2021 Cadillac Escalade vs. 2021 Lincoln Navigator

2021 Cadillac Escalade ・ Photo by General Motors

The Cadillac Escalade has been a leader among luxury SUVs for decades; it was the gateway into the SUV class for luxury-car buyers. The Lincoln Navigator has been around about as long, but it never gained the prominence of the Cadillac. In its current incarnation, it has gone a long way toward matching the Cadillac size-for-size and feature-for-feature. Cadillac is, of course, eager to remain a dominant choice in the class, and to that end, it completely remade the Escalade for the 2021 model year. Not only are exterior and interior styling all-new, but the Escalade’s chassis has been reworked to include an independent rear suspension. The upshot of that is a vehicle that rides and handles even better than before. In comparison, the Lincoln Navigator is not all-new, but it's still good-looking with a high level of interior comfort. Both vehicles take luxury SUVs to new levels of opulence. Here is the comparison of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade and the 2021 Lincoln Navigator.

Exterior Design

The Escalade has maintained a reputation as one of the best-looking vehicles in the segment for years. The newly designed 2021 model takes that tradition in a new direction. The Escalade is imposing, that’s for sure, and from some angles, it almost resembles an armored car. Depending upon your desires, you can get an Escalade in full bling or a more subtle, “blacked-out” version that eschews chrome. The Lincoln Navigator is somewhat more subdued than the Escalade, but it can still be fitted with plenty of external jewelry. Both vehicles are slab-sided, a motif that helps them offers spacious interiors, while their import competitors have exterior designs that aren’t quite so truck-like. In overall length, the Escalade is almost two inches longer than the Navigator. In overall width, the Cadillac is marginally wider. Interestingly, though, the Navigator’s 122.5-inch wheelbase is longer than the Escalade’s 120.9-inch wheelbase.

: Lincoln Navigator

Photo by Lincoln

Interior

Better designs and richer, more luxurious materials are the order of the day as the luxury brands try to “out lavish” each other in this segment. After some so-so attempts, this generation of the Navigator really hit the mark with its stratospheric level of interior luxury. If you like real open-pore wood and high-quality leather, the Navigator will bring it to you. The Lincoln offers substantial passenger space in both standard and extended-length Navigator L versions, and its third row might be the best third row in any commonly available vehicle in the United States. The front seats adjust in an amazing 30 different ways. Cadillac was not about to be outdone, however. In its redesign, it delivers materials and craftsmanship that at least equal the Navigator’s. Plus, the big wow factor is its immense, multi-pane OLED information screen that stretches across the entire dashboard.

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Photo by Lincoln

Infotainment & Technology

The Lincoln Navigator’s 10-inch touchscreen seemed sizable when this generation of the vehicle was introduced, but it is significantly outclassed by the Escalade’s massive OLED display. Cadillac’s system includes three screens: a 7.2-inch touch-control driver information center to the driver’s left, a 14.2-inch display in front of the steering wheel, and a 16.9-inch infotainment screen to the driver’s right. And the screens aren’t just big — their color saturation and sharp definition allowed Cadillac designers to do without the “hood” that typically shields the displays from the sun’s rays. The OLED is paper-thin, and its curvature positions the displays for optimal visibility. For those seeking ultra-premium audio, the Escalade’s available AKG Studio Reference system has 36 speakers powered by three amplifiers that deliver 28 channels. Even the standard AKG Studio system includes 19 speakers and a large enclosed subwoofer powered by a 14-channel amplifier. Lincoln counters with a standard Revel audio system by Harman that has 14 speakers. An available Revel Ultima audio system with 20 speakers features the largest subwoofer ever placed in a Lincoln vehicle.

: Cadillac Escalade

Photo by General Motors

Powertrains

The Lincoln Navigator offers a single engine choice while the Cadillac Escalade has two options. All Navigators are equipped with a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that delivers 450 horsepower. It drives either the rear wheels or all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission. In comparison, the Escalade offers a pair of interesting powertrain choices. The standard engine is a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that produces 420 horsepower. The optional engine is a 3.0-liter 6-cylinder turbo-diesel that delivers 277 horsepower. The diesel offers high torque and good fuel economy. Both engines are fitted with 10-speed automatic transmissions. Like the Navigator, the Escalade is available with rear-drive or all-wheel drive. 

