2021 Cadillac Escalade

The best options to choose from in the Escalade range are either the Premium Luxury trim or the Sport trim. Both of these are mid-level trims and come with some extra luxury over the base trim. As the name of both models clearly suggests, the Premium Luxury leans toward more luxury, whereas the Sport trim along with all of the luxury and features from the Premium Luxury trim further adds an Adaptive Air Suspension and Magnetic Ride Control along with an Electronic Split Differential, hence delivering a more engaging and comfortable driving experience. These trims also come with plenty of packages available to up the game even more.

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade will mark the model's fifth generation and this new one is head and shoulders above the original in terms of luxury, style, and technology- Car and Driver

With a complete redesign for the 2021 model year, Cadillac has made sure to spice up things in terms of optional diesel engine, technology, interior design and multiple creature comforts. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade Luxury trim offers 22-inch, 14-spoke alloy wheels, curved OLED display with 38-inch of screen space, HD surround vision, AKG 19-speaker audio system as standard. The Escalade :Premium Luxury trim adds panoramic sunroof, rear camera mirror, full-color HUD, enhanced 

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade Sport trim is biased towards the younger generation and offers gloss black grille with sport mesh, 22-inch 12-spoke alloy wheels, standard performance package including electronic limited slip differential, magnetic ride control, and trailer integration package. The Escalade Premium Luxury Platinum and Sport Platinum trims add leather wrapped instrument cluster, 16-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation and massage feature, AKG Studio System with 36 speakers, rear seat entertainment and optional refrigerator. 

The base Luxury trim can be opted with packages, including the ‘Performance Upgrade Package’ worth $2,795, which adds a Performance Air Intake System and a Cat-Back Performance Exhaust, an Illumination Package, and a Cargo Convenience Package. Next comes the Premium Luxury trim which gets a few more packages on offer along with a more luxurious feature set. The Premium Luxury Platinum, however, comes with the same package options as the base trim as all other features are already included as standard. The Sport and Sport Platinum trims come in a similar configuration as the Premium Luxury and Premium Luxury Platinum trims but differ in the exterior design and some other mechanical features which we will discuss later on in the review. 

EPA-estimated fuel economy stands at 16 mpg combined with the 6.2-liter V8 and 4WD. That's not so great even for a large SUV- Edmunds

The Cadillac Escalade 2021 mpg ratings are average to be honest. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade gas mileage of 15 mpg in the city, 20 on the highway, and 17 mpg in combined conditions is less than its rivals. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade diesel mpg ratings are 21/27/23 mpg in the city/highway/combined conditions. The standard Escalade 2021 comes with a gas tank size of 24 gallons and can offer a combined range of 408 miles. Even with the advantage of a slightly larger fuel tank, the Cadillac still doesn’t hold up with the rivals.

Once again, the Mercedes and the BMW  SUVs happen to be the best, offering best-combined fuel economy of 21 mpg. The Mercedes-Benz GLS Class also gets a large fuel tank of 23.8 gallons, which means that it provides the best combined range of around 500 miles. The BMW X7 is not far behind and is followed by the Lincoln Navigator. The Cadillac Escalade happens to be the least efficient, both in terms of fuel economy as well as range. 

As the flagship of the Cadillac lineup, the 2021 Escalade ups the ante on in-cabin luxury- Car and Driver

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade interior comes with a well-built, super luxurious cabin made up of high-quality premium materials and elements. Cadillac has made use of faux leather in the base Luxury trim, while the rest of the trim levels receive real leather upholstery. The large 38-inch OLED curved screen on the dashboard takes up most space and is fully-loaded with features. The interior trim comes in various themes, including Parchment with Jet Black accents, Whisper Beige with Gideon accents, and Dark Auburn with Jet Black accents. The top-end Premium Luxury and Sport Platinum trims even feature a leather-covered dashboard with all kinds of luxury materials present everywhere in the cabin.

The Escalade 2021 interior upholstery options in the different trims of the Escalade include Jet Black leatherette, semi-aniline leather with mini-chevron perforated inserts, and also in the highest trim with Mondrian quilting. The seats are extremely comfortable, and the interior space is exceptional. All three rows of seating provide enough space for adults to be seated. The Escalade also comes with a cargo space of 25.5 cu-ft and it can be extended to 109.1 cubic feet. Overall the 2021 Cadillac Escalade comes with a truly sumptuous interior. The only drawback happens to be the misplacement of some controls and also that the climate control buttons are not illuminated.

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator is the clear winner in terms of overall interior space as it provides the most legroom in the third row by a significant margin while also delivering a great amount of space in the first two rows. But considering luxury and interior quality along with that, the Cadillac Escalade and the Mercedes-Benz GLS Class  become the champions as they stand just below the Navigator in terms of third-row space while also delivering a far more superior and luxurious interior features. The Cadillac, however, defeats all of the competition by providing the most cargo space measuring 25.5 cu-ft, followed by Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GLS Class and BMW X7. 

