big Red Dog. Technological touches should abound in the Escalade. Jalopnik, which originally shared the Wilco Blok photos, noticed the leaked images appear to show deployable running boards. While those are almost guaranteed to be part of a lengthy options list, it would represent a higher level of customization and more available features than you’ll find at GMC or Chevy.

We learned last week that Cadillac will outfit the 2021 Escalade with its updated Super Cruise hands-free driving system.

The rest should be more of what you’re accustomed to. Escalade is still body-on-frame and a carryover 6.2-liter V8 is expected at launch. However, GM indicated a high-output model was under consideration as early as 2018; rumors suggest it’s working on fitting the supercharged V8 that powers the Camaro ZL1 and the front-engined Corvette Z06. There’s plenty room yet for Cadillac to surprise us, despite the deluge of leaks and frequent teasers that preceded it.

We’ll know more after the official debut, so expect a lengthy follow-up on Wednesday.

[Image: wilcoblok/ Instagram]

#2021CadillacEscalade #AutomotiveDesign #Cadillac #Escalade #GeneralMotors #GM #Leaks #Styling #SUV

Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

More by Matt Posky

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 60 comments

Nrd515 on Feb 06, 2020

That front end reminds me of the time a friend came to Christmas dinner at a Chines restaurant drunk as hell. The look on his face when he arrived was what the Escalade resembles, an amused sleepy drunk. That was one of the most memorable Christmas' ever, as his enraged father yelled at him during the entire meal, with almost everything he said starting with, "You got the MONEY?", followed with, "Why don't you buy us one?". He got that even when he asked if anyone wanted to share an order of beef and broc. By the end of the meal, he was a semi-sober mess, and when we got over to my house, he drank another six pack and ended the evening a blubbering mess, "My dad and I never seemed to get along!". When his parents arrived, I got yelled at for letting him drink. When his mom was putting him into their car to go home, he started to nod off in the back seat and his dad yelled at him again, and he looked just like the Escalade, muttering, "Jeez dad, give me a break!". Dad was in no mood for cutting him slack that night. The best one of those two was when they gave him their old car, and on the way home, he fell asleep and drove it off the road in the mountains, receiving minor injuries and totally destroying the car. Dad naturally assummed he was drunk and had to apologize when the doctor told them he had not been drinking at all. Somehow, all that yelling and apologizing seemed to help their relationship quite a bit, and they got along ok for the rest of his dad's life. Sadly, a few years ago, he called me totally blown away, barely making any sense. It appears his sober years are over.

Like Reply
Akear on Feb 12, 2020

I hate the way the headlights cut into the grill. GM has been making quite a few styling miscues lately.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Kmars2009 I rented one last fall while visiting Ohio. Not a bad car...but not a great car either. I think it needs a new version. But CUVs are King... unfortunately!
Ajla Remember when Cadillac introduced an entirely new V8 and proceeded to install it in only 800 cars before cancelling everything?
Bouzouki Cadillac (aka GM!!) made so many mistakes over the past 40 years, right up to today, one could make a MBA course of it. Others have alluded to them, there is not enough room for me to recite them in a flowing, cohesive manner.Cadillac today is literally a tarted-up Chevrolet. They are nice cars, and the "aura" of the Cadillac name still works on several (mostly female) consumers who are not car enthusiasts.The CT4 and CT5 offer superlative ride and handling, and even performance--but, it is wrapped in sheet metal that (at least I think) looks awful, with (still) sub-par interiors. They are niche cars. They are the last gasp of the Alpha platform--which I have been told by people close to it, was meant to be a Pontiac "BMW 3-series". The bankruptcy killed Pontiac, but the Alpha had been mostly engineered, so it was "Cadillac-ized" with the new "edgy" CTS styling.Most Cadillacs sold are crossovers. The most profitable "Cadillac" is the Escalade (note that GM never jack up the name on THAT!).The question posed here is rather irrelevant. NO ONE has "a blank check", because GM (any company or corporation) does not have bottomless resources.Better styling, and superlative "performance" (by that, I mean being among the best in noise, harshness, handling, performance, reliablity, quality) would cost a lot of money.Post-bankruptcy GM actually tried. No one here mentioned GM's effort to do just that: the "Omega" platform, aka CT6.The (horribly misnamed) CT6 was actually a credible Mercedes/Lexus competitor. I'm sure it cost GM a fortune to develop (the platform was unique, not shared with any other car. The top-of-the-line ORIGINAL Blackwing V8 was also unique, expensive, and ultimately...very few were sold. All of this is a LOT of money).I used to know the sales numbers, and my sense was the CT6 sold about HALF the units GM projected. More importantly, it sold about half to two thirds the volume of the S-Class (which cost a lot more in 201x)Many of your fixed cost are predicated on volume. One way to improve your business case (if the right people want to get the Green Light) is to inflate your projected volumes. This lowers the unit cost for seats, mufflers, control arms, etc, and makes the vehicle more profitable--on paper.Suppliers tool up to make the number of parts the carmaker projects. However, if the volume is less than expected, the automaker has to make up the difference.So, unfortunately, not only was the CT6 an expensive car to build, but Cadillac's weak "brand equity" limited how much GM could charge (and these were still pricey cars in 2016-18, a "base" car was ).Other than the name, the "Omega" could have marked the starting point for Cadillac to once again be the standard of the world. Other than the awful name (Fleetwood, Elegante, Paramount, even ParAMOUR would be better), and offering the basest car with a FOUR cylinder turbo on the base car (incredibly moronic!), it was very good car and a CREDIBLE Mercedes S-Class/Lexus LS400 alternative. While I cannot know if the novel aluminum body was worth the cost (very expensive and complex to build), the bragging rights were legit--a LARGE car that was lighter, but had good body rigidity. No surprise, the interior was not the best, but the gap with the big boys was as close as GM has done in the luxury sphere.Mary Barra decided that profits today and tomorrow were more important than gambling on profits in 2025 and later. Having sunk a TON of money, and even done a mid-cycle enhancement, complete with the new Blackwing engine (which copied BMW with the twin turbos nestled in the "V"!), in fall 2018 GM announced it was discontinuing the car, and closing the assembly plant it was built in. (And so you know, building different platforms on the same line is very challenging and considerably less efficient in terms of capital and labor costs than the same platform, or better yet, the same model).So now, GM is anticipating that, as the car market "goes electric" (if you can call it that--more like the Federal Government and EU and even China PUSHING electric cars), they can make electric Cadillacs that are "prestige". The Cadillac Celestique is the opening salvo--$340,000. We will see how it works out.
Lynn Joiner Lynn JoinerJust put 2,000 miles on a Chevy Malibu rental from Budget, touring around AZ, UT, CO for a month. Ran fine, no problems at all, little 1.7L 4-cylinder just sipped fuel, and the trunk held our large suitcases easily. Yeah, I hated looking up at all the huge FWD trucks blowing by, but the Malibu easily kept up on the 80 mph Interstate in Utah. I expect a new one would be about a third the cost of the big guys. It won't tow your horse trailer, but it'll get you to the store. Why kill it?
Lynn Joiner Just put 2,000 miles on a Chevy Malibu rental from Budget, touring around AZ, UT, CO for a month. Ran fine, no problems at all, little 1.7L 4-cylinder just sipped fuel, and the trunk held our large suitcases easily. Yeah, I hated looking up at all the huge FWD trucks blowing by, but the Malibu easily kept up on the 80 mph Interstate in Utah. I expect a new one would be about a third the cost of the big guys. It won't tow your horse trailer, but it'll get you to the store. Why kill it?