But how does that stack up against some of its more SUV-like competitors? Well, there aren’t many similar to the Escalade-V, but the Jeep Trackhawk, in the face of the Caddi, does retain its title of maddest American muscle SUV. It has over 700PS (514kW) and gets to 60mph in under four seconds. The big Caddi is a subtler performance application we reckon, with typical SUV traits still front and centre of its appeal. Consider for instance how proud they are that it’s rated to tow over three tonnes.
As ever with a flagship, though, there’s a rub, of a financial nature. A standard Escalade with its naturally-aspirated non-handbuilt V8 starts at $85,095. The Escalade-V, with its handbuilt supercharged V8 and trick chassis gear, starts at $151,215. That’s a hefty price given that for $30,000 less, US buyers can get their hands on a First Edition new Range Rover Sport, complete with 4.4-litre twin-turbo BMW V8 power. Yes, the Sport is less powerful and smaller but the point stands.