Cadillac Escalade

The Cadillac Escalade is a 5-door SUV from Cadillac, built from 1998 to 2013, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Under the bonnet: 5.7 L L31 V8. Wayne Cherry (1997) drew it.

Where it came from

The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury SUV manufactured by General Motors and marketed by Cadillac as its first major entry into the SUV market. The Escalade was introduced for the 1999 model year in response to an influx of new luxury SUVs during the late 1990s, including the Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Range Rover, Lexus LX, and Lincoln Navigator. The Escalade project went into production only ten months after it was approved. The Escalade is built at Arlington Assembly in Arlington, Texas. The term "escalade" refers to a siege warfare tactic of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders or siege towers. More generally, it is a French word which is the noun-equivalent form of the French verb escalader, which means "to climb or scale".

The Escalade is currently sold in North America and select international markets (Europe and Asia) where Cadillac has official sales channels. The Escalade ESV (Escalade Stretch Vehicle) is sold in North America, Russia, and the Middle East, but is only available by special order in some international markets. The right-hand-drive Escalade and Escalade ESV are available through third-party conversion specialists without official agreement with Cadillac in Australian, Oceanic, and Japanese markets. On August 8, 2023, GM presented the Escalade IQ, an all-electric version of the Escalade, and the third model in Cadillac's EV line, after the Celestiq and Lyriq. It went on sale in late 2024 for the 2025 model year, with a starting price of $130,000. The Escalade has gone through five generations and one facelift, with the most r

Under the skin

Power comes from 5.7 L L31 V8. It shifts through a 4-speed 4L60-E automatic. The wheelbase is 117.5 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

In context

Its family tree is legible: assembly was at Arlington, Texas (Arlington Assembly), United States. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Saab Automobile Saab 9-3, the Lexus IS, the Audi TT — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Cadillac catalogue sit the Cadillac 353 and the Cadillac ATS.

What it costs now

The money question first: $17,700–$86,500 is the typical asking range today, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $4,330–$7,257 a year. Insurance sits around $1,860–$4,490 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.