Cadillac Escalade V? Probably not, but Vsport likely

Cadillac is currently working on an Escalade with some derivation of the company’s V performance-badging, Motor Trend‘s Johnny Lieberman has claimed.

Lieberman made the proclamation on Twitter without citing any sources. ” Cadillac Escalade V? Believe it,” Lieberman Tweeted.

It’s hard to nail down just what Lieberman meant by his Escalade V Tweet, but other outlets are speculating Cadillac is working on a high-performance version of its flagship SUV with the same 6.2L supercharged V8 found beneath the hood of the Cadillac CTS-V. That engine would crank up the Escalade’s horsepower rating from 420 to at least 600.

Although we’d love to see a high-performance version of the Escalade capable of taking on the Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG, we’re taking Lieberman’s Tweet with a grain of salt. All of the Cadillac insiders we’ve talked to have flatly shot down the idea of a V-badged SUV. However, those same sources have also indicated that a Vsport-badged utility vehicle could make some sense for Cadillac.

With the ATS-V and CTS-V now firmly entrenched as legitimate high-performance vehicles, Cadillac has no intentions of watering down its V brand. Instead, Cadillac could offer more models like the CTS Vsport, which offers a boost in performance but maintains Cadillac’s more sensible ideals.

An Escalade Vsport certainly could fit that mold. It remains to be seen which engine Cadillac might settle on for the Escalade Vsport, but a higher-output version of the Cadillac’s twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 could fit the bill. A de-tuned version of the LT4 V8 in the CTS-V with around 500-550 horsepower, which would match the Range Rover Supercharged, could also be a consideration.

Some suspension and braking tweaks could be in the works for the Escalade Vsport, but we’re not expecting anything major. After all, the mission of Vsport is to add a dash more performance while still maintaining Cadillac’s signature comfort.

No timeframe has been attached to the Escalade Vsport, but its possible that we could see the peppier SUV sometime next year.

Photos by Mark Elias.