Fast-forward to 2024, and not much has changed. The mighty Cadillac Escalade faces stiffer competition from models such as the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS, yet it is still the same large premium high-rider, albeit dressed in more modern clothes and featuring fancier tech.
The fifth generation blew three candles off its birthday cake a few months ago. It shares its nuts and bolts with the latest Chevy Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, has a pair of V8 engines and a diesel, and is joined by an all-electric alternative that adds the IQ suffix and features a different construction.
Nothing out of the ordinary here, yet GM’s premium car brand wanted something distinct in the early 2000s, so they gave it a shot at a pickup. The Cadillac Escalade EXT was born in 2001 when production started at the Silao factory in Mexico, and despite sharing its Escalade name with the SUV, it was based on the same platform as the Hummer H2 and Chevrolet Avalanche.
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Cadillac kept it in production until 2006, when the second generation came out, and seven years later, it pulled the plug on it altogether. Since then, several rumors have spoken about a possible reintroduction of the Escalade EXT, perhaps using the same underpinnings as the SUV. However, it’s clear now that Caddy does not intend to do that, as the EXT wasn’t exactly a best-seller.
Mind you, while a brand new Cadillac Escalade EXT will not happen, not in the foreseeable future anyway, it already exists in Fantasy Land. The latest unofficial take on it came from 412donklife on Instagram, and it is a very down-to-earth one, with a few other novelties besides the main thing that separates it from the real model, namely the open bed behind the cabin.
The rendering artist imagined it with large 26-inch alloys made by Forgiato, which have a black finish, just like some of the exterior trim. The CGI vehicle also features smoked lighting units at both ends, privacy windows all around, and a blue finish, and we’ve got to admit that this styling has won us over.
In addition to rearranging its pixels, the artist refers to it as the EXT-V, which means that it would pack a 6.2L supercharged V8. The motor produces 682 hp (692 ps/503 kW) and 653 lb-ft (885 Nm) of torque in the latest Escalade-V, rocketing it to 60 mph (97 kph) in 4.4 seconds. So, would you buy a 2025 Escalade EXT if it existed, regardless of whether it would feature the punchy V8 mentioned above?
