2020 Cadillac Escalade Review

Name: 2020 Cadillac Escalade Review
Brand: Cadillac

Price Range: $28,950 - $47,990

2020 Cadillac Escalade Platinum 4dr SUV Exterior Shown

2020 Cadillac Escalade Premium Luxury 4dr SUV Exterior Shown

+254

The 2020 Escalade used to be the benchmark of the segment. But as other manufacturers advance the art, the Escalade trots along. Its V8 engine and bold styling are strengths, and the interior isn't far behind. Improvements to ride, handling and cargo space, however, are needed to keep it in the mix.

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Price & Payment

78 cars

$41,660 avg. price

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Cadillac Escalade model years

Cadillac Escalade for Sale

2020 Cadillac Escalade Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

Last year's dual-screen rear entertainment system has been discontinued
Part of the fourth Escalade generation introduced for 2015

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Cadillac Escalade 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 $3.74 per gallon for premium unleaded in Iowa.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Iowa

$259/mo

$214/mo

Avg. Large SUV

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

3/5Average

#8 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 from 2008-2022.}

$689/yr

vs. $735/yr
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).}

1.31x/yr

vs. 1.83x/yr
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

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.}

Cadillac Escalade Reviews

Owner Reviews

3.9

44 reviews

5(59%)

4(14%)

3(4%)

2(5%)

1(18%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

POS

Wade Edington, 11/03/2019

2017 Cadillac Escalade Premium Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)

I’ve had my 2017 CPO Escalade a little over a year now and it has been in the shop numerous times for various things for a total of almost 2 months. So far the transmission completely died (on day 1 of ownership, I didn’t even make it home from the dealer), the motor mounts had to be replaced, I continue to have transmission shift problems (but according to the dealer, they are 100% …

A Roll of the Dice, Nice surprise!

SPORTOURISTA, 07/04/2017

2017 Cadillac Escalade Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)

After driving foreign SUVS for over 20 years (mostly German), this time I decided to try something different. I wanted more room, larger towing capacity, 4WD/AWD, and a nicer interior. After 2000 miles in an ESV 4WD Luxury, a new surprise emerges everyday. It has a beautiful interior, nice fit and finish, tons of electronic safety features and the oft-criticized CUE infotainment system. …

Transmission is horrible

Lindsey Clark, 09/25/2017

2017 Cadillac Escalade Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)

I feel unsafe in this car. It jerks or lunges on me at a stop or slow speed at least once a day. The dealership has had my car 7 times and has not fixed it yet. I filed a lemon law complaint.

Awesome SUV when not in the shop

Brett R, 11/05/2018

2017 Cadillac Escalade Premium Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)

Pros: Great looks, smooth ride, great handling (like a sedan), comfortable interior. Cons: Reliability is now a concern with two major issues in under two years. 1) Instrumentation dashboard went out completely after about 1 year so you couldn't see your speed, gas tank, or any of the vitals. Unfortunately this happened while traveling out of state. 2) At just under 2 years, Escalade …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2020 Cadillac Escalade, so we've included reviews for other years of the Escalade since its last redesign.

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2020 Escalade Highlights

Trim:

Base

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$75,195
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	17 MPG
Cost to Drive	$259/month
Seating	7 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	15.2 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	rear wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the Escalade 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 Rating
OverallNot Rated
DriverNot Rated
PassengerNot Rated
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover3 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover21.9%

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2020 Cadillac Escalade Review

Price & Payment

2020 Cadillac Escalade Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Cadillac Escalade 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 $3.74 per gallon for premium unleaded in Iowa.}

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Cadillac Escalade Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

POS

A Roll of the Dice, Nice surprise!

Transmission is horrible

Awesome SUV when not in the shop

2020 Escalade Highlights

Safety

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2020 Cadillac Escalade Review

Price & Payment

2020 Cadillac Escalade Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2020 Cadillac Escalade 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 $3.74 per gallon for premium unleaded in Iowa.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Cadillac Escalade Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

POS

A Roll of the Dice, Nice surprise!

Transmission is horrible

Awesome SUV when not in the shop

2020 Escalade Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2020 Cadillac Escalade info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Cadillac

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Cadillac Escalade 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 $3.74 per gallon for premium unleaded in Iowa.}