2026 Cadillac Escalade Platinum Sport 4WD Assessment & Take a look at Drive – I Gotta Have One : Automotive Addicts

There’s nonetheless one thing particular about pulling up in a Cadillac Escalade. It’s simply unmistakable and unapologetic in some ways because it calls for presence and makes a press release. Even as we speak, in a market flooded with outsized luxurious SUVs making an attempt to outdo each other with greater screens, flashier grilles, and more and more absurd worth tags, the Escalade continues to hold a presence that few autos can replicate in such a particular fashion. After spending some high quality time behind the wheel of the 2026 Cadillac Escalade Platinum Sport 4WD, I’ve come away much more satisfied that Cadillac nonetheless has a agency grip on what patrons on this phase truly need. Extra importantly, I believe it nonetheless maintains an edge over the newly redesigned Lincoln Navigator in a number of key areas that matter when you get out on the highway.

A part of that enchantment begins with the styling, particularly within the beautiful Deep Sea Metallic paint colour fitted to my take a look at automobile. It’s a type of colours that adjustments character relying on the lighting, shifting from a wealthy mild blue to a glowing medium blue in shaded situations earlier than exploding with metallic depth beneath direct daylight. Pair that with the contrasting 24-inch wheels and the Escalade Platinum Sport finally ends up trying precisely how a six-figure luxurious SUV ought to look: daring, costly, and unapologetically commanding. If I have been personally configuring a brand new Escalade as we speak, this is able to completely be the spec – and I believe when I’m able to, I’ll do such at my native Cadillac dealership as a result of that is my favourite giant SUV that I might see proudly owning for a few years. The Deep Sea Metallic exterior mixed with the darkish trim components and big wheels strikes the right steadiness between sophistication and perspective with out going overboard.

Cadillac additionally deserves credit score for not overcomplicating the Escalade’s exterior refresh from the 2025 mannequin 12 months. The updates launched lately nonetheless really feel tasteful and trendy with out abandoning the identification that has made the Escalade such an icon over time. The redesigned lighting signatures, revised entrance fascia, and cleaner detailing all work collectively to raise the Escalade visually with out making it look overly futuristic or disconnected from its roots. It nonetheless appears imposing, which is precisely what many luxurious SUV patrons need on this phase, however there’s now an added layer of plushness and tech that retains it aggressive towards rivals within the coveted phase.

Below the massive aluminum hood stays Cadillac’s confirmed 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 pushing out 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque by way of a refined 10-speed automated transmission. Fortunately, Cadillac continues to withstand downsizing the Escalade’s powertrain, as a result of the V8 nonetheless matches the persona of this SUV completely and offers patrons precisely what they anticipate. There’s clean, easy energy on demand, and although the Escalade stays a large body-on-frame beast, it infrequently feels overwhelmed by its sheer measurement. Acceleration is surprisingly assured, freeway passing is easy, and the V8 soundtrack nonetheless carries a satisfying tone that feels appropriately upscale with out making an attempt too exhausting. Zero to 60 mph ticks off in 6.5 seconds.

What continues to impress me most, nonetheless, is the journey high quality. That is the place I consider Cadillac nonetheless has the higher hand over the brand new Navigator. The mixture of the adaptive air suspension and Cadillac’s Magnetic Trip Management dampers creates a stage of composure that merely makes the Escalade really feel extra buttoned down and splendid on the highway. Giant bumps, uneven pavement, and enlargement joints are dealt with with a stage of calmness that just about masks the actual fact you’re driving one thing this massive. Physique motions keep managed, steering stays predictable, and there’s little or no undesirable drama even throughout fast transitions or rougher highway surfaces. Cadillac’s suspension tuning has turn out to be exceptionally refined over time, and it exhibits right here greater than ever.

The Escalade additionally continues to shine as a long-distance cruiser. The cabin stays impressively quiet at freeway speeds, and there’s a stage of isolation from the surface world that feels acceptable for one thing carrying a six-figure price ticket. Even with the bigger 24-inch wheels, highway noise stays subdued, and the suspension by no means feels overly harsh or jiggly like older generations of the Escalade or competing giant body-on-frame SUVs. That sense of consolation is supported by the respectable entrance seats with heating, air flow, and again massaging, together with a superb driving place, and Cadillac’s continued concentrate on as we speak’s know-how. Options like the ability opening and shutting doorways nonetheless really feel like a novelty each time you utilize them, however additionally they reinforce how a lot Cadillac is leaning into excessive luxurious discipline.

Inside, the Escalade continues to ship the kind of cabin expertise patrons anticipate when spending effectively into six-figure territory. The large 55-inch curved show setup nonetheless steals the present, however not like many flashy tech interfaces lately, Cadillac has managed to make it useful and principally intuitive. The location of data throughout the display feels pure, and I proceed to understand the redundancy of bodily controls by way of the middle console controller and decrease touchscreen interface. Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto fortunately stay intact for the gas-powered Escalade when GM has determined to tear it from their electrified fleet. Options like Tremendous Cruise hands-free driving know-how proceed to be among the many greatest programs presently out there in my opinion. The out there augmented actuality navigation overlays and blind spot digicam shows additional elevate the expertise with out feeling gimmicky.

Consolation all through the cabin stays glorious, particularly within the Platinum Sport trim the place high-end supplies cowl practically each floor that issues. The second-row captain’s chairs nonetheless present beneficiant consolation even with out the non-compulsory government seating bundle, whereas the third row stays genuinely usable for adults, which can’t all the time be stated for rivals. There are nonetheless a couple of decrease trim areas that remind you that is in the end a body-on-frame GM SUV beneath, however total craftsmanship and presentation proceed to maneuver noticeably upscale with every refresh cycle.

Gas economic system, nonetheless, stays considerably of a letdown, particularly at a time when seeing fuel costs method or exceed $4 per gallon has turn out to be widespread in lots of areas and simply over $5 a gallon for premium gas. The Escalade continues to be EPA rated at 14 mpg metropolis, 18 mpg freeway, and 16 mpg mixed, figures that I discovered lifelike in real-world driving and even barely surpassable throughout relaxed freeway cruising. Nonetheless, the requirement for premium gas actually provides to the possession equation. When you can technically run decrease octane gas, the Escalade performs greatest on premium and you’ve got a better time matching or typically surpassing the EPA gas economic system estimates. Fortunately, the 24-gallon gas tank helps offset a number of the ache with a decent freeway cruising vary of round 430 miles.

With pricing beginning round $91,100 for the lineup and climbing north of $123,000 for a Platinum Sport earlier than choices, the Escalade actually just isn’t low-cost. My take a look at automobile with simply a few choices that embody the 24-inch wheels got here to $128,820. Once more, I’m strolling away impressed by how effectively Cadillac has advanced its flagship SUV with out shedding what made it fascinating within the first place. It stays snug, unapologetically luxurious, exceptionally succesful on the highway, and maybe most significantly, nonetheless feels particular each single time you climb behind the wheel and roll down the road onlookers admiring your journey.

Malcolm Hogan is the founder and editor of Automotive Addicts, a trusted voice within the automotive media world for over 20 years. With 20+ years of hands-on expertise masking the trade, Malcolm has constructed a status for delivering trustworthy evaluations, sharp insights, and in-depth protection of every little thing from new automobile debuts to high-performance take a look at drives. Passionate concerning the evolving automobile tradition and staying forward of the curve, Malcolm continues to guide Automotive Addicts as a go-to vacation spot for fanatics and trade insiders alike.