- The facelifted Cadillac Escalade won’t be offered with a diesel engine.
- GM officials told us they dropped the Duramax engine due to lackluster demand.
- While the Escalade is going gas-only, the 2025 Chevy Tahoe and Suburban offer an upgraded diesel.
The 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel inline-six is an amazing engine and it’s arguably better than the 5.3-liter V8 that comes standard on the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, and GMC Yukon. The engine was also offered in the Cadillac Escalade, but it’s being dropped for 2025.
During a media briefing earlier this week, Cadillac officials told us the engine wasn’t in demand. As a result, the company ‘listened to the market’ and decided to stick with a pair of gas-powered 6.2-liter V8s.
More: 2025 Cadillac Escalade Gets A Jaw-Dropping Interior With 55-Inch Display
The engine produced 277 hp (207 kW / 281 PS) and 460 lb-ft (623 Nm) of torque, and was a $100 option on the 2024 Escalade. While the diesel punched above its weight, most consumers stuck with the standard 6.2-liter V8 that has 420 hp (313 kW / 426 PS) and 460 lb-ft (624 Nm) of torque.
That being said, the 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban will be offered with an improved 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel engine. It features a host of upgrades including new pistons, higher-flow fuel injectors, a retuned turbo compressor, and revised piston-cooling oil jets. There’s also a revised air induction system and new sound absorption materials, which help to reduce noise and improve refinement.
Thanks to these changes, the output climbs to 305 hp (227 kW / 309 PS) and 495 lb-ft (670 Nm) of torque. That’s an increase of 28 hp (21 kW / 28 PS) and 35 lb-ft (47 Nm).
While it’s sad that the Escalade will miss out on the improved engine, the industry has been moving away from diesel. GM no longer offers one in the Chevrolet Colorado or GMC Canyon, while Stellantis recently dropped all their EcoDiesel models.
