At a time when its platform mates—the Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, and GMC Yukon/Yukon XL—are upgrading from the first-generation LM2 to the second-generation LZ0 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six diesel engine with 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque, the upscale Cadillac Escalade/Escalade EXT is dropping the diesel option for 2025 altogether. Boo.

It’s likely you didn’t even know you could get a diesel Escalade, and it’s also likely you can’t recall ever seeing one in-the-wild, distinguished by the 600D badge at the lower right-hand corner of the liftgate—as in 600ish Newton-meters of torque from the diesel (D) engine. That’s the problem. The take-rate was apparently in the single digits, meaning customers simply didn’t gravitate toward the 277 hp, 460 lb-ft of torque green-handled variant that was first introduced for model-year 2021.

Perhaps customers had a negative perception of diesel (loud, clattery, smelly, DEF, and so on), which maybe could have been mitigated with a good test drive. Perhaps customers associated a throaty V8 with a luxury nameplate like the Escalade rather than a diesel powerplant. Perhaps customers were put off with the $100 upcharge for the optional Duramax over the standard 6.2-liter V8. Perhaps they are waiting for the electric Escalade IQ.

Whatever the reason that deterred potential customers, it’s awesome that the Escalade got the baby Duramax for a short-lived four years. One area in which the diesel really excelled was fuel economy. A four-wheel-drive Escalade with the diesel was rated at 22 combined mpg, wherase the V8 was rated at 16 mpg. That’s quite a gap. On the highway, you could expect 26 mpg from the diesel, with the V8 not even leaving the teens at 18 mpg. With some careful driving, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to approach 30 mpg, which is really great for 6,000-pound luxury three-row full-size diesel SUV—yes, the gas version even weighed less. As for maximum trailering, a properly equipped V8 had a slight advantage.

The demise of the Duramax leaves the 6.2-liter V8 mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission as the sole option for the Escalade. The standard version makes 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Sadly, with 495 lb-ft of torque, the upgraded Duramax would have out-torqued the V8. The V-Series Escalade gets a supercharged variant of the 6.2-liter that makes 682 hp and 653 lb-ft of torque.

The Cadillac Escalade loses the diesel for 2025, but it’s otherwise all-gain with a refreshed exterior with three grille designs, curved pillar-to-pillar 55-inch diagonal display that spans the whole dashboard, available 24-inch wheels (the largest ever offered on Escalade), optional Executive Second Row seating package, updated interior materials and themes, steering column gear shift, available 40-speaker AKG Studio Reference Audio System, new exterior paint colors like light bronze latte metallic, standard hand-free Super Cruise, and more.

Guess we’ll have to stick with the Escalade-V.