2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Vs. 2021 Cadillac Escalade Comparison Test: Battle of the Ballers

With Escaladen deeply woven into American culture, all new challengers must bring the luxurious UV products. This is the challenge Jeep faced when it developed the 2022 Grand Wagoneer. It would have to do everything to provide even more luxury, comfort and sophistication in order to best compete across the city – and of course live up to its Grand Wagoneer ancestors, which ceased production in 1991 but once stood at the pinnacle of luxury suvar . So, does it work? We set out on the road with an Escalade and a Grand Wagoneer to find out.

The clothes on our comparison test vehicles are ready for direct competition: Jeep Grand Wagoneer Series III 4×4 and Cadillac Escalade 4WD Sport Platinum. Both had sticker prices around $ 110,000 tested, both are powered by naturally aspirated V-8 engines, and both have four-wheel drive. They also have a bold, flashy style that stands out among more traffic. These two SUVs also have three rows of seats with space for seven passengers, advanced sound systems and leather-lined, wood-trimmed interiors with massage chairs in the front. This is truly a battle between two of the most luxurious American SUVs you can buy for money.

Escalade’s 6.2-liter V-8 produces 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. Its engine sends power through a 10-speed automatic to either the rear wheels or, as in our vehicle, a four-wheel drive system. During our test loops, we noticed that the Escaladen’s driveline is very smooth and provides easy acceleration with clean shifts. We managed a 6.6-second sprint at 0-60 mph, very fast for such a massive best. It also stays praiseworthy for its size and stops from 60 mph at a solid 125 feet, 9 better than the jeep.

Jeep drops a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 under the hood of the Grand Wagoneer. It is more potent than the Escaladen’s eight-cylinder, develops 471 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque, and it has a distinct, muscle-car-like personality. (Which makes sense, since it’s also available in some of Dodge’s most potent Challenger and Charger models.) The V-8 idles with a sloping bolt and growls every time you lower the throttle. Senior editor Greg Fink noted: “It just loves to drive laps and it sounds great. Of course, it also loves to glow on gasoline.” This is also true for Cadillac, although ‘Slade does best Grand Wagoneers 13/18 city / highway mpg with 1 mpg each. However, the Jeep is faster than the Escalade, it reaches 60 mph from a standstill in just 5.7 seconds.

However, Grand Wagoneer is cushy, cushy, cushy. The steering is excessive and slippery, which can be a problem on something with a less lavish mission, but here it only contributes to the lounge-on-wheels atmosphere. Unlike the Escalade, the Jeep’s suspension has a flexibility over imperfections, sucking them up and dispersing them before they ever engage in intruding on passengers. We usually lean towards sportiness, but in this space, and for this money, we want to be liked.

Cadillac gets a lot right in the Escaladen’s interior. Its multiple OLED screens are perfectly proportioned to the size of the vehicle, offering striking, high-resolution graphics and easy-to-use layouts. The Whisper Beige upholstery added an airy, modern aesthetic that we thought was quite appealing, and there is plenty of actual leather, metal and wood applied everywhere. It is a good example of how far Cadillac has come with its interior design, although there are some lower quality plastics below the hip point and some switchgear that are shared with smaller vehicles. There are small rivets to choose from, but they are all the more unfortunate given that Jeep has thoroughly committed itself to fully lining the Grand Wagoneer’s cabin in top-specific materials. The wood is gorgeous, the leather is supple and most of the controls feel designed specifically for this vehicle, which contributed to the premium impression.

In the Cadillac, the level of luxury decreases as you move backwards. The second row is reasonably luxurious and offers plenty of legroom, but the seats on the third row have hardly any exclusive details – it’s quite plastic in the back. At the same time, the Grand Wagoneer is decorated in leather from the bow to the stern and even has valves and cup holders with metal details in the third row. It also impresses, with a reclining bench that is spacious enough to feel like sitting on the second row of a compact crossover. Three adults can easily fit.

The second row of the Jeep is downright lavish. The Escalade has no ventilated seats in the second row, but Grand Wagoneer does. Although both SUVs were equipped with entertainment in the back seat, the Grand Wagoneer has a much nicer control console for the passengers, with a color screen placed between the captain’s seats. To put it nicely, an industrial captain will feel pampered pretty much anywhere in the jeep, while the Cadillac only manages to destroy them on the front row.

Both Escalade and Grand Wagoneer are full of high-tech features. Escaladen’s showstopper is the previously mentioned three-screen display. The main unit is a solid 16.9-inch screen used for Cadillac’s excellent infotainment interface. The second is the 14.2-inch digital meter cluster, which is configurable for the information that the driver considers most important. Finally, there is a 7.2-inch screen to the left of the steering wheel with even more readings. From the driver’s point of view, you feel completely in command of Escalade with easy access to all important controls, lots of information and a simple graphic design. Cadillac largely avoided capacitive touch controls in favor of hard buttons as well, making it easy to fiddle without looking.

Jeep equips the Grand Wagoneer Series III with a 12.0-inch infotainment screen that shows Stellanti’s new Uconnect 5 system. It’s not as easy to navigate as the outgoing version, but it’s not significantly defective either; the installation offers fast responses and nice graphics. In order not to be reinforced by Cadillac, Jeep also added a second 10.3-inch screen for plumbing controls and seat functions. Like the Escalade, the Grand Wagoneer also has a 12.3-inch digital meter cluster that is highly readable and offers loads of configurable data and details. Second-row passengers have access to a 10.3-inch screen for plumbing controls, as well as 10.1-inch entertainment screens as an option on the backrests. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard in both Escalade and Wagoneer.

A powerful and clean sound system is crucial for a vehicle in this segment. We’ve praised the Cadillac Escalade’s AKG set with 36 speakers before, but Jeep came out swinging with its McIntosh system with 23 speakers. It was difficult to choose a favorite, but after ending up in the same selection of our favorite songs in both SUVs, Escalade took the victory.

None of these SUVs have been rated by the IIHS, nor have Grand Wagoneers been tested by the NHTSA yet. Escalade, for its part, received a four-star overall rating from NHTSA. Both vehicles are absolutely packed with the latest driving aids that you can expect, including excellent 360-degree surround camera views.

Cadillac equips Escalade with a hands-free driver assistance system, a key feature of modern luxury vehicles. Although Jeep has a freeway assistance mode with file centering for semi-automatic driving, it is not at all as accurate or well implemented as GM’s excellent Super Cruise, which uses mapped road data to help automatically steer the car with better precision and can also perform lane changes .

We collected these SUVs to find out which one delivered the best and most satisfying luxury experience. Jeep’s newly launched sub-brands Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer may not have the cultural characteristics of Escaladen, but that does not mean it does not deserve it: it is the winner of this test. With the prices tested roughly on top of each other – our Escalade was $ 111,465, our Grand Wagoneer $ 109,980 – the jeep simply offers a more holistic, more carefully considered package. Its approach to luxury is more cohesive than the Escalade, and its abundance feels more baked in than slathered on. It is an indulgent machine every buyer of luxury SUV would be wise to consider.

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