Escalade Premium Luxury, armoured by INKAS

The Escalade is Cadillac's large body-on-frame SUV, built on the T1XX platform shared with the Tahoe and Suburban. The 2025 model year refreshes the fifth generation: redesigned front end and a 55-inch curved screen stretching from pillar to pillar, 35 inches for the instrument cluster and infotainment, 20-inch polarised display for the passenger side. Premium Luxury is the entry point for the well-equipped versions, with Magnetic Ride Control and AKG Studio audio.

The engine is the naturally aspirated 6.2-litre L87 V8, 420 hp SAE (426 ch DIN) and 623 Nm, paired with a 10-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. On a heavier vehicle, the appeal lies in the low-end torque available without the need for turbocharging and cooling.

INKAS armouring to CEN 1063 BR6 level: stops 7.62 x 51 NATO lead core rounds all around and withstands two DM51 grenades detonated simultaneously under the vehicle. The cell is sealed 360 degrees, including roof, floor, pillars and firewall; the armoured doors feature ballistic overlap lips to cover the joints, a rear armoured partition with a swing door closes off the cabin, the multi-layer laminated glass is curved to the original shape, the fuel tank is boxed in, battery and ECUs are cased, run-flat on polycarbonate inserts allows 50 km at 50 km/h, reinforced hinges and stops, with assisted closing.

The weight and performance figures shown are for the standard Escalade: they do not take into account the INKAS armouring, which adds several hundred kilograms and reduces acceleration, top speed and fuel economy. Cadillac does not publish any top speed for the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 Escalade, so this field is not provided.

A North American or Gulf example does not have European type approval: French registration requires an individual approval (réception à titre isolé) with the DREAL (regional environment, planning and housing directorate), and the malus is then calculated not on CO2 but on the fiscal horsepower scale (CIBS art. L. 421-64). This scale is capped from 15 chevaux fiscaux (fiscal horsepower), a threshold that a 6.2-litre V8 far exceeds: the amount is determined by the scale for the year of first registration, reduced only by the age-related discount, and runs into tens of thousands of euros. To be budgeted before purchase.

The armouring adds several hundred kilos: above 3.5 tonnes GVWR, driving requires a permis C1 (C1 licence) and not a permis B (standard car licence). Two components have their own lifespan, independent of mileage: the ballistic glass, which delaminates and yellows at the edges, and the run-flat inserts, whose tyres are date-stamped. Brakes and tyres wear at the rate of the extra weight, not like a standard Escalade.