The Finest 2021 Cadillac Escalade Will Now Start at $101,000

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade may have a less bling-tastic exterior than its predecessors but that certainly didn’t mean it was going to get any cheaper. GM’s luxury marque released pricing for its all-new flagship SUV and as it happens, parking Caddy’s biggest and baddest clout-mobile on your driveway just became more expensive than ever.

In its base Luxury trim, the 2021 Escalade will cost $77,490 post-destination, a price bump of exactly $1,000 compared to this year’s model. Admittedly not too big of a deal especially in this price bracket. Things get a little more eye-watering, however, when opting for the new Escalade’s highest trims. The new Escalade’s top-dog Platinum Luxury and Platinum Sport trims will start at almost $8,000 more than its equivalent 2020 models did, resulting in a bill for $101,290. A fully loaded Cadillac Escalade has been a six-figure vehicle for a while now, but the fact that certain trims will now start at that milestone is quite somethin’.

In exchange for all that cash, Platinum 2021 Escalades get 16-way adjustable massaging front seats lined in something called Opus semi-aniline leather, the 36 AKG speakers rather than the standard 19, soft-close doors, and a configurable, adaptive air suspension system with Magnetic Ride Control. 

Regardless of trim, all-wheel drive is a $3,000 option.

All that said, we can’t honestly see this price hike affecting Escalade sales all that much considering most of them will almost certainly be leased or financed over a bazillion months. I mean, what’s another $8,000 spread over seven years? The cost of another trip to Starbucks per day? Curved, 38-inch OLED digital dashboards don’t come cheap, y’know. Plus, an argument could probably be made for the Escalade as enough of a Veblen good in which a six-figure price tag is actually a feature, not a bug.

So, while its increase in price is unlikely to hurt Caddy’s newest truck, we can’t say the same about economy-halting pandemics.

h/t: Car & Driver

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