Massive 22-inch chrome wheels? Ha! That’s so last decade. As the 2021 Cadillac Escalade prepares for its February 4 debut, the automaker teased what’s likely to be the biggest selling point of the new model. It’s not huge wheels and it’s not the new front end, which as ever should look decidedly different from its Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon siblings.
Remember the old days? You know, when we had gauges?
No, that honor goes to the truly gigantic display. It’s a curved OLED display that measures larger than your workstation monitor, at 38 inches diagonally. As screens go, that’s only eclipsed by the as-yet launched Byton M-Byte electric SUV, but the fact that it’s curved is unique in the auto industry so far. Cadillac says it features “twice the pixel density of a 4K television”, and its OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) panel should display colors in truly spectacular fashion. Whether it’s actually an 8K display or somewhere in between remains to be seen, as Cadillac didn’t mention a specific resolution.
There are a few other details we can glean from Cadillac’s short teaser beyond the massive screen. Super Cruise will make its way to the Escalade, as the beginning of the video above shows. The green light strip in the steering wheel is a hallmark of the brand’s semi-autonomous driving tech, and it makes sense to include it in its flagship. Since the CT6 will no longer exist by the time the Escalade launches, it makes sense for Cadillac to throw all the tech it has at its biggest moneymaker.
Take another look at the steering wheel, and you’ll notice the chunky column shifter is missing. Instead, it looks like Cadillac may have gone to a console-mounted shifter, positioned just below the “Escalade” part of the infotainment screen. Then again, Chevrolet has gone to a push-button layout with the Tahoe and Suburban, so Cadillac may follow suit there as well.
Powertrains
Ahead of its reveal in a couple months, there’s not too much else we can say with certainty. However, based on the new Suburban and Tahoe, there are a few points we can glean with regard to powertrains. In short, things shouldn’t change much under the hood of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade. We expect the SUV to go on with its 6.2-liter V8 engine mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Chevy SUVs get the option of the 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel, but it’s unlikely that will make its way to the Escalade.
Stay tuned to TFLtruck.com for more updates! On top of February’s Escalade reveal, we’ll also see the updated 2021 GMC Yukon next month in Colorado, as well. See more on its mainstream cousin, the Chevy Suburban, below:
