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2021 Cadillac Escalade makes its grand debut among the stars during Oscars week

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade has arrived in high style in Los Angeles during Oscars week. With no January Detroit Auto Show, there’s no better place for the next generation of CadillacÂ’s iconic luxury SUV to be revealed than star-studded L.A. We got to spend some time in and around the Escalade a couple weeks ago, and now we can finally tell you all about it. As expected, the 2021 Escalade is following in the footsteps of all the other full-size GM SUVs by going with an independent rear suspension setup. Just like the Tahoe and Yukon, Cadillac is also making the next-gen magnetic shocks and new air suspension optional equipment. Engineers told us that thereÂ’s hardly any difference underneath the Escalade versus its platform stablemates, and our early impressions of the ride suggest thatÂ’s perfectly fine. Powering the new Escalade is GMÂ’s trusty 6.2-liter V8 or the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six — both are paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.   Related: 2021 Cadillac Escalade vs. 2020 Lincoln Navigator | How they compare on paper 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV will debut at the New York Auto Show   WeÂ’re not surprised to see the oil-burner being offered as an option with the Escalade after itÂ’s been tucked under the hood of the Tahoe and Yukon, but it is a significant addition to the Escalade lineup. GM has never fit a diesel engine to an Escalade before, but engineers tell us that this motor is refined enough for an Escalade buyer. We were surprised by its smoothness in the Silverado, and weÂ’ll wager itÂ’s even more discrete in the luxury SUV. The lovely 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 Blackwing engine was never mentioned in CadillacÂ’s presentation to us. We asked, but thereÂ’s no news to be had on the Blackwing front, as Cadillac shrugged us off. Arguably, the most important aspect of the new Escalade is its interior. When the redesigned Lincoln Navigator came out, it made the aging Escalade look like a boring dinosaur. Cadillac knew this interior had to be extraordinary to compete, and itÂ’s taken an interesting approach.  Do you recall the Cadillac Escala concept? If so, thatÂ’s exactly what Cadillac has done with the EscaladeÂ’s interior. The tri-screen layout of the EscalaÂ’s concept dash has been translated into a final production design, and it looks spectacular in person.

Cadillac prepares to top its own 'Ring record with upcoming new CTS-V

It was a big deal back in 2008 when the original Cadillac CTS-V clocked a lap time of 7:59 at the Nürburgring, making it the fastest sedan ever to lap the Nordschleife to that date. Not many four-doors have bested that time since - the list consisting pretty much only of the Porsche Panamera Turbo - but now hot hatches are lapping faster than that, so you can bet that the new one will manage an even better time.
Now we've spotted the upcoming new CTS-based performance sedan several times before undergoing testing in locations around the world, but this is the first time we've seen it at the Nürburgring, apparently using the Goodyear Dunlop test facility as its base of operations (and still wearing Michigan manufacturer plates, incidentally). Considering how well the outgoing CTS-V performed and how much further you can bet Cadillac will push the envelop this time around, a new sedan lap record is almost a certainty - and we can only hope for an all-out war between Europe's performance sedan power houses to ensue.

Cadillac CTS Vsport laps the N"urburgring in 8:14.10 [w/video]

You don't have to be German to test your car at the Nürburging. You just have to be serious about beating the Germans on their own home turf. That's why Nissan tests its GT-R at the Nordschleife to challenge the Porsche 911, and why Cadillac - which is no less serious about putting up a fight to German performance sedans - has returned to the 'Ring once again with its latest.
This time it's the turn of the new CTS Vsport, the sportier version of Cadillac's new mid-range sedan that aims to bridge the gap until the arrival of the next CTS-V. So how'd it fare? At the end of what we're sure was an exhaustive test session, the new CTS Vsport clocked a time of 8:14.10.
To put that into context, General Motors points out that the time places the new sedan six seconds ahead of the first-gen CTS-V, whose 400-horsepower V8 engine was actually less potent than the Vsport's new 410hp 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6. That's still a good fifteen seconds slower than the outgoing CTS-V that clocked a 7:59 in 2009 with its 556hp supercharged V8, but only a second behind the E60-generation BMW M5 with its high-revving 500hp V10.