2024 Cadillac Escalade Platinum Review

Underneath the luxurious skin of the Cadillac Escalade lies a true body-on-frame full-sized American truck. It’s this old-school build that makes the Escalade a standout product from its rivals that are all based on unibody SUV platforms. The Escalade is powered by GM’s legendary 6.2-liter pushrod V8. In the Escalade the engine is known as the L87 which is an LT1 V8, which has been modified for truck duty. The 6.2-liter V8 has a strict diet of premium fuel and produces a respectable 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. 

An antiquated pushrod V8 may seem out of place in a luxury vehicle, but the Escalade provides unique character when compared to the turbocharged competition. Sure the L87 isn’t as smooth as the German V8s, but it’s hard to beat the sound and reliability of a GM V8. The low-end grunt from the 6.2-liter is more than enough to move the 5,800 lb Escalade with ease and produces a wonderful V8 growl during spirited acceleration. 

The L87 V8 is mated to Cadillac’s 10-speed 10L80 automatic transmission. This modern automatic transmission shifts smoothly and falls into the background during normal driving, which is exactly what you want for a luxury product. Thanks to the spread of gear ratios, the Escalade can quickly make use of the V8’s power at any speed. The 10L80 becomes even more impressive when you realize it’s part of a drivetrain capable of towing over 8,000 lbs. 

Impressive Suspension

The 2024 Cadillac Escalade Platinum rides on GM’s new T1X platform, which introduces an independent rear suspension to improve the ride quality of this full-sized SUV. Thanks to the use of clever tech, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a truck-based vehicle that rides better.

The Escalade also benefits from the inclusion of air springs and Magnaride, giving the Escalade impressive adjustability and comfort. This technology allows the Escalade to raise and lower its ride height depending on needs, while the magnetic dampers constantly adjust firmness to deliver the most comfortable ride possible. In practice, this complete dynamic suspension system is a highlight of the SUV’s engineering and further adds to the luxurious experience. 

Impressive Interior Quality

Step into the interior of the Escalade and you’re immediately greeted by a cabin trimmed with high-quality materials. The new Cadillac Escalade’s interior is a true luxury car experience without any distracting gimmicks or obvious cost-cutting. 

The use of leather, wood trim, and subtle metal trim give the Escalade’s interior a feeling of quality without being ostentatious. This mature deployment of modern luxury further demonstrates the genuine quality of the modern-day Escalade. 

Every touch point from the steering wheel to the door handles feels well-made and enjoyable to interact with. All of the details like buttons and switches are also a cut above helping you forget the Escalade's more humble siblings like the Yukon and Suburban. There is no obvious use of cheaper plastic materials further adding to the timeless luxury charm of the Escalade. Everything feels real and chosen to elevate the Escalade driving experience for both the driver and passengers.

Interior Tech to Match

The Escalade may offer a great deal of impressive traditional luxury features, but it’s the SUV’s tech that’s the most impressive. Thanks to the clever use of screens and buttons, we found the Escalade to be a fantastic example of industry-leading vehicle technology.

The Escalade’s interior is dominated by a massive 16.9-inch OLED screen. This incredible screen is broken into three parts with the use of leather-trimmed bezels. There’s the digital gauge cluster, center screen, and a smaller side screen for the drive as well.

These screens are not only easy to use, but beautiful thanks to the use of OLED tech which means black levels are far darker than competitor’s LCD screens. This clarity and size of the screens makes them easier to use and thanks to a strong processor, inputs are instantaneous. This deployment of class-leading screen tech further elevates the experience of owning an Escalade. 

The digital gauge cluster allows for the use of Cadillac’s augmented reality front camera that shows you GPS directions overlayed on the footage of the road ahead. If that’s not impressive enough, our tester had the optional front-facing infrared camera to help you spot pedestrians and wildlife while driving at night. 

The Escalade also offers a mind-bending 36-speaker AKG sound system running on 28 amplifier channels. This ridiculous setup includes headliner speakers to help give the AKG Studio Reference system immersive sound in every degree. AKG Studio Reference Sound System components include:

• 2x 100mm Unity speaker with AKG tweeter lens

• 1x Bi-amped 100mm Unity with AKG tweeter lens

• 4x 2-way array: 1x 22mm tweeter and waveguide, 2 x45mm speaker

• 3x 170mm woofer 2.5 I box

• 4x 40mm speaker in headliner

• 2x Pair of 40mm speakers in head restraint

• 2x 160mm mid-woofer

• 1x 265mm 22I subwoofer

• 2x 90mm Unity speaker

• 1x Main 14-channel class-d amplifier 12-channels + 2-channels to bi-amped center channel

• 1x High power 8-channel extension amplifier 6-channels + 2-channels parallel to 1-channel

• 1x 8-channel extension amplifier

Super Cruise

In addition to the impressive cabin tech, the Escalade goes a step further with its Super Cruise automated driving system. This unique driver-assist program works on specific highways across North America where the Escalade can drive itself. This impressive system proved to be a valuable asset during our testing. 

Super Cruise relies and detailed mapping information provided by General Motors which uses special vehicles to map and scan all major highways in America. This detailed map data is analyzed by GM and then fed to Super Cruise-capable vehicles. The Escalade uses a host of onboard sensors to drive on highways and can even perform lane changes to pass slower cars. In practice, the system is nothing short of remarkable delivering consistent and safe results that further add to the luxury of the Escalade. 

Trucklike but not a Truck

When compared to its German rivals, the Escalade offers a truck-like driving experience, however, its attention to detail and truly luxurious build make it the SUV to beat. Sure, competitors may be more agile and sporty to drive, but for customers seeking a comfortable and capable SUV, the Escalade is the perfect vehicle. Customers gain all of the benefits of towing capacity and rugged construction while enjoying a crafted luxury vehicle.