Here's How You Can Own The Very First Cadillac Escalade V

The 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V commemorates the 120^th anniversary of one of the world's most revered automotive brands. It's the first-ever V-Series Escalade in the automaker's history but is only the fourth Caddy to wear the coveted V badge. The Escalade-V is going down in history as one of the last great SUVs and is the swan song of the brand's highly potent 6.2-liter supercharged mill, a highly tuned gas-fed motor that also lurks under the hood of Cadilac's CT5-V Blackwing super sedan.

Befitting a Cadillac V-Series, the Escalade-V is oozing with astronomical numbers to make any enthusiast give it a two thumbs up. It has a 6.2-liter V8 from the CT5-V Blackwing, but the mill has a more capacious 3.65-liter R2650 TVS supercharger equipped with four-lobe rotors. The blower could spin to a raucous 13,500 rpm to feed the hungry V8 with up to 10 pounds of boost.

Cadillac has said outright that its newest Escalade-V is the industry's most powerful full-size SUV. It has 682 horsepower and a healthy 653 lb-ft of torque, the latter arriving as early as 4,400 rpm. However, it tips the scales at a hefty 6,217 pounds, but it's not a problem if you have an overblown supercharged V8 under the hood. Cadillac claims the Escalade-V accelerates to 60 mph from a dead stop in 4.4 seconds, about half a blink faster than the bonkers Ram TRX, the most potent half-ton truck money can buy.

The Escalade-V comes with a 10-speed automatic gearbox that routes power to all four wheels using a full-time active all-wheel drivetrain with an electronic limited-slip differential. It not only zips off the line like a frightened cat, but the Escalade-V will make you smile from ear to ear at the dragstrip. Cadillac claims a quarter-mile run in 12.74-seconds at 110 mph, which are (again) faster numbers than the RAM TRX.

Since we're still talking about a luxury SUV, the Escalade-V has all the niceties you expect from a flagship, high-performance conveyance. It has air ride adaptive suspension with Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 and a selectable V driving mode that lowers the ride height by 0.8 inches (20 mm) and alters the transmission shift points. It also has launch control to make the most of its Earth-shaking grunt.

Meanwhile, the luxurious interior boasts semi-aniline leather seats (on all three rows), a heated steering wheel, and a 38-inch curved OLED display featuring a 14.2-inch digital instrument display capable of rendering augmented reality navigation. Furthermore, it has a 16.9-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an AKG Studio Reference audio system with 36 speakers. GM's Super Cruise autonomous driving feature is also making its way to the Escalade-V. It will include hands-free driving features like automatic lane changing, adaptive cruise control, and more.

The 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V will arrive at dealerships in late summer 2022. But if you can't wait, Cadillac is auctioning the very first production Escalade-V (VIN 001) at the 2022 Barrett-Jackson Auction in Las Vegas. The bidding starts at around 4:30 p.m. PDT on July 1, 2022. According to Barret-Jackson, 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Detroit chapter of Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design. If you're pining to add the first production Escalade-V to your collection, this is your chance.

Of course, participating in an auction means you might end up paying more than the Escalade-V's estimated $149,990 base price, but it's for a good cause. And besides, you're getting a road-legal family luxury SUV with a full warranty and an eager 6.2-liter supercharged V8, possibly the last of the breed. The next Cadillac flagship SUV will make do with a battery-electric powertrain instead of a thirsty yet more exciting gasoline V8, and you can bet the house it'll cost more than the Escalade-V when it arrives by 2025.