2022 Cadillac Escalade 3.0L Duramax Fails To Sell for $75,555, Does America Hate Diesel?

Aside from impressive goodies such as the 38-inch curved OLED display, Augmented Reality-enabled navigation or its Super Cruise feature (with hands-free self-driving), buyers were also free to choose a more frugal alternative to the good old-fashioned 6.2-liter V8 engine.

I’m talking about the 3.0-liter inline six Duramax diesel unit. This made the Escalade the first diesel-powered Cadillac model offered in North America since the 1985 DeVille. Now, a lot of Americans aren’t very fond of diesel engines outside of what they can do for a semi-truck or heavy-duty pickup. These units are still being associated strictly with utility and not refinement, so you probably wouldn’t want one in your luxury SUV or sedan, right?

Wrong. Because modern diesels can be both refined and economical, and they pack plenty of low-end grunt to make up for the lack of top-end power. They actually drive ‘smoother’ than gasoline engines at low speed, especially when coupled with clever new gearboxes.

The Escalade’s 3.0-liter Duramax diesel engine is good for 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, with everything going to all four wheels (in 4WD spec) via a 10-speed automatic transmission. It’s good for about 27 highway mpg (23 combined mpg), which is, safe to say, better than you get with the V8.

Now, what we have here is a 2022 Escalade in Luxury 4WD trim, with 19,000 miles on the clock. It’s got the 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel inline-six unit (the ad mistakenly calls it a V6), and it was purchased new by the seller in June of that previously mentioned year.

The exterior is finished in Black Raven and comes with the Onyx Package, meaning a monochromatic grille, rear quarter panel badges and trim. Additional highlights include the LED headlights and taillights, side steps, roof rails, plus a set of black-finished 22” wheels with Bridgestone Alenza A/S 02 tires.

Meanwhile, inside you’ll find Jet Black upholstery, woodgrain accents, a tri-zone automatic climate control system, cruise control, heated and power-adjustable seats, a heated multifunction steering wheel, sat-nav, an AKG Studio 19-speaker sound system, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.

If you ask me, the fact that someone went as high as $75,555 for this Escalade is somewhat impressive, seeing as how a brand-new 2024 model (zero miles) with a similar spec would cost you upwards of $86,990. I still think Americans in general don’t appreciate diesels as much as they should, with regards to passenger cars, but at the same time, the owner of this Escalade should have probably taken the $75k and ran.