2025 Cadillac Escalade V Review // Total Domination [Throttle House]
Posted by KeyboardGunner@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 115 comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJPnWt_5sMY
Thomas and James are back with another great review. This time reviewing the completely absurd Escalade V. This is one of the best sounding SUVs I've ever heard.
caterham09@reddit
I do wish they'd touched on the fuel economy a bit more. I know someone buying a $160,000 super SUV doesn't really care about fuel economy, but this thing is so bad it has to sting at least a little bit for even it's rich owners.
In most people's testing this car averages 11-12mpg and requires premium fuel. Over the average person's 12,000 miles a year that's somewhere between 1000 and 1100 gallons of 91 octane a year! At $4 a gallon that's 4 grand a year. Insane stuff honestly
Nitrothacat@reddit
Lots of people making significantly less driving pickups with a 2 inch lift and 34s or 35s that get similar economy.
Too bad this can’t run on E85. I run it in my F150 and it comes out being cheaper than regular despite the worse mpg while making more power than 93.
Confident-Fall-7073@reddit
You run flex in your 5.0? I haven’t tried it but I’m getting about 12 now with 87 and 35” tires.
Nitrothacat@reddit
Yea. I average 15.5 with it on E. Get about 20 on 93. $2.30 vs 3.90 a gallon. It feels noticeably less powerful on 87.
Sun_Aria@reddit
I witnessed the great irony of 2024. Dudes in surrounding suburbs driving lifted trucks and complaining about fuel prices.
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sonofsochi@reddit
I mean the monthly payment on this would be near 3 grand a month if you finance with $10k down @ 6% apr. I dont think an extra $300 a month is making that owner sweat lol
Trader0721@reddit
I really hope someone buying this car is not just putting $10k down but it appears most dealerships can’t keep them on the lot for more than a couple days…either there are very few being made or there are a lot of folks willing to pay $180k after TTL and dealer markup for a vehicle
caterham09@reddit
Yeah I mean I agree, it's just crazy and something worth noting on a car like this.
I will say though that 10k would be a tiny down payment on a car this expensive haha.
Automatic-End-8256@reddit
Its their business vehicle and the gas is a tax right off a lot of times
Drzhivago138@reddit
"Right off [sic]" doesn't mean "free".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAjxn2US7J8
fatitalianstallion@reddit
S179 isn’t as beneficial for SUVs. It’s why trx and raptor r still sold with massive markups. 100% accelerated depreciation in 22 and 80% in 23 was insane.
I know better than to cheat on taxes, but many colleagues did those trucks. Hell, the $20k markup on the R is fine when Uncle Sam is handing $40k right back in tax savings.
sc0lm00@reddit
Probably comparable to a Durango Hellcat or Jeep 392.
fatitalianstallion@reddit
Those do pretty well honestly, more trx/raptor r mpg. Before the switch to e85 I was seeing 7-9mpg average depending on season. Winter gas tanks mpg in these.
fatitalianstallion@reddit
I commuted in my trx for about a month after our recent move, going from 4 miles/day to 100. Being on e85 I was seeing 5.5mpg with 75% highway miles. It was burning over 400 gallons/mo. It was around $2.80/gallon at the time. Almost $1200/mo in fuel. Ended up cheaper to buy a scat pack widebody to commute in. I also now only see a gas station every 3 days instead of daily.
watduhdamhell@reddit
I might be biased, but the Escalade V was always a TOUGH sale when the faster, sportier, albeit smaller X7 m60i exists. And it's $50k cheaper. An it gets 50% better fuel economy on average. And I think the Alpina model, which is even faster, is cheaper also by a few k.
So unless you absolutely need the largest suv and wanna go fast, the X7 is superior in every way so why buy this at all?
Runfor5@reddit
The regular 6.2 historically gets between 12-17mpg (city-highway). We get 12-13mpg running around town on 91/93 octane, which is OEM “recommended” otherwise computer reduces timing slightly. All said - I’d take 250+ more horsepower for only a ~4mpg hit!
