You might not have noticed, but Cadillac’s slowly added three-figure numeric badges to its vehicles. The latest model to bear the mark is the 2021 Cadillac Escalade, which features a “600” badge on its rear liftgate. Other numerals will be used should Cadillac roll out different powertrain options for its flagship SUV.
That’s because, per Cadillac’s new badging convention, the number 600 represents the torque produced by the Escalade’s standard 6.2-liter V-8 and available turbo-diesel 3.0-liter inline-six. Except it’s the amount of the engines’ torque in Newton-meters and not the more America-friendly measurement of pound-feet.
Simple enough, right? Well, not really. Instead of converting pound-feet to Newton-meters and calling it a day, Cadillac decided to throw another wrench into the equation: It rounds the conversion to the nearest 50. This means the 600 on the back of the new Escalade is a lie, as the SUV’s V-8 and diesel six-cylinder engines produce 624 Nm of torque or 460 lb-ft. The number 624, however, doesn’t look quite as nice 600—at least to Cadillac. (Blame overseas markets like China, where the figure makes more sense.) The decision was made not to use engine displacement so that the badges could also be applied to future electric vehicles; still, turbocharged models have a T after the number, so there is some indication of what lies under the hood.
Yes, Cadillac’s number scheme is a mess that’s both difficult for Nm-averse Americans to understand and, oftentimes, displays an incorrect measure of a given Cadillac model’s torque. We’d feign surprise, but this isn’t the first time Cadillac’s made a seemingly illogical naming decision.
More 2021 Cadillac Escalade
- 2021 Escalade First Look: Specs, Trims, and More
- 2021 Cadillac Escalade vs. 2021 GMC Yukon Denali, Chevy Tahoe High Country
- 2021 Escalade vs. Lincoln Navigator: Compared and Contrasted
- 2021 Escalade’s Giant, Curved OLED Screen: Fast Facts
The post 2021 Cadillac Escalade: This Is What the “600” Badge on Its Rear End Means appeared first on MotorTrend.