Cadillac considering more engines, Vsport model for Escalade

Tue, 15 Jul 2014

Want to roll in the latest Cadillac Escalade? You can get it with a 6.2-liter V8... or a 6.2-liter V8. Cadillac only offers the one engine option. But that may soon change.

According to the latest from Automotive News, Cadillac is contemplating a couple of new powertrain options for its blingin' big ute. The report suggests a twin-turbo V6 and a V6 turbodiesel could be offered, and that Cadillac could create a Vsport version of the Escalade like it offers on the new CTS sedan.

The more diverse engine offerings would help attract buyers from the new Lincoln Navigator, its prime competitor, which switched from a 5.4-liter V8 this year to a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6. The turbo V6 engines (both gasoline and diesel) would also help Cadillac market the Escalade overseas – particularly in Europe, where higher fuel prices preclude the prospect of driving a big V8 SUV for many buyers. Escalade sales have dropped from 35-40k units in the mid-2000s to around 12,000 the past couple of years.

Just what would power the Vsport model, however, remains a big question mark. In the CTS Vsport, Cadillac exclusively offers a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 with 420 horsepower – a good hundred horses more than the naturally aspirated model. The V8 currently offered in the Escalade already churns out 420 hp, but supercharged versions of GM's small block V8 have been known to produce significantly more.

By Noah Joseph