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2020 Cadillac Escalade spied for the first time

Cadillac is expanding its crossover and SUV range with a new three-row XT6, but that doesn't mean it has forgotten about the one that started it all. As seen in the above photos, the company is testing a new version of the Cadillac Escalade. It's well-covered, but there are a number of details that we can make out. We'll get to what we can see of the design in a bit, but the big news is the suspension. Like the new Tahoe we previously spied, the 2020 Cadillac Escalade will have an independent rear suspension replacing the solid axle set-up that GM's full-size SUVs have always possessed. Its rivals from Ford/Lincoln went independent long ago. We can't underline enough how much of a difference this will make. Handling should be less cumbersome and the ride will be smoother and less prone to jiggling over bumps. It would be improved even further if Cadillac continues to offer magnetically controlled shocks as standard. Inside, the third-row should be positioned lower, thus lowering the current sky-high load height and resulting in a third-row that's actually habitable. In other words, the Escalade won't be so archaic. You can see the visual differences between the new (top) and current (bottom) designs below. Now, as for the design, our best clue to the new Escalade's design is in the grille. The flashy slatted chrome grille of the current model is gone and in its place a more modest mesh grille with little studs pushed to the front. It's very much like the grille found on the new CT6 and XT4. Also, like those two vehicles, the headlights appear to have more horizontal elements than the very vertical examples on the current Escalade. The rest of the SUV is harder to make out. The profile is very similar to the current one, and will surely be shared with the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon models. The rear features new rectangular exhaust tips nestled into the rear bumper. The taillights will likely continue to stretch up the rear pillars. Like the suspension, the Escalade will continue to be generally mechanically the same as the aforementioned Chevy and GMC versions, albeit with the best parts standard. The updated 6.2-liter V8 with Dynamic Fuel Management first introduced on the Silverado and Sierra will likely be the standard engine. It will then be paired with the 10-speed automatic transmission. With the new Navigator so widely impressing in reviews and in sales, this new Cadillac Escalade will have to step it up.

Cadillac CT5 spied with quad exhaust, could signal a hotter version is coming

The 2020 Cadillac CT5 just broke cover at the NY Auto Show this year, but one of our spy shooters caught one decked out in camouflage looking a bit different than the versions we've already seen. Instead of the dual exhaust on both the turbocharged four-cylinder and twin-turbo V6, this one has a quad exhaust outlet. We'll note that the placement of the quad outlets is one and the same with the two larger outlets on the CT5 already revealed. Also, the rest of the car looks relatively ho-hum. It has the wheels from the CT5 Sport trim, and the front end appears to most closely represent the Luxury trim. Some of the coverings appear to be opened up on that front end, possibly in an attempt to increase airflow. The most obvious change of them all is the quad exhaust, though, which brings us back to a conversation we had with a Cadillac representative at the car's initial media launch. As we were standing around gawking at the new CT5 in Sport trim, a brand representative told us all the "Sport" models (four-cylinders and V6s) would be getting quad exhaust, while the "Luxury" trims would get dual exhaust. We pointed at the CT5 Sport right in front of us and noted that it just had a dual exhaust setup. This ended up causing more confusion, as the Cadillac representative was adamant that they had seen the CT5 Sport with quad exhaust. When all was said and done, there wasn't exactly a clear explanation given for what was up with this mysterious CT5 model with quad exhaust, so we left it at that. We can guess, though. Perhaps the Cadillac rep had seen a Sport model with quad exhaust, but it was a future "V-Sport" variant we weren't allowed to know of yet. Cadillac hasn't revealed its future plans for the CT5 fully, but it did hint that at least one performance variant would be on the way. This camo'd up car here does not look anything like a full-on V model, but it could be the beginnings of a slightly more powerful version of the sport sedan. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 makes 335 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Of course, there's always room for more power in this class, and a V-Sport model would slot in nicely to the new sedan's range. Keep in mind this all remains speculative in nature. However, our curious conversation with Cadillac combined with these spy shots signal that something could be afoot.

Cadillac adds torque-number badging to most new models starting in 2020

Few phrases describe huge swaths of America better than a phrase spotted on the back of a top-fuel dragster at an NHRA event: "You can never have too much horsepower or ammunition." If Cadillac CEO and wily Canuck Steve Carlisle has his way, the revised phrase would substitute "torque measured in Newton-meters" for "horsepower." Starting with the 2020 model year, America's luxury brand will add torque figure badges to CT and XT models, beginning with the XT6. The badge above kinda almost sorta represents the torque produced by the luxury crossover's 3.6-liter V6. That badge did not appear on the XT6 we photographed at the Detroit Auto Show. In U.S. parlance, twist in the XT6 comes to 271 pound-feet. Translated to Newton-meters, that's 367 Nm. Then round that up to the nearest 50, which Cadillac will do, and one arrives at 400. True, the rounding prevents a future of number jumbles like the 2020 XT6 367 vs. the 2021 XT6 419T. Nevertheless, we don't know why Cadillac is rounding to the nearest 50 instead of the nearest 25, since 50 Nm is about 37 lb-ft and could conceal a decent torque increase between model years. A "T" denotes turbocharging, and we imagine there'll be designations for hybrids and electric cars. We think most modern attempts at engine-based nomenclatures soon get as complicated as ciphers or come unmoored from their original scheme. And based on our experience with The Average Car Buyer, they don't care. A bigger number, no matter what that number represents, means more, which is the important thing. Because America, right? Maybe not. Carlisle said, "We're not talking about displacements any more," and the new badging will give consumers "a clear understanding of the power differences across the lineup." The brand believes torque provides a better comparison between ICE, hybrid, and EV powertrains and "the balance between fuel economy and performance." As for the immigrant unit of measurement, Carlisle told CNET, " It's metric, it's universal, it's global, we have to think about all the markets that we're doing business in." Oh, and, "Engineers certainly prefer Newton-meters." The new nomenclature will not be applied to V-series models or the Escalade, because the CEO holds that "special cars get special names." We should probably take a moment to reassure the CT and XT models that Steve Carlisle thinks you're all special, too. Just a different kind of special.