Cadillac just updated the Escalade for 2025, giving it an updated front-end design and all of the screens. However, despite it gaining those features for the new model year, it also lost something—its diesel engine.
The current Escalade’s turbo 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six is undoubtedly one of its coolest features, and spotting one in the wild is like a special treat. You rarely see new diesel SUVs in the States these days; the only others are the GMC Yukon, Chevy Tahoe, and Chevy Suburban, all platform-mates of the Escalade. It’s even more unusual to see a $100,000 model that’s powered by an oil burner because outside of Germany, customers don’t often associate diesel with luxury. And that made the Duramax Escalade cool.
Unfortunately for us engine nerds, the Escalade’s diesel option wasn’t popular enough with customers to keep around.
“Due to limited customer demand, Cadillac will discontinue offering a diesel engine option for the Escalade, starting for model year 2025,” a GM representative told The Drive.
Coolness wasn’t the engine’s only advantage either. The diesel made 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque while also returning a combined 22 mpg, versus the V8 Escalade’s measly 16 mpg. The Duramax was estimated to cost owners an estimated $2,550 in fuel annually, but the 6.2-liter V8? A whopping $4,050. And it only costs buyers $100 more to spec the Duramax over the V8. Seems like a no-brainer.
There’s still an alternative to the gas engine coming soon. With the introduction of the Escalade IQ, there will be an all-electric option for customers with an aversion to V8s. That said, the Escalade IQ is a drastically different vehicle as it’s built on GM’s electric-only Ultium platform. Customer crossover between the two might be minimal, but they have pretty similar interiors now with enough screens and speakers to rival an amphitheater.
Few tears will be shed over the loss of the Escalade’s diesel engine, but it’s still sad to see one of the more interesting vehicle/engine pairings on the market go away.
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