Full-size luxury SUVs are the trend these days. For the past couple of decades, Cadillac and Lincoln brands have been offering the best you could ever lease in this trendy auto segment. Despite the face of strong opposition from the European marques, these two American marques stayed at the top of their game. Even when they find themselves a little behind these European luxury three-row SUVs, these two always find a way to come back and reclaim their rightful place in the heart of American shoppers looking to lease a full-size luxury three-row SUV.
But now, as you can’t just lease both, which of these two fantastic American family-friendly SUVs should you lease? Should you lease the 2022 Cadillac Escalade? Or is leasing the 2022 Lincoln Navigator better? Which of these two leads the race in the luxury three-row SUV segment?
What’s New
The fifth-generation model of the Escalade debuted for 2021. For the 2022 model year, the Cadillac’s flagship SUV will remain largely unchanged. Nevertheless, Cadillac has added more standard safety and driver-assist technology throughout the lineup to keep it more competitive against rivals like the 2022 Lincoln Navigator.
Since it got a full redesign, the second model year of the Escalade will see this full-size luxury three-row SUV benefit from many minor updates, including standard lane-keeping assist and lane-departure warning on the base model. Upper trims like the Premium Luxury, Sport, and Platinum models also get the Super Cruise driver assistance tech feature and standard front and rear automated emergency braking. More and more safety assistance features have been made standard across more trims. Colors like the Shadow Metallic and Dark Mocha Metallic now make way for three new optional paint colors—Mahogany Metallic, Galactic Gray Metallic, and Wilder Metallic). GM’s Buckle to Drive seat belt safety system and a Sport pedal kit that features a metal and rubber gas and brake pedals are now standard. Cadillac also adds the new Touring package that features air suspension, soft-close doors, and illuminated door sill protector plates to trims like the Premium Luxury and Sport models.
Just last year, the Escalade got a ground-up redesign. This year, Lincoln has responded by giving Navigator a ground-up redesign. From the outside, the 2022 Navigator gets a restyled grille and updated lighting elements. Inside, this SUV gets an upgraded infotainment system that now sports a Large 13.2-inch center screen running on the updated Sync 4 system. Its upper trim level also gets two new design themes— Central Park and Invitation. The brand’s new semi-autonomous driving mode—Active Glide— that allows hands-free highway driving, just like the Cadillac’s Super Cruise, is now part of the 2022 Navigator features.
Other exciting interior upgrades to the all-new Navigator include an updated rear entertainment system, standard heating and ventilation in second-row seats, optional massaging seats in the second row, digital display in the second row, and new standard safety features Intersection Assist and Active Park Assist 2.0. Lincoln now adapts the RR Cullinan’s forward-facing camera to help recognize bumps in the road and adapt the suspension to lessen the impact.
Powertrain And Transmission
Cadillac offers two powertrain options in its biggest SUV. A naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 that produces 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque comes standard. There’s also the optional turbo-diesel 3.0-liter inline-six engine that sends 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque to either the rear wheels or all four wheels. Both engines are mated to a sharp and timely shifting 10-speed automatic transmission. Still, you can either go with the standard rear-wheel drive or the available all-wheel drive.
For the all-new 2022 Navigator, Lincoln decided to keep things simple here, offering only one powertrain option. The Lincoln’s flagship SUV is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 that churns out 440 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque (10 hp less than its outgoing model). While this is better than what the Cadillac can come up with in the Escalade, the redesigned Navigator gets a similar transmission to the Escalade—a smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission. You can also decide to go with the standard rear-wheel drive or the available all-wheel-drive system.
Handling And Performance
While the Escalade engine provides enough power and acceleration, leasing the 2022 Lincoln Navigator offers more of these. However, despite the size of the 2022 Escalade offers firm and composed handling with little body roll. The steering is responsive, and thanks to its suspension, this luxury SUV delivers a supple ride even over rough pavement.
Lincoln’s largest SUV, the Navigator, offers a lot quicker acceleration, but some shoppers may not find it impressive moving on the highway. And though it feels composed around turns, the handling is not as composed as that of the Cadillac. The ride quality is not so exceptional for a luxury SUV.
Fuel Economy
With its V8 engine, you need not be told that the new Escalade is a much-thirsty SUV of the two. EPA estimates the 2022 Escalade with the V8 RWD to return 15/20 mpg city/highway, while the AWD gets 14/19 mpg. However, these numbers get better with the turbo-diesel engine (21/27 with RWD and 20/26 with AWD).
The more fuel-efficient Navigator is not entirely efficient but offers a better rating than the Escalade with the V8. The all-new Navigator is expected to return 16/20-22 mpg city/highway.
Interior And Comfort
More than anything else, the interior is where most luxury cars draw the line, separating one from the other, and so is the case with the 2022 Escalade and 2022 Navigator. Leasing the 2022 Cadillac Escalade will open the door to the best interior styling, high-tech amenities, and luxury features that GM can offer from its armor. While the Escalade undoubtedly offers many high-quality materials and luxe features, the newly styled and updated Navigator’s interior is more well-appointed inside, affording more state of the art features.
For comfort, both offer a supple ride and cushy three-rows of seats, with ample head and legroom. However, the Escalade provides more cargo space than the redesigned Navigator.
Cost
With the MSRP of the 2022 Cadillac Escalade starts at $77,900, slightly below that of the all-new 2022 Lincoln Navigator at starting at $78,000, it can cost you nearly the same to lease any of these cars, but you can always get a much better bargain when you lease with VIP Auto.
Both the Lincoln Navigator and the Cadillac Escalade should be at the top of the list of any shopper looking to lease a large luxury SUV. To lease any of these at unbeatable lease rates, contact VIP Auto, 1204 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10305 https://viplease.com/.
