2021 Cadillac Escalade Diesel Is Smooth, Fuel-Sipping Euphoria
GM s Super Cruise hands-free driving tech, 27 mpg on the highway, and a smooth ride make for an excellent family hauler.
When you imagine a semi-autonomous vehicle, you probably picture a sedan, something with a little maneuverability. Maybe it s electric and has a T on its snout. Makes sense. We ve got a Tesla Model 3 in our long-term fleet, and its Autopilot driver-assist system enjoys widespread name recognition (even if it doesn t actually deliver the capability promised by its moniker). But Tesla s system, for all its hype, doesn t allow hands-free driving. That capability is currently available only from Cadillac, and they re confident enough to offer it in a towering six-foot-four SUV with a Duramax diesel under the hood.
Tested: 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Impresses with Diesel Power
The refinement and fuel economy of General Motors s Duramax diesel inline-six makes for a compelling matchup with Chevy s redesigned Tahoe SUV.
Diesel engines are a tough sell in the United States, particularly since the 1970s when General Motors converted a gas V-8 to run on diesel for its Oldsmobile brand, which resulted in woeful reliability issues (mainly head bolts that couldn t withstand the rigors of diesel compression). The 2001 introduction of GM s powerful and stout Duramax diesel V-8 in its heavy-duty trucks the result of a joint venture with Isuzu helped make up for that earlier, ill-fated effort with Olds. But perhaps even more compelling for drivers who don t need near-big-rig levels of torque is the recent addition of a light-duty Duramax inline-six, which debuted in the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups and has now begun to spread to all of GM s redesigned full-size SUVs, the first of which