: Cadillac Escalade

Photo by General Motors

Driving Impressions

Size is the most noticeable aspect of these two pickup truck-based vehicles. They are long and tall. Sightlines from the driver’s seat are good, but you have a lot of sheetmetal to take care of. The Lincoln Navigator delivers good performance and a comfortable, predictable ride, but it is not particularly nimble. The Escalade out-handles it, offering Magnetic Ride Control and the availability of Air Ride Adaptive Suspension that leverages Magnetic Ride Control tech. The Escalade’s air suspension delivers automatic load-leveling and continuous ride-height adjustments. Both vehicles excel in the ability to transport large numbers of passengers and a lot of their stuff quietly and comfortably. The Navigator and Escalade are excellent vehicles for long cross-country drives on Interstate highways. Both are a bit daunting for first-time drivers to park, but they are more agile than they look. And both offer automatic parking systems for those seeking some added help. 

: Cadillac Escalade

Photo by General Motors

Safety & Driver Aids

For the 2021 model year, the Escalade offers Cadillac’s Super Cruise driver assistance technology. The system enables hands-free driving on system-compatible highways using LiDAR map data, global positioning satellite data, driver attention system, and a network of cameras and radar sensors. The system now offers “automated lane change” that will take all the steps necessary to do a safe lane change after the driver indicates the intention to change lanes by activating the turn signal. The Navigator can’t match that, but it does have very robust safety and driver aids offerered through Lincoln Co-Pilot360. It includes automatic high-beam headlights, blind-spot warning system with cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping alert and assist, pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, dynamic brake support, forward collision warning, and a rear-view camera with washer. The Escalade has most of those functions as well.

: Cadillac Escalade

Photo by General Motors

Interior Space & Cargo

In the wake of its redesign, the standard-length Cadillac Escalade has gained an advantage over the Lincoln Navigator in cargo space. With the rear rows of seats up for use, the Navigator has 19.3 cubic feet of cargo space. That compares to 25.5 cubic feet in the Cadillac Escalade. With the third-row seatbacks folded, the Navigator offers 57.5 cubic feet of cargo area, and the Escalade offers 63.0 cubic feet. With all the rear rows folded the Navigator has 103.3 cubic feet of space versus the Escalade’s 109.1. The longer Navigator L has 120.2 cubic feet of total cargo space compared to the Escalade ESV’s 126.6 cubic feet of cargo area. Both vehicles offer powered hands-free liftgates. Escalades equipped with the 6.2-liter V8 can tow up to 8,200 pounds, while 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost-powered Navigators can tow up to 8,700 pounds.

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Photo by Lincoln

Trim Levels

Both the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator range from merely luxurious to extremely luxurious depending upon the trim and options selected. The Navigator vehicle lineup has three trims — Standard, Reserve, and Black Label. Rear-drive and 4-wheel-drive versions are available on Standard and Reserve models, while the Black Label is 4-wheel-drive only. The Black Label is the most luxurious of the Navigators. It features the Revel Ultima audio system as standard equipment along with a wide variety of other luxe equipment including 22-inch wheels. The Escalade is available in five different trim configurations — Luxury, Sport, Premium Luxury, Premium luxury Platinum, and Sport Platinum. The various Sport trims have a more performance-oriented look, while the Luxury trims go for full-on bling.

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Photo by Lincoln

Pricing & Value

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade is all-new in comparison to the 2021 Lincoln Navigator that has been around for a couple of years. The Escalade also offers more variations than the Navigator. Both the Navigator and Escalade have starting prices of about $76,000. A mid-level Navigator Reserve with 4-wheel-drive has a suggested list price of about $85,000. The luxurious Black Label 4x4 has an MSRP of almost $99,000. The most luxurious Escalade, the Premium Luxury Platinum, has a starting MSRP of a bit over $100,000. The more performance-oriented Escalade Sport Platinum has the exact same suggested list price, reflecting Cadillac’s strategy on Sport trims. Both vehicles offer opulent luxury and excellent value, but the Escalade gives buyers options the Navigator doesn’t.

: Cadillac Escalade

Photo by General Motors

The Winner

When you drive each of these big SUVs back-to-back, the similarities are more obvious than the differences. And in this comparison, the Cadillac has the advantage of being all-new for the 2021 model year, while the Navigator has a few seasons under its belt. Both vehicles will transport up to eight adults in sumptuous comfort. Both have excellent driver-assistance features. Both make an impression simply sitting in your driveway. Still, the Escalade manages to one-up the Navigator in just about every category. Of course, it is new, and its engineers and designers had the current Navigator to target when they drew up the 2021 Escalade. So the winner of this comparison should come as no surprise. It’s the 2021 Cadillac Escalade.

: Cadillac Escalade

Photo by General Motors