2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV Review
2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV Review
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2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV Review
byMark Takahashi
Correspondent
Mark Takahashi has worked in the automotive industry since 2001. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Mark has also contributed to Motor Trend, Auto Aficionado, Chevy High Performance and several motorcycle magazines in various roles. Mark is also a juror on the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards and can be seen regularly on the Edmunds YouTube channel and sometimes representing the company in media interviews.
Pros
- Strong V8 engine never lacks for power
- Cabin remains quiet on any type of road
- Seats up to eight passengers
- Tows up to 8,100 pounds
Cons
- It has a less refined ride quality than some other luxury SUVs
- Sheer size requires careful maneuvering in tight quarters
- High cargo floor hinders easy luggage and cargo loading
- Infotainment interface isn't always intuitive
What's new
- Last year's dual-screen rear entertainment system has been discontinued
- Part of the fourth Escalade generation introduced for 2015
Overview
The Cadillac Escalade is already a large luxury SUV. The Escalade ESV is the supersized version, measuring 20.4 inches longer nose to tail. Why would anyone need something this big? The short answer is cargo.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV 4dr SUV (6.2L 8cyl 10A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.45 per gallon for premium unleaded in Ohio.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$308/mo for Escalade ESV Base
Escalade ESV Base
vs
$254/mo
Avg. Large SUV
With a rather paltry 15.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, the standard Escalade has one of the smallest capacities in the class. The ESV's added dimensions pay dividends, more than doubling the capacity to 39.3 cubic feet. In addition to hauling a lot of stuff, the Escalade ESV is also adept at transporting up to eight passengers in comfort. Combine these with a maximum tow rating of 8,100 pounds and you have a very capable vehicle for a luxurious family vacation.
As accomplished as the Escalade ESV may be, there are some drawbacks to consider. We're not impressed by its comparably stiff ride, and the large footprint makes precise maneuvers challenging. As big as the cargo hold is, the high floor height can make it difficult to load bulky objects.
As it stands, the 2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV plays second fiddle to our class favorite, the Lincoln Navigator L. We suggest checking out both before making a decision. To further complicate matters, it looks likely that a redesigned Escalade is on the horizon.
Which Escalade ESV does Edmunds recommend?
The Premium Luxury trim gets our recommendation in the Escalade ESV lineup. This model finds the "just right" Goldilocks zone by adding forward and reverse automatic braking, a rear-seat entertainment system and adaptive cruise control.
2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV models
The 2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV is a full-size luxury SUV available in four trim levels: base, Luxury, Premium Luxury and Platinum. The base trim comes with a dizzying array of equipment, but the Premium Luxury and the Platinum take this big, plush American machine to a whole different level. All Escalade ESVs are powered by a 6.2-liter V8 engine (420 horsepower, 460 lb-ft) paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel drive is standard; four-wheel drive is optional on every trim.
The base trim is generously appointed both inside and out. Standard feature highlights include 20-inch wheels, an adaptive suspension, LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, an automatic parking system, a hands-free liftgate and remote start.
Inside the cabin, you'll find tri-zone automatic climate control, a heated and power-adjustable steering wheel, power-adjustable pedals, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and power-folding split third-row seats.
Standard electronic features include an 8-inch touchscreen, a Wi-Fi hotspot, a surround-view camera, a navigation system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a Bose 16-speaker audio system with satellite radio, five USB ports and a wireless charging pad.
For additional driver aids and more plush equipment, choose the Luxury trim, which equips 22-inch wheels, a sunroof, automatic high beams, power-folding second-row seats, a head-up display, and a camera-based rearview mirror system in which the rearview mirror is a screen displaying what the camera sees behind the vehicle. It also includes a blind-spot monitoring system, lane departure warning and intervention, rear cross-traffic alert, and forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking.
Our recommended trim, the Premium Luxury, hits the sweet spot with the above features plus adaptive cruise control, a rear entertainment system with a Blu-ray player, and a more advanced collision mitigation system with both forward and reverse automatic braking.
The most lavish Escalade ESV is the Platinum trim, which adds power-retracting side steps, upgraded power front seats with a massaging function, premium leather upholstery, and a cooled front-seat center console.
Reliability Ratings by RepairPal
2.5 out of 5 stars2.5/5Average
#15 out of 20 among Luxury Fullsize SUVs
RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.
Cost
The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Cadillac Escalade ESV from 2008-2022.$851/yr
vs. $735/yr
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
Frequency
The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).1.65x/yr
vs. 1.83x/yr
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
Severity
The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).24.4%
vs. 16.5%
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
powered by RepairPal Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV.
5 star(39%)
4 star(10%)
3 star(13%)
2 star(3%)
1 star(35%)
31 reviews
Trending topics in reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
5 out of 5 stars
My dream vehicle!
Cindy W., 01/28/2020
2018 Cadillac Escalade ESV Premium Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 10A)
If you're looking for a great ride, a ton of bells and whistles and a stylish vehicle, you're going to love owning an Escalade. This SUV has everything, hiding spots for your belongings, USB ports everywhere, 120v plugin, a ton of Bose speakers and so much more.
The camera system is amazing! When I flip up my rear view mirror I see traffic behind me. When I pull into my garage I … still get the 360 view to make sure that I'm over enough and in far enough.
My only issue, and this is a me issue is that this is sooo much bigger than the Tahoe I came from. This one is a beast ;o) so I'm having problems pulling into parking spots still, but with time, I'm sure that I'll nail it.
