2012 cadillac escalade

2012 cadillac escalade

It’s long been known that the next Cadillac Escalade would eschew its body-on-frame, Yukon/Tahoe-based platform for the Lambda platform currently underpinning the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Outlook, and Buick Enclave. It’s also been known that GM has been working on a new DOHC, “high-feature” V8 to follow up its Northstar engine.
Now, sources within GM say that the 2012 Escalade, to be released early in 2011, will be the first vehicle to debut both the updated Lambda platform and the new “Ultra” DOHC, direct-injection V8.
The all-aluminum engine will bring the advances of GM’s “High Feature” V6 family to a 4.8 liter, 90-degree, 32-valve V8. It will feature cylinder deactivation to maximize fuel economy, along with the now-requisite variable valve timing on the intake and exhaust valves.
GM and Ford are in a bit of a horsepower war again these days, from diesel trucks to V6 pony cars, and there’s no doubt that GM’s engineers had the digits “5.0″ on their minds, along with its prodigious output rating of 412 hp. But the Escalade doesn’t compete with the Mustang GT; sources say GM was only concerned that the 2012 model’s power would match that of the outgoing Escalade, with its 403-hp, 6.2 L Vortec.
GM predicts it will squeeze over that target with a 406-hp rating for the 4.8 L “Ultra” in the Escalade, falling short of the vaunted 5.0’s rating but claiming a narrow victory in specific output. The power peak won’t be far from the engine’s 7200 rpm redline.
With an expected weight loss of over 500 pounds, and comparable power (though less torque), the updated Escalade is expected to reach 60 mph almost a half-second sooner, in the low 6s. Good news for those who would worry about getting dusted by a Camry V6 or Civic Si.
The updated Lambda platform is expected to underpin a host of GM cars from 2012 on, in addition to the next generation of its large crossover SUVs; future Lambda models include the Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, Buick Park Avenue and Riviera, and Cadillac De Ville and Eldorado.
As for the new V8, a more powerful, 5.4 L unit is expected to follow, along with a twin-turbo version of the 4.8 for the next Cadillac CTS-V.

Source: thefundament
Tags: 2012 cadillac, 2012 cadillac escalade, 2012 escalade, Cadillac Escalade

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