Two American-made full-size luxury SUVs face off in a big-bucks battle with high stakes. The redesigned 2021 Cadillac Escalade gets larger, more luxurious, and loaded with touchscreens, but is it enough to fend off the 2020 Lincoln Navigator, which reoriented Ford's luxury brand down the path of winning crossovers and SUVs? Cadillac needs the Escalade to be much more than a luxe livery line.

The truck-based eight-seaters share a lot in common, including luxury-loaded interiors, standard active safety features, and ample towing capacity. The newest Escalade made its debut Feb. 4, and here's how these Detroit big boys match up for now on paper.  

2021 Cadillac Escalade

2021 Cadillac Escalade

2021 Cadillac Escalade

2021 Cadillac Escalade

2020 Lincoln Navigator

2020 Lincoln Navigator

2020 Lincoln Navigator

2020 Lincoln Navigator

 

The biggest criticism for the biggest Cadillac was the lack of cargo room and space in the third row. That has been addressed with the redesigned 2021 Escalade, and it shows on the outside. Seven inches longer with a longer wheelbase than the outgoing model, the 2021 Escalade is a full inch longer than the Navigator—almost as if the extra inch was intentional. The design expresses this bigness with bold, boxy vertical ends reminiscent of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup truck. Vertical DRLs frame the broad grille in the shape of the Cadillac crest. The LED headlights wrap around into the belt line to the boxed-off rear, which has slim LED taillights stretching vertically to the roof. 

The Expedition-based Navigator is bold and brash in its own right, with a mesh grille framed by chrome. The rear is more horizontal with a full-width taillight. Both SUVs come available with huge 22-inch wheels, but the turbine-style wheels on the Navigator get the edge. The inside blends modern and retro design elements that is distinct from every other modern SUV. The high-resolution digital cluster contrasts chrome bands and wood trim that evokes lovely old Chris-Craft boats luxury-lined for a new era. The interior of the Escalade is all about screens, 38 inches of them curved and housed in the leather-wrapped dash. It is super modern, but might be too much. We'll have to reserve judgment until we use it for an extended amount of time. 

The 2021 Escalade comes with either a 420-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 making 460 pound-feet of torque or a 277-hp 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-6. Tow ratings have not been released, but should improve on the 8,100-pound capacity in the 2019 model. A 10-speed automatic transmission gets the rear wheels moving, while an available four-wheel drive with an electronic rear differential will likely be the preferred drive system. The Escalade gets its first independent rear suspension with available adaptive dampers and a four-corner air suspension meant to soak up every road imperfection and keep the cabin calmer than calm. 

The 2020 Navigator ditches the V-8 in favor of a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 paired with a 10-speed automatic that makes 450 hp and 510 lb-ft. That's more potent than the Escalade's V8, and has a towing capacity of up to 8,700 pounds. GM will release Cadillac's specs when it goes on sale in the third quarter of 2020. 

2020 Lincoln Navigator

2020 Lincoln Navigator

2020 Lincoln Navigator

2020 Lincoln Navigator

2021 Cadillac Escalade

2021 Cadillac Escalade

2021 Cadillac Escalade

2021 Cadillac Escalade

Comfort, safety, and features

The extra length in the 2021 Cadillac Escalade translates to 10 inches more leg room in the third row and 25.5 cubic feet of cargo room behind it. That's an improvement of 68 percent, and resolves one of our biggest gripes. The ESV model is even roomier, but the standard Escalade still comes up about six inches short on third-row leg room than the Navigator.

Cadillac will have a tough time competing on seat comfort with the Navigator. Lincoln fills the base Navigator with comfortable seats, but the available 30-way seats are essentially La-Z-Boys on wheels.

Navigator starts at $77,765 (including $1,295 destination) in base trim, $82,660 Reserve trim, or $98,695 in fully loaded Black Label trim. The 2021 Escalade is expected to start about the same and get confusing from there in Luxury, Premium Luxury, Platinum Luxury, Sport, and Platinum Sport. Both models come with heated front seats, and the Escalade has heated second-row seats as well. Navigator comes with leather seating standard, while the Escalade will have synthetic leather to start. The Escalade rides on 22-inch wheels (Navigator rides on standard 20 inchers), has up to five screens in the dashboard, and comes available with Cadillac's excellent hands-free Super Cruise driving system.    

While both models come with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and active lane control, the Navigator has blind-spot monitors and adaptive cruise control as standard. The Navigator also earned a five-star rating from the NHTSA, and we expect the same from the Escalade. 

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator gets the edge for style and interior space, but the 2021 Escalade is going all-in on the future of in-car tech, which should appeal to certain buyers. We expect the base model 2021 Escalade to be priced competitively with the $75,000 Navigator. It ain't cheap, but living large in luxury never was.