2021 Cadillac Escalade Takes on Mercedes GLS in Battle for SUV Supremacy
Big luxury SUV buyers want to make a statement, and in this case, the 2021 Cadillac Escalade is the reigning champ.
The 2021 Cadillac Escalade is a completely new and rather enticing entry into the luxury full-size SUV market, offering up supreme comfort and the latest tech in a rather attractive package. But this segment is pretty loaded these days, which wasn’t necessarily the case in the Escalade’s early days. Thus, Throttle House recently decided to pit Cadillac’s latest luxury yacht against another top competitor in the segment – the Mercedes-Benz GLS – in a battle for $100k+ SUV supremacy.
Throttle House has spent considerable time with the 2021 Cadillac Escalade lately, and has had few bad things to say about it. On the other side, however, it faces a rather imposing foe. The GLS in this test is the 580, which means that it’s packing a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 483 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, plus an extra 21 horsepower and 184 pound-feet available in the form of EQ Boost.
That’s good enough to propel the GLS 580 from 0-60 in just 5.3 seconds, which is quicker than the Escalade’s 6.0 seconds. But of course, this segment isn’t just about speed – in fact, that’s a pretty minor consideration for Escalade and GLS buyers.
Ride quality is more important, yet neither of these rides blows TH away in that regard. They note that you can feel the sharper bumps in the Escalade, but the GLS is worse. “When you hit a harsh bump it kind of sends a shock wave through the whole SUV. It’s just not an S-Class. This is not quite as refined.”
In terms of styling, TH also notes that the GLS looks “like a bigger GLE,” which isn’t a good thing. No one wants their six-figure SUV to look like the entry-level model, of course. They call it the “Russian doll syndrome,” as all of these M-B SUVs sort of look the same. And while the Escalade isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel either, they admit that they like the look, and feel like the Cadillac wins the “road presence” battle handily.
The same goes for the interiors of these big vehicles, as the GLS also features GLE-like styling on the inside, but TH does note that it is “one of the most beautiful interiors on sale.” However, the Escalade has much more legroom and headroom in every row, a gorgeous dash and dual screens that are easy to navigate, and it has a higher grade leather to boot.
In the end, TH finds that the 2021 Cadillac Escalade “has the power to draw in those around you,” while the GLS is smoother and more refined, albeit a little bit boring and cookie-cutter. And that sense of occasion is what will ultimately attract buyers to the new Escalade, as has been the case in the model’s entire history thus far.
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