Compare the2023 Cadillac EscaladeVS 2023 Tesla Model X

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Model X doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 Model X 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 Model X 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 Model X doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Model X doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Escalade has a standard HD Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model X only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Escalade has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model X doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Escalade and the Model X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and blind spot warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Cadillac Escalade is safer than the Tesla Model X:

	Escalade	Model X
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	26%

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Cadillac Escalade is safer than the Tesla Model X:

	Escalade	Model X
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	101
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	111 lbs.	157 lbs.
Hip Force	118 lbs.	217 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	248 lbs.	425 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	239	274
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	39 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are almost 4 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escalade’s warranty.

Reliability

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 63 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Cadillac 2 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Escalade Sport’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Model X:

	Escalade Sport	Model X
Front Rotors	16.1 inches	15 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Escalade has larger tires than the Model X (275/50R22 vs. 265/45R20). The Escalade’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model X (275/50R22 vs. 265/35R22).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Model X.

The Cadillac Escalade’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Tesla Model X 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 Model X 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 Model X; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escalade’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the Model X (120.9 inches vs. 116.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Escalade is 1.3 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than on the Model X.

For better maneuverability, the Escalade’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Model X’s (39.7 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Escalade Air Suspension has a 1.9 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Model X (10 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Escalade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

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

The Escalade has .6 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front legroom, 6 inches more front hip room, 4.8 inches more front shoulder room, 3 inches more rear legroom, 2.3 inches more rear hip room, 7.7 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.1 inches more third row headroom, 5.1 inches more third row legroom, 10.7 inches more third row hip room and 22 inches more third row shoulder room than the Model X.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Escalade	Model X
Behind Third Seat	25.5 cubic feet	15 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	72.9 cubic feet	33.8 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	121 cubic feet	88.2 cubic feet

The Escalade’s available rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Model X 6-Passenger doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Escalade’s second row seats and pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Model X doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Escalade’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model X doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

The Escalade’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Model X’s (8000 vs. 5000 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 Model X can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Escalade to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes, air filter replacement, and brake pad replacement, based on actual driving conditions. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model X.

Ergonomics

The Escalade’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model X has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model X doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Model X’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 wiper. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The Escalade’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model X doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Escalade has standard extendable sun visors. The Model X doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Escalade’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Model X’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

The Escalade has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Model X doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

The Escalade Platinum has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model X.

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 Model X doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Escalade owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Escalade will cost $8013 to $10310 less than the Model X over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escalade is less expensive to operate than the Model X because typical repairs cost much less on the Escalade than the Model X, including $641 less for a water pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Cadillac Escalade will be $4591 to $15190 less than for the Tesla Model X.

Recommendations

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 Model X isn’t in the top three.

The Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV outsold the Tesla Model X by 67% during 2022.

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