2002 Cadillac Escalade

These days, automotive manufacturers look at SUVs the same way that prospectors looked at Sutter Creek in 1849: There's gold in them thar vehicles. No longer simply pickup trucks with enclosed cargo areas and extra seats, SUVs have replaced sports cars in some households. In others, these vehicles now occupy garage space next to expensive foreign jobs.


Recently, GM figured out what Lexus and other manufacturers have known for a few years: Just as they will come to the field of dreams once it's built, many people will pay premium prices for upscale SUVs. Following this line of thinking, Cadillac introduced Escalade, its first SUV, for the 1999 model year. That vehicle was basically a GMC Yukon with Caddy wreaths and crests, but it satisfied dealer demand for an SUV in the Cadillac portfolio.

Compared to other versions of GM's Vortec 6000 V-8, the Escalade's has larger head ports, 10.0:1 compression and a bigger throttle body.

Now in its second generation, the Escalade finally has its own personality. Although it shares a platform and many parts with the Yukon Denali and (to a lesser extent) Chevy Tahoe, Escalade now goes above and beyond its sister ships' offerings. In other words, it gets the cream of the assembly-line crop.


Underhood, Escalade really separates itself from the rest of the land-yacht pack. Premium power is supplied by GM's Vortec 6000 6.0-liter Generation III small-block V-8. In the same family as the LS1 in the Camaro/Firebird and Corvette, the Escalade's incarnation of this V-8 has a larger throttle body, a hairier cam, and 10:1-compression compared to the version found in other GM trucks and SUVs. The sum of these parts is 345 horsepower, making the Escalade (as the commercials remind us) the most powerful SUV on the planet. (A 5.3L V-8 is standard on 2WD Escalades.)

Optional all-wheel drive uses a viscous-coupling center differential. Under normal tractive conditions, torque split is 38/62 front/rear.

The 6.0L mill is mated to a juiced-up version of the GM 1/2-ton automatic, dubbed the 4L60-E HD. It's strengthened with hardened shafts and more clutch plates to handle the Escalade's engine output and also to hold up at the vehicle's 8,500-pound towing capacity. Moving down the powertrain, an all-wheel-drive system is available. It uses a viscous-coupling center differential that's biased for 38/62 front/rear torque split. Wheel slippage makes the silicone fluid heat up, which permits clutch discs to move and send more torque to the end that has the most traction. Torque transfer is smooth and imperceptible to the average driver. Standard 3.73 axle gears provide a good compromise between highway fuel mileage and usable "tow-end" torque. Also, axle shafts are now stronger than the previous generation's.