GimmeChickenBlasters@reddit
What do you mean by regular? The NA LT1 or supercharged LT4 that's in this one? I had a 6th gen Camaro SS 1LE with the "regular" NA 6.2L I could easily get mid 20's MPG. I bought a ZL1 later with the (mostly) same LT4 as this Escalade and get mid teens fuel economy.
bestselfnice@reddit
I had the same car, it isn't a 6000 lb brick on wheels. C'mon man.
GimmeChickenBlasters@reddit
That's 100% because it has a 7th overdrive gear for the highway. In 6th it gets worse fuel economy than the heavier Camaro.
bestselfnice@reddit
Source?
turboZcamaro@reddit
He's saying the regular 6.2L Escalade makes 12-17MPG. Not really sure what your Camaro has to do with it?
GimmeChickenBlasters@reddit
Why, are you unable to read? I said it's the same engine.
turboZcamaro@reddit
Because the engine is pretty irrelevant to gas mileage when one weighs 3700lbs and is decently low drag aerodynamically, and the other is 6500+lbs and is a brick aerodynamically, so I didn't understand what your Camaro's gas mileage had to do with the Escalade's gas mileage...
Runfor5@reddit
Yes haha
GimmeChickenBlasters@reddit
Haha no. It's the same engine
JoeTavarez@reddit
Hmm a Camaro weighs about 3500lbs and the Escalade about 6500lbs, so 3000 extra pounds. Explain again?
GimmeChickenBlasters@reddit
Hmm, it's the same engine. Are you dense?
GimmeChickenBlasters@reddit
It supposedly gets 11 mpg City and 16 highway. My first car after college when I was riddled with debt was a POS catfish Camaro. The only money I spent on "improving" it was an HCI build that only made 415whp. I was lucky to get 10mpg and I made it work earning less than 1/3 of what this car cost lol. At least LS1's are reliable even when slightly modified, because I put about 40k miles on it with that build and wasted a shitload of gas.
VladimirSteel@reddit
It's the same as the TRX and they are everywhere around me. I don't care all that much about fuel economy, and it still scares me away every time I think I might want one
tugtugtugtug4@reddit
If a few hundred dollars a month extra on gas is enough to sting even a little bit, you have no business owning one of these, much less calling yourself rich.
Mytre-@reddit
I mean, but isnt the case that most luxury vehicles suck at mpg's outside of EV's ? For example you can find elantra, sonata, civic, corolla etc with nice mpgs (30's for gas, 40 to 50 for hybrids). but the moment you jump to their luxury counterparts they lose almost half of the MPG.
Wish a luxury or luxury like hybrid existed that had same or better mpg compared to their counterparts (in example genesis hybrids vs hyundai hybrids, or acura vs honda etc). Luxury vehicles tend to care little if nothing at all about efficiency.
motoguy@reddit
honestly it's only a couple mpg less than a ZL1 with the same engine, and it's far heavier. it's not that bad for the amount of power and weight of the V.
TheReaperSovereign@reddit
US average mileage is actually 14-15k these days according to the FHA
Lawineer@reddit
Its competitors aren’t much better.
k_dubious@reddit
Let’s be honest, that’s probably <1% of the annual income of someone who can afford to buy one of these new.
ag2f@reddit
I'm pretty sure anyone buying this is already expecting to visit the gas station very often and leaving with a huge bill.
amandatoryy@reddit
I was getting 9-10 for the week I had it. It was like $120 to fill it up and I almost had to do it twice in seven days lol
Few-Library7608@reddit
Thank you for the review. I plan on buying this to replace my current Escalade and this review only reinforced I am making the right decision
bestselfnice@reddit
Bot
Few-Library7608@reddit
As a human, I don’t know whether to be insulted or take it as a compliment.
Trader0721@reddit
That’s exactly something what a bot would say
hiro111@reddit
My wife sells Cadillacs. They easily sell every Escalade they get. The waiting lists for Vs is several months long.
One thing that wasn't made completely clear in this video: this is the rarer ESV model, which is the extended wheelbase version. The ESV is A LOT bigger than a standard Escalade.