1 out of 5 stars
Last Cadillac I will own
22jrm, 06/16/2016
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)
Purchased a $90,000 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV only to find engine coolant on garage floor. Ended up finding out engine was sent out of the factory with bad left engine head. Ended up with motor of the Brand new engine stripped down to motor block in small town GM shop with parts laying all around to be fixed. Asked Cadillac to exchange vehicle since I will never trust this engine and … didn't not purchase used or refurbished and told warranty fixed it and that is all they will do. So I spent all this money to have a dependable family vehicle thinking I had the best customer support since it was Cadillac. I was wrong.
1 out of 5 stars
Cost vs quality, fitment=big disappointment,
Jim Hilbrant, 01/12/2016
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)
UPDATED 21 Aug 19: Nothing changed DO NOT BUY!!!~Having owned the 2007 ESV I thought long and hard about buying a new 2016. Keeping in context we have owned Lexus since 1990, total of five LS models over the years. Best single auto manufacturer in the world for quality, value, cost of ownership. Unless you need the size of the ESV for family, road travel, don't buy one. Your hard … earned $80K+ needs to go elsewhere because of the workmanship, quality issues. It LOOKS awesome, rides great, it is the fitment, vibration, flutter of plastic parts rubbing against each other that will drive you crazy. The center CUE had a vibration as if a wiring harness had been flopping around. The sunroof decided just this morning that something up in there, needed to be jostling around, and these things happen only when they want to. We have only owned her 3 weeks, she has 735 miles on her. We got her for the room, size to accommodate family. If LEXUS ever decides to make one similar in size, we are in.
Nothing in my review changes except that I will never own another. It is GM junk at the highest level. Last May 22, 2016 we finally got help from the BBB in Washington DC to help replace the original 2016 we bought in Dec. 2015. It took us 6 months to get rid of that pile of junk, replaced it with another pile of junk. Folks other than the dealer experience being so stealor and supportive, I will never own another. PERIOD. From problems with transmissionn shifting at times I cant understand, to the dye color of the leather already wearing away. Plastic parts look like wood and yet vibrate into a frenzy at times. Listen carefully, you do what you want. If you want to toss money into a pit loaded with stress and problems, then buy this thing. If you want to save yourself the grief, buy Lexus or something else. UPDATE: JUNK it is OVERPRICED JUNK Would love to sell it if you know of anyone interested. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING CADILLAC
3 out of 5 stars
Transmission shifting is still not great.
Griselda C. Gaytan, 03/22/2017
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)
My husband and I have purchased brand new GM vehicles for many years now. Needles to say we have invested a great deal of money in our trucks and suvs. In 2015 we decided to purchase a 2016 Cadillac ESV because we liked the look of it. Well, not everything that glitters is gold, that's for sure!! Shortly after purchasing we started noticing the shifting was rough, the gears shift so … rough all the passengers feel the rough shifting especially when taking off and on and off during a ride. The roughness of the shifting gets worse after time. As the problem with the shifting gets worse and worse the truck eventually won't even turn on, it just goes dead. We had to use cables to start it up so we could drive it to the agency and hope it would not leave us stranded. We expected so much more from a Cadillac vehicle being that our investment was a total of 94,000 dollars. The truck has been in the shop a total of six (6) times and it almost feels as if I've been driving a loaner more than my vehicle. Our family loves to take road trips in the summer months but we we have not been able to take summer road trips since we do not trust this truck to keep our family safe. We have no faith in Cadillac products and will never, EVER invest in Cadillac again!! We contacted GM to informed them of our concerns and expected GM to stand by their product but the best they could do was inform us that the shifting pattern is a new one with these new Cadillacs and the customers are not used to it. Whaaat??? No vehicle that we have ever driven shifts as rough and in such unpredictable patterns as this Cadillac ESV. Plus every time we get our vehicle back and new parts such as , gear box, are replaced and computer is reprogrammed it rides much better but eventually the problem starts once again until it gets so bad it eventually goes dead again!
We will be trading this useless piece of JUNK for a real quality suv. Obviously GM does not care enough about their customers to keep them satisfied. Never Again!!
It's been a while since my first review and a lot has changed.
After filing the lemon law documents through the BBB and getting our lawyer involved GMC offered to exchange our vehicle for any other vehicle we wanted.
We paid a fee of approximately 10,000 dollars which in the lemon law is called a usage fee. The usage fee is basically what you have to pay for the time the vehicle was used based on a formula.
We chose another Cadillac Escalade ESV.
it was great at first but now just two months and a half driving the vehicle we are starting to notice the modulator acting up. We will be calling the agency to get it serviced. This truck is much, much better. We are hoping it just needs adjustment.
The interior assembly of this new 2017 model seems to be much sturdier since I don't hear rattling of panels like with the last one. It's too soon to tell though.
If you are thinking of spending high dollar on a luxury vehicle I don't recommend it. Try Lexus or Range Rover.
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2020 Cadillac Escalade ESV, so we've included reviews for other years of the Escalade ESV since its last redesign.
2020 Escalade ESV Highlights
Base
Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee | $78,195 |
---|---|
Engine Type | Gas |
Combined MPG | 17 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $308/month |
Seating | 7 seats |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 39.3 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | rear wheel drive |
Warranty | 4 years / 50,000 miles |
Safety
Our experts like the Escalade ESV models:
- Rear Camera Mirror
- Displays a camera view in the rearview mirror. You can still see out, even with a full load of cargo.
- OnStar
- Provides automatic crash notification, on-demand roadside assistance and remote door unlocking.
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Modifies your set speed to account for the varying speed of traffic, then resumes when the road is clear.
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriverNot RatedPassengerNot Rated
- Side Crash RatingOverall5 / 5
- Side Barrier RatingOverall5 / 5Driver5 / 5Passenger5 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront Seat5 / 5Back Seat5 / 5
- RolloverRollover3 / 5Dynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of Rollover20.4%
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