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade infotainment system has received a significant upgrade. It now features a super high-resolution 38-inch curved OLED touchscreen infotainment system spread all the way to the center of the dashboard. It is split into a 16.9-inch infotainment screen and a 14.2-inch instrument cluster seamlessly, thus eliminating any bezels or separations. The infotainment unit is easy to use and intuitive and comes with all of the features and media options you can imagine. As for audio, a 19-speaker AKG stereo system is standard in the lower trims, whereas the higher trims feature a super-advanced 36-speaker AKG Studio Reference premium audio system. It comes with 3 amplifiers and front and rear subwoofers along with 3D Surround technology

Some of the key interior features of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade are: 

• Fully automatic panoramic sunroof
• 16-way power-adjustable heated and ventilated front seats with massage function
• Three-zone climate control
• A 38-inch curved OLED touchscreen infotainment system
• A dual-display rear media system 
• Wireless device charging
• 36-speaker AKG premium audio system
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Borrowing elements from the Escala concept car from 2016, the new Escalade offers visual panache worthy of its price tag- Car and Driver

The 2021 Escalade exterior has gone through a major redesign, while the basic essence and soul of an Escalade has been kept the same. The Escalade now looks sleeker, more fluidic, and definitely more beautiful than the last generation model. It has also been made longer, and that increase has been reflected in more interior space. The styling is differentiated between the Luxury and Sport variants. The Luxury models look more flashy and like how the Escalade has always looked. The design language and the plethora of chrome elements all over the vehicle scream that it is an epitome of luxury from every angle. Whereas the Sport models are for someone who needs a more stealthy, subtle, and strong-looking vehicle with all of the luxury and features but keeping away the bells and whistles from outside. 

The models also differ based on the wheels equipped in each of them. All of the Escalade models, including the base model, come with huge 22-inch wheels. With the base Luxury trim, you get 22" 14-Spoke alloy wheels with a Bright Silver finish, whereas the Premium Luxury trim gets the same wheels with a Polished finish. Stepping up to the Sport and Sport Platinum trims, you get 22" 12-Spoke wheels with a Dark Android finish, while the Premium Luxury Platinum trim exclusively comes equipped with 22" 10-Spoke wheels with Dark Android finish and laser etching. Cadillac offers different exterior colors like Black Raven, Crystal White Tricoat, Dark Moon Blue Metallic, Galactic Gray Metallic, Infrared Tintcoat, Mahogany Metallic, Sandstone Metallic.

The Lincoln Navigator is a tad bit heavier than the Escalade, but that’s by a very slight margin, but it comes with more ground clearance than all of the rivals. The Escalade is the longest and widest while also being the tallest. The Mercedes and the BMW SUVs have a significant weight advantage over the other two, in which the BMW is the lighter one. This weight advantage also helps them to achieve better performance. And about exterior beauty, all of the vehicles have their own beauty elements, and the choice would be subjective. As for us, the Escalade in the Sport trim and the Mercedes GLS are to be the most beautiful ones.

Some of the key exterior features of the Cadillac Escalade are: 

• Swept-black headlights
• 20-inch 7-spoke chrome alloy wheels
• Eldorado inspired tail lights
• Adaptive Air Suspension
• An acoustic windshield and Rear Privacy glass
• Active Aero Grille Shutters

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade has been crash-tested and rated by NHTSA, and it has been given a good overall safety rating of 4-stars. It also gets a 4-star rating for overall front protection too. In all of the side crash tests, the Escalade performed exceptionally well and gained a superb 5-star rating under all parameters. However, it gets only a 3-star rating for rollover protection and has a rollover risk of 21.20%. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade comes with a lot of safety features incorporated in it.

Some of the major safety features of the 2022 Escalade are: 

• Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking
• Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist
• Forward Collision Alert
• Front Pedestrian Braking
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• Available Night Vision

2021 Cadillac Escalade vs 2021 Lincoln Navigator

Both of these offer very similar performances and come with a lot of space in the interior. However, the Escalade is the more luxurious option, while the Navigator is the more spacious option. The Navigator is slightly less expensive than the Escalade, but the Escalade does come with an extra premium for the price. Overall the Escalade is worth paying the extra price, but for the absolute maximum passenger space, the Lincoln Navigator is the option. 

2021 Cadillac Escalade vs 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class

The Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class is a faster, better handling option than the Escalade with a lot more punch on offer. It also delivers far better fuel economy figures along with more range. The Escalade, however, provides slightly better third-row space and a lot more cargo capacity. Overall, both of these are very capable machines, but the GLS is the overall more superior option for the price paid.

2021 Cadillac Escalade vs 2021 2021 BMW X7

This is a fairly simple choice between the super-impressive drivability, handling, fuel efficiency, and mind-blowing performance of the BMW and the vastly spacious and a tad bit more luxurious interior of the Escalade. A choice has to be made according to your need and use. If you intend to drive your huge SUV, then go for the BMW X7. But if you’re planning to be chauffeured around, then go for the Escalade.

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade is still a palace on wheels as it has always been. But this time, it is a high-tech palace with a lot of new and updated technology incorporated into it. The ride quality and comfort are exceptional and best-in-class in this huge SUV. It also provides a huge amount of space for people as well as cargo. The interior is filled with all sorts of luxury and the latest features. The exterior now looks more streamlined and beautiful with different exterior styling options to choose from. The drawbacks include sub-par handling and lower fuel economy. But overall, the 2021 Cadillac Escalade is a great option in the segment.