Cadillac vs Mercedes-Benz: A $100,000 Utility Luxury SUV Smackdown
Folks at Throttle House pitted the Escalade against one of the most potent rivals that it will encounter out on the open road, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS.
The Cadillac Escalade is out to take names and secure a solid victory for GM in the ultra-luxury SUV ranks. Debuting a revamped exterior design and an interior that promises to be a truly world-class offering, the updated Escalade appears to have the necessary tools to get the job done. But can the Escalade indeed deliver the goods against some of Germany’s best?
To find out, the folks at Throttle House pitted the Escalade against one of the most potent rivals that it will encounter out on the open road, the 2020n Mercedes-Benz GLS. The GLS is advertised by Mercedes-Benz to be the “S-Class of SUVs” and in theory, it appears to have a tremendous advantage over the Escalade.
However, it turns out that the Escalade is indeed capable of pulling an upset, and it actually managed to outshine the pricier Benz in Throttle House’s testing. It all starts with the exterior styling and the Escalade managed to deliver a strong showing. While the Cadillac has more of a brutish look to it, it manages to be a far more distinct package with the curvier Benz not having the same levels of attention-grabbing potential.
This trend continues into the interior with the GLS not quite delivering the S-Class levels of polish that is initially advertised by the company. Throttle House elaborates on this with the materials and some of the styling details that are present in the GLS In contrast, the Cadillac’s cabin actually managed to impress Throttle House with a number of subtle details. That includes the OLED screens on the Escalade’s dashboard, as well as the basic design of the cabin which is perhaps the best representation of Cadillac interior design ever seen. This particular category is actually a very surprising win for the Escalade, especially since Cadillac was never known for knocking it out of the park consistently when it came to interior quality and design.
But the true scale of the Escalade’s win over the GLS comes in performance hardware, with the big Caddy earning high marks for its engine and suspension. While the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 might not seem very sophisticated when viewed against the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 in the GLS, 420 horsepower is nothing to sneeze at, and Throttle House loved the ample amounts of low-end torque that are available with this particular engine. The GLS was let down by its elaborate air suspension system which delivered excess pitching and wallowing when it was tasked with driving around town. This caused it to not be a good match for the more powerful 4.0 liter and was a sore spot for the Throttle House team.
Performances like these are a solid reason why the 2021 Cadillac Escalade is re-emerging as a legitimate threat in the luxury SUV ranks. With the broader segment embracing technology, sophistication, and a newfound focus on performance the pressure on the 2021 Escalade is immense, and the big Cadillac will need to be on its game at all times, especially as more rivals are either updated or revamped during the next few years.
Photos: GM