AndroidUser37@reddit
It's just the fancy version of Tahoe vs Suburban, right? In which case the car is essentially the same, but has a bit of extra length behind the third row. I've driven both Tahoe and Suburban, and the difference isn't huge.
hiro111@reddit
For reference, the ESV is about thirteen inches longer than the regular Escalade. The ESV's cargo area is about 20% larger and both the second and third row have more room.
SpiritualMud2604@reddit
Also has a much larger gas tank on the ESV. Well worth it.
fatitalianstallion@reddit
~15” longer. Really not that much based on total size.
AmericanExcellence@reddit
it is really the culmination of the entirety of american automotive history. nice that they realize how ridiculous it is, and still unreservedly praise it as a truly excellent vehicle.
snweasel@reddit
I just wonder what's next, school busses transformed into 'SUV' ? This SUV crazy and make it more and more bigger it's just ridiculous.
Recently, my friend was hit by a car when he was crossing legally, his luck was that it was a sedan, took him on the hood and then fell on the concrete. I don't know how he manages to escape just with a few days of medical care. If he were to be hit by this stupid big Escalade, he would have been much, much worse.
fatitalianstallion@reddit
SUVs and pickups have been the same dimensions for decades as dimensions are mandated by regulations. Changes are superior suspension, increased safety for occupants, nicer interiors, more electrical gremlins, better handling, and more power.
ls7eveen@reddit
Quit spouting this nonsense
bingojed@reddit
And then they are immediate jacked up and larger wheels and tires installed. And 40,000 lumen headlights.
gumol@reddit
Luckily the USA is a free country with pedestrian safety regulations! (and no, the pop-up headlights are not banned)
It's a free market system, just choose what car would you like to get hit by!
arup02@reddit
Except if said car comes from China
aprtur@reddit
Or if it's a truck - hello chicken tax.
tugtugtugtug4@reddit
A lot of the more serious injuries from getting hit by cars are caused by your head and neck getting whipped onto the hood and windshield, and by damage to your legs because the impact point is at knee level.
The mass of a car really has no bearing on how bad a pedestrian crash is because any car has an enormous amount of momentum compared to a human. The only thing that matters is speed of the car and the geometry of the crash. A big brick of an SUV is arguably better for getting hit because it spreads the impact over more of your body and doesn't toss you up on the hood where you suffer multiple head impacts.
This is all sort of academic because getting hit by a car will fuck you up period, and there are lots of practical reasons why monster SUVs are more dangerous to pedestrians (namely stopping distances and sight lines/blind spots), but as far as the impact itself a monster SUV could potentially be less dangerous.
fireexe10@reddit
So your head hitting the concrete while you get rolled over sounds more appealing to you?
snweasel@reddit
You cannot be serious with your comment, this is literally from IIHS website and there are dozen other articles with the same conclusion.
''In general, vehicles taller than 35 inches were more dangerous to pedestrians than the shorter ones, mainly because they tended to cause more severe head injuries. Among vehicles taller than 35 inches, those with vertical front ends were more dangerous than those with sloped front ends. Torso and hip injuries from these vehicles were more frequent and severe.''
Why people always try to twist this around when the evidence is so clear ?
I don't know about you but i would rather have my ligaments broken in my knee rather than a broken hip.
Of course, if you are hit at 100 it doesn't matter what hits you.
FYI, my friend had the first hit at knee height and then slammed to the hood, which had that protective thing, hood raised at impact and attenuates a lot from the impact.
Drone30389@reddit
Remember these?
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
Chevy Suburban has been used as school bus since 50’s, it isn’t new idea.
wilco-roger@reddit
I mean, yeah most people do NOT need a car this big. BUT I have a friend with three boys who are growing FAST and they do a TON of camping and I could see this being an awesome car for the family.
Tons of room tons of miles in comfort.
They’re basically either gonna get a large sprinter that’s converted or something like an Escalade or a suburban.
Dulokfnw@reddit
I agree with everything.
DookieMcDookface@reddit
Man I wish I had fuck you money.
Mimical@reddit
This is like "I hate gas so much I'm going to burn it all" levels of money.
