The 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V's 0-60 Time Is Blazing Fast For Such A Massive SUV
There's nothing quite like a performance SUV to make you doubt the laws of physics. On the one hand, there's the knowledge that big, heavy objects aren't particularly conducive to going fast. On the other, though, there's the existence of über-trucks like the 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V to make you question whether what you learned in science class is actually reality.
After all, at more than 6,200 pounds — or another 200 pounds or so for the ESV extended wheelbase version — we're talking a whole lot of mass, here. Even the shorter Escalade-V is still more than 17 feet in length, and over six feet tall. Its slab-like front grille and upright windshield hardly make it aerodynamically slippery, either, and Caddy's electrification plans mean this is probably as much the last hurrah as it is a means of excessive transportation.
What physics may not have been counting on is Cadillac's decision to drop a vast, 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine under the expansive hood. That's good for 682 horsepower and 653 lb-ft of torque, numbers which are quite frankly stratospheric in the world of family SUVs.
It takes a village to go very, very fast
The result is a truck that thinks it's a sports car, or at least in a straight line. 0-60 miles per hour (mph) arrives in under 4.4 seconds, Cadillac says, and the Escalade-V will rocket down the quarter-mile in 12.74 seconds hitting a top speed of 110 mph.
Caddy's wildest SUV will keep going after that, assuming you have the space for it: the top speed is electronically-limited to 125 mph. Of course, you may need nerves of steel in order to push the Escalade-V quite so far.
The automaker can't provide those, but it can add a whole host of mechanical and electronic systems to harness that raw grunt. All-wheel drive is standard, and there's an electronic limited-slip differential that adjusts power distribution according to things like road surface grip. Air suspension is standard, too, with GM's well-esteemed Magnetic Ride Control to intelligently adjust the damping strength in real time.
Still, the most important part could be the flip side to all that pace. Cadillac has fitted the Escalade-V with Brembo front performance brakes to help haul it to a halt, and while our own review suggests a little extra on the anchors couldn't hurt, it should be enough to keep you out of trouble if you succumb to the SUV's Launch Control mode.