Following hot on the heels of its bold debut in Los Angeles earlier this year, EPA figures for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade have emerged, and it appears that the news is not good, with the numbers revealing that there has been little to no improvement for the 6.2 liter gasoline fueled base engine especially in freeway mileage.
While figures for the optional 3.0 liter diesel six cylinder were not released as of this writing, the writing is on the wall for V8 equipped Escalades with rear wheel drive, with city figures improving by only 1 mpg at 15, while the freeway figure has tumbled by 3 mpg for a revised total of 20 mpg. In combined driving, the big Caddy is capable of achieving an equally underwhelming 17 mpg rating. Adding all-wheel drive to the equation only enhances the Escalade’s fuel economy woes, with those models recording 14 mpg in the city, 19 mpg on the freeway, and 16 mpg combined. This puts its far behind some of its rivals, with the Lincoln Navigator for example being able to achieve 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway (RWD) and 16/21 on the freeway. While the bulk of large three row SUV buyers typically don’t expect their people hauling beast of burden to achieve Prius-esque figures at the gas pump, the back slide here is notable, and is especially rare for a model that is just coming off an extensive revamp.
We are hoping that there is a plot twist with the diesel engine, but we have to wait until figures for that particular engine to emerge first to see if that is indeed the case. As it is, the diesel is putting green efficiency as its second most important priority, with Cadillac execs claiming that the new engine;s focus in life is to help give buyers that tow large boats and trailers a torque filled alternative to the fore-mentioned gas V8.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.