2026 Cadillac Escalade

Following a refresh last year, the 2026 Cadillac Escalade arrives with minimal changes, including updated trim names and a new exterior paint color called Vibrant White Tricoat. The Escalade is a boldly styled full-size SUV that blends a luxurious, spacious cabin with impressive cargo-carrying capability. Not only is the Escalade Cadillac's bestselling vehicle, but it's also the bestselling full-size luxury SUV in the United States.

Pros

Standard Super Cruise hands-free driving system
Strong V8 engine performance

Cons

Not very fuel efficient, especially with the supercharged engine
High cost of entry, and prices rise quickly

2026 Cadillac Escalade Platinum Sport interior in Sheer Gray, showing the dashboard, center console, and front seats. Cadillac

2026 Cadillac Escalade Trim Levels

The Escalade is a full-size body-on-frame SUV available in standard and extended-length (ESV) configurations. This article is about the standard-length versions, offered by Cadillac in six trim levels: 1SA, Luxury, Sport, Platinum Luxury, Platinum Sport, and V.

Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is standard on most Escalades, with four-wheel drive (4WD) available as an upgrade. The exception is the Escalade V, which comes standard with all-wheel drive (AWD). A 6.2-liter V8 with 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque is standard, while the high-performance Escalade V gets a supercharged V8 delivering 682 horsepower and 653 lb-ft of torque. Every model has a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The highlights of each trim level's standard features are as follows:

The 1SA may be the entry trim to the Escalade, but it still comes well equipped, with 22-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, black assist steps, adaptive headlights, and an automatic power liftgate. Inside the cabin are heated front seats, a 55.0-inch curved display screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, an AKG 21-speaker audio system, Cadillac's Inteluxe synthetic-leather seat trim, and second-row bucket seats.

Luxury

The Luxury upgrades the 1SA with 22-inch nine-spoke alloy wheels with a polished finish, power-retractable assist steps with LED perimeter lighting, magnetic ride control, and an integrated trail-brake controller. Inside, this trim features a panoramic power sunroof, leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, and a head-up display.

Sport

Although its features are similar to the Luxury trim, the Sport trim has a different look, offering 22-inch six-spoke alloy wheels with a Dark Android finish, gloss-black exterior trim, and a black mesh grille.

Platinum Luxury

The Platinum Luxury builds on the Luxury trim, featuring 22-inch split seven-spoke alloy wheels, an adaptive air suspension, puddle lamps with the Cadillac crest, chrome exterior trim, and soft-close doors. The cabin offers massaging front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an AKG Studio Reference 38-speaker audio system, active noise cancellation, night vision, and a rear-seat entertainment system.

Platinum Sport

The Platinum Sport and Platinum Luxury essentially feature the same equipment, but the Platinum Sport has visual differences, offering 22-inch 18-spoke alloy wheels with After Midnight finish, gloss-black exterior trim, and the same grille found on the Sport.

The most luxurious and highest-performance variant in the Escalade lineup, the V features 24-inch split six-spoke alloy wheels, six-piston front Brembo brakes, a trim-specific leather-wrapped steering wheel, and sport pedals. The V also gets the supercharged V8 engine and all-wheel drive.

Rear-quarter view, 2026 Cadillac Escalade V in Radiant Red, parked at a contemporary-style home. Cadillac

2026 Cadillac Escalade Cargo Capacity and Towing

The standard-length Cadillac Escalade features 25.5 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the third-row seat, expanding to 72.9 cu-ft after you fold the third row down. Put all of the rear seats down, and you get up to 120.5 cu-ft of space.

The Escalade can tow up to 8,100 pounds, and all trim levels come ready to tow with a trailer hitch, wiring harness, and a hitch guidance view for the rearview camera.

2026 Cadillac Escalade Fuel Economy

With V8 power and a hefty curb weight, the Escalade doesn't count fuel economy among its strengths. According to the EPA, this Cadillac gets an estimated 17 mpg in combined city and highway driving with RWD and 16 mpg combined with 4WD. Opting for the supercharged Escalade V results in an estimated 13 mpg combined.

2026 Cadillac Escalade Platinum Sport interior showing all three rows of seats and the panoramic sunroof. Cadillac

2016 Cadillac Escalade Safety Ratings and Features

The 2026 Cadillac Escalade earned a five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the highest possible. While the big SUV received five-star scores in frontal- and side-impact crash tests, it earned three stars in the rollover-resistance test. As of publication, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had posted no crashworthiness ratings for the 2026 Escalade.

Cadillac equips all Escalades with an extensive list of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Features include adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning with pedestrian and bicyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic braking, a surround-view camera, and Super Cruise, which is Cadillac's advanced hands-free driving system.

While almost every safety feature is standard, Cadillac also offers an optional night vision camera and a rearview camera washer.

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Perry Stern

As a small child, Perry was constantly playing with toy cars and trucks, and that enthusiasm for anything motorized with wheels never faded. After college, he moved to Seattle and began his long automotive career working in an automotive consulting firm, helping customers choose the right vehicle for their needs. In the late 1990s, Perry joined Microsoft to work on CarPoint, part of the new Microsoft Network (MSN). He went on to become editor of the site, remaining on staff for 20 years before venturing out on his own. Today, in addition to his work on Capital One Auto Navigator, he still contributes to MSN, as well as J.D. Power, TrueCar.com, and U.S. News & World Report. Perry lives in the small town of Dexter, Michigan, with his wife and dog, and he still smiles when he sees his 2006 Mazda Miata in the garage.