Anon-a-mess@reddit
The only person I know who owns this also owns a gas station. I think they’re uniquely qualified to own this vehicle in a way many people would not be.
fatitalianstallion@reddit
Vehicles on 93 really tend to be fine if you’re going highway mileage. Even the trx, the worst actually rated mpg vehicle sold in the last decade squeaked out high 13s highway.
What killed me was moving to e85. I’m now sitting at sub 180 mile tanks, about 5.5mpg in 75% highway driving. Low fuel indicator hits at just under 1/3 tank.
It wasn’t so bad when I had a 4 mile daily commute. Now with a ~100 mile commute after our recent move I’d be at over 400 gallons/mo if used as a commuter. I wholly regret mods. 702hp was enough and it was usable as a daily. Gas savings on my spwb make it “free”, which is insane.
Novacek_Yourself@reddit
My grandfather owned a gas station in the 80s and he had a gas pump with a dedicated tank installed in his home driveway. Was so awesome.
ardoin@reddit
Did he have an underground tank installed like gas stations do? If so, how did he fill it - did he have the same type of distributor just show up to his driveway tank to fill it?
Novacek_Yourself@reddit
He did have an underground tank and it was vented but I don't recall how it was filled our anything - I was just a kid.
iPoopAtChu@reddit
Meh, gas stations have absurdly low margins on gas. He's basically paying the same rate we do.
andrea55TP@reddit
Vistiq will never not be funny lol
thumper_throwaway1@reddit
Ok I'm dense. What's the joke? They kept laughing about it and I have never felt more out of the loop.
andrea55TP@reddit
"Vistiq" sounds a lot like "this dick". Hence the "Vistiq is coming", "it's not longer than Vistiq" jokes
spiketeam@reddit
How does the Escalade v sound better than the ct5 v blackwing with the same engine?
ItsMeTrey@reddit
I mean, the exhaust system is going to be entirely different even just in the fact that it is longer, which generally deepens and softens the sound.
Semyonov@reddit
I think the address in the video that the V on the Escalade it's actually different than the Blackwing V in some way?
Juicyjackson@reddit
I would never own one, but it is just so ridiculous that I kind of like it.
Its for those people that want a huge SUV but want to look different from all the other Urus owners.
bestselfnice@reddit
Yeah, I love anything that is unapologetically and uncompromisingly what it is. Like, I'm a sports car guy but the Prius and Insight are legendary to me. RAV4 Prime. Stripper Maverick. All amazing.
fissionmoment@reddit
If i had crazy amounts of money this and the Hellcat Durango are pretty high on the list of things i would buy. Both are so absurd
_galaga_@reddit
Why not flesh out the fleet with a Wrangler 392 for offroading?
fissionmoment@reddit
A multi vehicle garage where the average MPG is 10 is the actual American dream.
michaeldeng18@reddit
Don't forget to add a lightly used RAM TRX to the stable
bestselfnice@reddit
Hummer EV to show you're environmentally minded
herefortime@reddit
Impracticality at its finest. You gotta love it
rks1743@reddit
My brother got one but he's a d-bag. I'm still a little jealous though. He also has a Turbo S and GTR T-spec that he let's his daughter drive.
rks1743@reddit
My brother got one but he's a d-bag. I'm still a little jealous though. He also has a Turbo S and GTR T-spec that he let's his daughter drive.
WineMakerWanaBe@reddit
Total Domination of what? Whole foods parking lot?
lat3ralus65@reddit
Forget Whole Foods. Think of how many children you could flatten with this thing at school pick-up.
skottay@reddit
I wish it had gotten a power boost. 4.5 0-60 seems way too slow for $160k.
handymanshandle@reddit
Yeah, I don’t disagree here. Every other big performance SUV moves similarly or faster with considerably less power, and the one performance SUV that does make noticeably more power (the Durango Hellcat) is quite a lot faster than this, although it’s not nearly as nice or as large as the Escalade V. I like the concept of these, but at over $150k, it’s a tough sell unless you absolutely need the supercharged V8 and the space to go with it.
teeteetah@reddit
4.4 0-60 seems way too slow for $71k when you can get 2.9 0-60 for $55k.
