Truck Of The Week: The Diesel Powered 2022 Cadillac Escalade

Typically in our Truck Of The Week segment, it involves someone submitting a truck they’ve seen or someone sending us the information on a build they are working on themselves. But this week we decided to shake things up a bit. When you look at the market, there are a ton of new vehicles that feature a diesel engine option, but one we wanted to focus on is the 2022 Cadillac Escalade.

The Escalade comes in many different options, but we obviously want to focus on the diesel packages. More specifically, the Sport Platinum. Of the five available options, the Sport Platinum is the highest. Besides the obvious name, the price gives it away. We started selecting our Escalade ESV (Escalade Stretch Vehicle), chose four-wheel-drive, and then moved on to highlighting the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel engine option. With those selections, the price came in at $112,840.

For that price, we’re all done, right? Nope. Let’s just see how wild this can get. After making our engine and drivetrain selections, it was time to choose a color. The Black Raven color comes at no extra cost, but what is the fun in that? Our theoretical bottomless budget allows us to max this out. So, how about the $1,225 Infrared Tintcoat.

After the exterior is taken care of, it’s time to choose from the three options of interior colors and materials. Between the Whisper Beige, Jet Black, and Dark Auburn, we went with the Auburn. This interior package includes the dark Auburn color, Jet Black accents, and full leather seats with semi-aniline leather seat surfaces with Mondrian quilting. Snazzy. With those choices made, we were sitting at $114,065.

2022 Cadillac Escalade

Now that we’ve picked out a big portion of this build, the extra add-on packages are up for grabs. There is a $2,375 ONYX package that includes a few extras. That doesn’t seem too expensive. Let’s add it on. This will outfit our Escalade with black 22-inch 12-spoke wheels, Monochrome Cadillac emblems, and a gloss black Escalade nameplate.  If you’re a fan of chrome, the wheels it comes with aren’t chrome so why not go with the all-black?

Because it is a diesel and we’re probably going to use it as such, we want to add on the heavy-duty trailering package. For only $600, we’ll get some of those crucial parts that will help us out on those days we need to tow a trailer. This includes an Autotrac two-speed transfer case, a trailer tire pressure monitoring system, trailering assist guidelines, and an auxiliary trailer camera.

2022 Cadillac Escalade

Again, because we’re going all out, we’re also adding interior protection and cargo convenience packages. all in all, that costs roughly $1,800. This gives us all-weather floor mats in the first, second, and third rows, cargo net and shade cover, and roof rack cross rails. Hey, we’re really going to use this thing. Things are getting pricey as we are now at $118,240.

Next on the 2022 Cadillac Escalade order list were exterior accessories. Right off the bat, we’re going to need good brakes. If we’re towing or have the family in the truck, we want to be able to stop, right? For $3,495, we’ve added Brembo six-caliper brakes on the front and color-matched calipers on the rear. Moving on, we’ve added the retractable steps with LED lighting. That cost us another $1,750.

Cadillac Escalade

There were a few other options available, but those would force us to dump the Duramax engine and why would we do that? Interior accessories? Yes, please. We’ve added the center console upgrade which includes a fridge/freezer combo. Hey, if we’re thirsty, we want it cold, am I right? It is only a $700 option anyway. Illuminated cargo sill plates? Yes. Lastly for the interior, we’ve added what Cadillac calls “Night Vision”.

This $2,000 option allows you to see beyond your headlamps. The cluster display, by using thermal imaging, will highlight and detect pedestrians or large animals ahead of the vehicle. Joking aside, this is a really cool option. We feel like if there is something in your view, especially with your headlights on at night, you would see it. But, we’ll add it. We’re at $126,680. Finally, to end it all, we’re going to add a receiver hitch under the towing extras.

This will bring us to a total of $126,879. We have built a seriously bad-to-the-bone rig that is capable of quite a bit. This 3.0-liter Duramax engine is cranking out 277 horsepower, and 460-lb-ft of torque. It’s backed by a 10-speed automatic transmission. With our 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV, we’re ready for anything.

What do you think about the 2022 Cadillac Escalade? Is this something you would build? What should we build up next? Let us know in the comments below.

About the author

Artie Maupin

Artie Maupin is from Southeast Missouri and has an extreme passion for anything diesel. He loves drag racing of all kinds, as well as sled pulling competitions.
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