Compare the2023 Cadillac EscaladeVS 2023 Bentley Bentayga

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Escalade are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Bentayga doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Escalade has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Bentayga doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Bentayga doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Escalade’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Bentayga.

Both the Escalade and the Bentayga have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, around view monitors, available all wheel drive, night vision systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Escalade comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Bentayga’s 3-year basic warranty expires 1 year sooner.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the Escalade 3 years longer than Bentley covers the Bentayga. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Bentayga ends after only 3 years.

The Escalade’s corrosion warranty is 3 years longer than the Bentayga’s (6 vs. 3 years).

There are almost 12 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are Bentley dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escalade’s warranty.

The Escalade has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Bentayga doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Escalade first among large premium SUVs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Bentayga isn’t in the top three in its category.

On the EPA test cycle the Escalade gets better mileage than the Bentayga running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Cadillac Escalade uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Bentayga requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Escalade has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Bentayga Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (24 vs. 19.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Escalade has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Bentayga’s standard fuel tank (24 vs. 22.5 gallons).

The Escalade has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Bentayga doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A 10-speed automatic is available on the Cadillac Escalade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Bentayga.

The Escalade stops much shorter than the Bentayga:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 21-inch wheels are standard on the Bentayga.

The Cadillac Escalade’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Bentley Bentayga only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Escalade has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Bentayga doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Escalade has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Bentayga; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escalade’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the Bentayga V8 (120.9 inches vs. 117.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Escalade is 1.9 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than on the Bentayga.

The Escalade’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50.1% to 49.9%) than the Bentayga’s (56% to 44%). This gives the Escalade more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the Escalade Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Bentayga (10 vs. 9.7 inches), allowing the Escalade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Escalade (except Diesel) uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Bentayga doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Escalade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Bentayga can only carry up to 7.

The Escalade has 59.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Bentayga (168.4 vs. 109).

The Escalade’s cargo area provides more volume than the Bentayga.

The Escalade’s cargo area provides more volume than the Bentayga EWB.

The Escalade’s available rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Bentayga w/Four Seat Comfort Specification doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

The Escalade’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Bentayga’s (8000 vs. 7165 pounds).

The Escalade 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Escalade can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Bentayga can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Trailer Sway Control is standard on all models of the Escalade, using the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Bentayga Hybrid doesn’t offer a trailer sway program.

The Escalade has a higher standard payload capacity than the Bentayga (1636 vs. 1510 lbs.).

The Escalade has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Bentayga (1647 vs. 1510 lbs.).

The Escalade’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Bentayga does not have an oil pressure gauge.

If the windows are left open on the Escalade the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Bentayga can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Escalade’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Bentayga’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Escalade has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Bentayga only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Escalade has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Bentayga doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport’s Adaptive Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Bentayga’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The Escalade is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Bentayga doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Escalade second among large premium SUVs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Bentayga isn’t in the top three.

The Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV outsold the Bentley Bentayga by almost 27 to one during 2022.