What I'm saying is there are many other metrics besides 0-60 in valuing a car. Or maybe I am a salty 86 owner haha
skottay@reddit
What 2.9s 0-60 V8 SUV is there for $55k? I don’t think there is one. If it’s not in the same class it really isn’t comparable.
teeteetah@reddit
I see what you're saying. My point is speed isn't the only metric to judge value, but for you I think it is.
In the class of V8 SUVs there are other aspects people look for (size and luxury for example), but for you 0-60 is king. Too bad you still get dusted by model 3s, but so do I 💀
skottay@reddit
Power is literally their biggest selling point when marketing it and it just isn’t powerful enough. It’s not a debate, it is genuinely slow for its price point. For comparison:
Escalade V - $153k - 4.5s, 210”
X7 M60i - $110k - 4.2s, 203” Audi RS Q8 - $130k - 3.7s, 197” Wagoneer L - $110k - 4.7s - 223” Lincoln Navigator - $102k - 5.3s - 210”
It just doesn’t stack up considering its MSRP.
teeteetah@reddit
Can't disagree, I can see 0-60 being an important point in this class. Thanks for laying out the comparison info.
Edgelordftwlol@reddit
It’s a moving villa on wheels. I think it is fast enough tbh
skottay@reddit
It really isn’t quick at all for its price point. Especially considering how heavy-handed they are with its performance when marketing it.
Intelligent-Image224@reddit
You’re absolutely correct, the grand wagoneer L does it in 4.6 and makes due with 510hp and weighs about the same.
Intelligent-Image224@reddit
The worst part about the escalade V ESV is that you can pick up a lightly used series III grand wagoneer L for like $60k and it will be just as nice and just as fast to 60mph. Or you could buy it new and save yourself $70k.
I don’t think many people are aware that the esv-V does 0-60 in 4.5 and the wagoneer L does it in 4.6. The wagoneer is slightly heavier too. That HO hurricane motor is crazy.
kuri-kuma@reddit
People aren’t buying this for the 0-60 times. They buy it for the symbol and status of owning an Escalade. The Escalade has been the rich person’s SUV for like 20 years in America. And having the highest trim, craziest version of the ultimate SUV just adds to the status.
Semyonov@reddit
Exactly, and I would also argue that Jeep is definitely trying to push themselves into a higher class bracket that they quite frankly don't deserve to be in. Nobody looks at a Jeep and thinks it should cost as much as it does.
Semyonov@reddit
I see your point, but I raise you that the Grand wagoneer is ugly as sin
fair23@reddit
Didn’t they review one like two years ago?
Jamesthrottlehouse@reddit
We did yep! This is a facelift year
jackyboy491@reddit
you guys did amazing but didn't mention the delayed executive package which brings in rear folding tables / armrest & massaging seats :)
Juicyjackson@reddit
Yes, but the 2025 model received a pretty major refresh with the new crazy interior.
Majestic_Echo8633@reddit
A fool and their money …
… explains a lot.
orhantemerrut@reddit
Between 3:00 and 4:400 mark, I thing there were 30-40 cuts. Normally your editing is top notch, but you overdid it there. It was distracting.
oumakavoula@reddit
I need one in europe so fucking bad
Lawineer@reddit
I just WISH they made an SUV in a 2 row size with the lt4. Like a gle63 or a trackhawk.
Unfortunately, for those who live in cities or don’t have use for such a big suv, that leaves us with the euro sport SUVs, which are effectively nothing but money pits that lost 75% of their value by 45k miles or a $100k jeep.
10footjesus@reddit
I got cut off by a brand new one of these this morning in the rain (in my state temporary plates show the year). He was mad someone cut him off, so he cut me off to speed around him. It seemed very on-brand for the car.
amandatoryy@reddit
I got to review the 2024 Escalade V and it remains one of my favorite cars of the whole year. I got like 8 MPG but it was so much fun lol
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AmericanExcellence@reddit
iit is really the culmination of the entirety of american automotive history. nice that they realize how ridiculous it is, and still unreservedly praise it as a truly excellent vehicle.