2015 Cadillac Escalade with 8-Speed Automatic - Car and Driver (blog)

Instrumented Test – 2015 Cadillac Escalade Now in its fourth generation since its 1999 introduction, the Cadillac Escalade remains one of the automotive world’s patron saints of conspicuous consumption. Checking in 1. 5 inches wider, 1. 4 inches longer, and about 100 pounds heavier than the model it replaced, the large-livin’ 2015 Escalade makes no excuses for its imposing presence. Built on the same truck-based underpinnings as the rest of GM’s full-size SUV fleet, the 2015 Cadillac Escalade initially launched with the recently updated 6. 2-liter V-8 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Producing 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, the engine eagerly shouldered its substantial load, hustling the six-speed-equipped Escalade around town and down the highway with ease. But while we were busy flogging the six-speed Escalade on the test track , GM was finalizing plans to put its new eight-speed gearbox (essentially the same transmission that handles gear-swapping duties in the Corvette) into the Escalade, as well... Curious to see if the General’s hunch paid off, we re-upped for an Escalade equipped with the new ’box and strapped on the test gear. Source: www.caranddriver.com