Yikes! 2021 Cadillac Escalade Leaks

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

No, it doesn’t take on water, though we won’t really know for sure until a thorough on- and off-road evaluation puts that assertion to the test. Rather, the headline refers to images of the upcoming Cadillac range-topper that appeared on Instagram Wednesday.

Borrowing a colossal grille inspired by the Escala concept (now firmly in place as the brand’s corporate face), the revamped full-size SUV’s unplanned reveal comes on the heels of the public debut of its Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban platform mates.

As you see here, narrow gun slit headlamps look somewhat odd when paired with a grille ten miles tall. Instagram user @Allcarnews brought these images, apparently taken within the bowels of a General Motors production facility, to the public realm; Jalopnik was first to notice the dropped towel.

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A post shared by A L L C A R N E W S (@allcarnews) on Dec 11, 2019 at 7:26am PST

The images are blurry and do not contain a view of the vehicle’s rear; however, the user claims the current-generation’s towering vertical LED taillights remain. Everywhere, the 2021 Escalade’s genetics are on clear display. Like the Tahoe and Suburban, this Escalade will boast an increased wheelbase and slightly increased overall length thanks to its new underpinnings, especially in short wheelbase form. Rear-seat legroom and cargo volume will expand significantly over the current model, and a newly independent rear suspension should smooth out the ride.

Up front, sizeable LED light bars flank what appears to be massive side vents. Meanwhile, much smaller horizontal light bars underscore the diminutive headlight arrays. There’ll be little doubt as to what vehicle is barreling towards you on a dark night. Overall, the look is most reminiscent of the recent XT6 crossover.

While the model’s Chevy siblings will offer buyers the option of Duramax diesel propulsion, don’t expect Cadillac to go that route. Nothing’s stopping the brand; it just doesn’t seem likely. Cadillac buyers would probably prefer to keep some distance from the bowtie brand its its Silverado 1500-sourced diesel.

Expect the public reveal of the 2021 Escalade in short order. GMC will also need to set aside time for a debut of its Yukon and Yukon XL. The on-sale date for all of these BOF rigs should occur in the summer of 2020.

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Focal Focal on Dec 12, 2019

    A big fan of the Michelin A/S 3+ Have great tread wear for a performance a/s and very good brake performance also. Easily matched performance of my older Pilot summers from the early 2000's with the added safety of shoulder season use. Heavy SUV use may make tires vary greatly due to weight and suspension setup. Putting way more wear onto tires. I drive sedans with usually on uprated sports suspensions. I usually exceed any tread wear ratings. Also manual transmission means I ride the brakes less.

  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Dec 12, 2019

    What Cadillac needs is a return to Eldorado styling. But instead of a FWD personal luxury coupe, make it a RWD personal luxury wagon - but keep it a 2 door, like the Nomad, with an AWD option. It's sell like pumpkin spice lattes.

  • MaintenanceCosts I don't have an opinion on whether any one plant unionizing is the right answer, but the employees sure need to have the right to organize. Unions or the credible threat of unionization are the only thing, history has proven, that can keep employers honest. Without it, we've seen over and over, the employers have complete power over the workers and feel free to exploit the workers however they see fit. (And don't tell me "oh, the workers can just leave" - in an oligopolistic industry, working conditions quickly converge, and there's not another employer right around the corner.)
  • Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh [h3]Wake me up when it is a 1989 635Csi with a M88/3[/h3]
  • BrandX "I can charge using the 240V outlets, sure, but it’s slow."No it's not. That's what all home chargers use - 240V.
  • Jalop1991 does the odometer represent itself in an analog fashion? Will the numbers roll slowly and stop wherever, or do they just blink to the next number like any old boring modern car?
  • MaintenanceCosts E34 535i may be, for my money, the most desirable BMW ever built. (It's either it or the E34 M5.) Skeptical of these mods but they might be worth undoing.
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