Why The Cadillac Escalade V Will Be One Of The Last Great SUVs

The Cadillac Escalade has been around since the 1999 model year, and from its debut, it's become one of the most well-known luxury SUVs on the market. One of the things that set this vehicle from Cadillac apart from its rivals is its size: there are other full-size SUVs out there, but  few have the presence and scale of the Escalade. Well ahead of the current trend for big, bold trucks, the Escalade has always been a behemoth, and that fact is just one of the reasons people love it. For years it has been a perfect SUV for large families unwilling to compromise on space or luxury.

Now, there's a new model for the iconic luxury SUV on the market: the 2023 Cadillac Escalade V. This is the first time in Cadillac history that the automaker has offered its biggest SUV in a V trim, which distinguished the vehicle as being a performance variant (via CNET). To be blunt, even with this performance upgrade the Escalade isn't the fastest SUV, but we're still glad it exists. Indeed, we'd join the chorus describing the Escalade V as one of the last great SUVs.

Calling something the last great thing of its kind could be seen as a little dramatic. However, when you look at the trajectory of the modern SUV — from practical family haulers through to today's high-rolling limos — you can see why some people say that the Cadillac Escalade V is one of the last great SUVs. Though commonplace on the current generation of SUVs, the age of big, high-displacement gas engines is coming to an end. Many people adore this trait in these cars, however, the market is changing and automakers are moving right along.

While that might sound ominous to speed fans, it's worth remembering that our electric future needn't necessarily be slow: while they may not have gas-powered V8 engines under the hood, that doesn't mean tomorrow's SUVs will change too much of the driving experience in terms of performance. Still, you'll forgive us for being fans of the 6.2 liter V8 and 682 horsepower(via Cadillac) of this newest iteration of Cadillac's best-seller. While the large frame of the Escalade won't be going anywhere, the automaker has been upfront about its plans to take it all-electric. The heads of Cadillac and GM, just as is happening with other automakers, understand that the future is zero emissions and finding ways to make new and exciting cars with more environmentally friendly technology, and while that may call time on desirable dinosaurs like the 2023 Escalade V, you can't say they're not going out on a high.