The next-generation Cadillac Escalade is set to spawn an ultra-high-performance version of the SUV—and the Camaro ZL1's engine will reportedly motivate it.
News on the souped-up next-generation Escalade comes from Muscle Cars & Trucks, which cited close sources with information on the program. Per the info, this high-power Escalade was supposed to launch with this generation of the Escalade and work began under former Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen. The website added the hot Escalade program survived GM's internal restructuring, which also reportedly shelved the sixth-generation Camaro Z28.
2021 Cadillac Escalade spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Instead, the program was pushed back to launch with the next-generation Escalade and the sources added it will be a "powerhouse." For those who aren't aware, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1's engine is a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 known as the LT4. In the Camaro ZL1 (and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06), it makes 650 horsepower. Should this engine find its way into the next Escalade, it will be about a 230 hp bump over the most-potent powerplant available today, the 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 that lacks any turbos or supercharger.
2021 Cadillac Escalade spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
GM is in the process of putting the final touches on each of its next-generation full-size body-on-frame SUVs. The Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon will also be redesigned along with the Cadillac Escalade. Aside from this "powerhouse" Escalade, we imagine Cadillac will stuff its exclusive Blackwing twin-turbo V-8 in the SUV, too. The engine is currently tuned for two outputs for the CT6 sedan: 500 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, or a spicier 550 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque.
The new Escalade should debut next year as a 2021 model, but we imagine the supercharged V-8-powered SUV won't show up until a tad later in the vehicle's lifecycle.
