Performance luxury SUVs are probably the last thing you’re shopping for right now. Prices at the pump are making us wince, and tariffs are still a real threat facing car buyers in 2026. The sum of all fears, it seems, might just be an expensive car that burns gas faster than it steals money out of your wallet – especially if you have little ones to think about. Two cars that stand out among the rest in this category hail from Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz, two companies that have gone from being at opposite ends of the spectrum to being closely aligned in their mission of providing fast family movers.
Mercedes offers up a mean-looking version of its 3-row, the AMG GLS 63, which still takes into consideration what’s under your tuchus and puts more power under your right shoe. But this is a statement piece no matter how you spin it, and drivers who like big SUVs that inflate the ego have had loads of options since the late 1990s. Fighting for America in this battle has always been the Cadillac Escalade, which today, finally counters the AMG GLS with something a little more boisterous: the Escalade-V. Either way, all this ego-boosting is sure to cause headaches, so we want to establish which of these is going to cause the least amount of pain if you’re going to live with one on a daily basis. Have the ibuprofen ready.
Escalade-V Vs. AMG GLS 63: What’s Under The Hood
2026 Cadillac Escalade-V
2026 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63
Engine
6.2-liter supercharged V8
4.0-liter twin-turbocharged mild hybrid V8
Transmission
10-speed automatic
9-speed automatic
Drivetrain
All-Wheel Drive
All-Wheel Drive
Horsepower
682 hp
603 hp
Torque
653 lb-ft.
627 lb-ft.
0-60 MPH
4.4 sec.
4.1 sec.
Top Speed
125 MPH
155 MPH
For 2026, the GLS still flies under the radar despite its AMG guts, but the refreshed-for-2025 Escalade is proof the “Looksmaxxing” trend has arrived in the automobile industry. Our preference is still guided by what’s inside, neither of which leaves any space unutilized to house a combined 1,285 hp between these two luxury buses.
Cadillac packs the LT4 6.2-liter small-block V8 into the Escalade, and it has a 2.65-liter Eaton supercharger to suck in extra air and generate 10 pounds of boost. The resulting 682 horsepower and 653 pound-feet of torque route through a 10-speed automatic gearbox. The big rig launches from a standstill to cruising speed in 4.4 seconds—not bad for a 6,361-pound body-on-frame SUV.
The Mercedes gets power from a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 making 603 hp and 627 lb-ft – down 79 hp and 26 lb-ft from the Escalade-V. The AMG is a bit lighter than the Cadillac at 6,019 pounds, and it can get to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.
Exhaust gases drive a pair of twin-scroll turbochargers nestled between the cylinder banks, generating 17–20 pounds of boost. The system helps the unit produce peak torque at 2,500 RPM, a full 1,900 RPM sooner than the Escalade. The GLS uses a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to fill the torque gaps caused by turbo lag.
For 2027, the AMG GLS retains its 4.0-liter displacement, both turbochargers, and 48-volt electric assistance. However, its cross-plane crankshaft is swapped for a flat-plane, resulting in a throatier exhaust note and the ability to hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds.
The Escalade will remain unchanged for 2027. Cadillac will likely hold on to the current recipe after last year’s sales, which trounced those of all other large American luxury SUVs.
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You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Driveway
2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63Mercedes-Benz
Along with ample power, these two pack quite a bit of luxury, too. They both started life as plush SUVs before receiving hearts taken straight from performance cars. If you brought up the 123.4-inch wheelbase of the GLS besting the Escalade’s 121 inches, Cadillac would pull the curtain to reveal the Escalade-V ESV, the long wheelbase version with a 134-inch gap between the front and rear wheels. The Escalade is taller, too, at 76.7 inches in standard wheelbase form. The GLS is 70.2 inches; even so, both should fit easily in a standard garage.
2024 Cadillac Escalade-VJared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet
If you need to pull something, both of these SUVs are up to the task. The Mercedes offers 500 pounds more towing capacity, at 7,700 pounds, than the Cadillac, at 7,200 pounds. For a Mercedes, that’s an impressive figure. But, it’s business as usual for the Cadillac, which shares its body-on-frame underpinnings with the Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon.
Even with adaptive air-shocks and GM’s road-scanning Magnetic Ride Control, the Escalade is still riding on a truck platform, communicating its weight directly to the squishy ship’s wheel. The GLS offers better composure on all sorts of roads, earning it the title of the better vehicle to pilot through the curves. But on the freeway, both are quiet, and both are quick. Neither feels cramped, and each can deliver you to your destination more relaxed than when you started your journey, while still pleasing the senses with ear-tingling V8 pops and wails from the exhaust.
These Rides Don’t Come Cheap
Fame comes at a price. So, if you want to look the part without giving up complete anonymity, we’ve got good news. These two heavy-hitting people haulers can turn heads everywhere you go, but don’t be surprised if phones slip back into pockets when it’s you who steps out and not David Beckham.
The Escalade-V starts at $168,000 for the standard-wheelbase version, and the extended-wheelbase ESV begins at $171,000. The price climbs with options such as a coat of Radiant Red Tintcoat paint for $1,325 and the Onyx Package at $4,999, which darkens the grille surround and paints the standard 24-inch wheels gloss black. The Executive Second Row Seating Package adds $7,500 to get 14-way massaging and reclining rear seats, folding tray tables, and touchscreen climate and seat controls. An Escalade-V optioned as such rings up at $184,719 after the $2,895 destination fee.
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Mercedes charges an entry fee of $151,050 for the AMG GLS 63 and, unlike the Escalade, it comes in only one wheelbase length. Despite the lower starting price, the GLS can quickly match the Escalade’s sticker price after a few strokes of the pen. Want a color that’s not a drab black, white, or grey? Two shades of blue and a light green can be had for $6,500, as well as an assortment of 22- and 23-inch wheels ranging from $1,350 to $5,650.
The Manufaktur Interior Package costs $9,500, and the Executive Rear Seat Package, with comfier headrests, massaging seats, and a center tablet to control seat and climate functions, is an extra $3,550. A litany of other luxury features, including a Burmester High-End 3D Surround Sound system for $4,550 and an acoustic Comfort package at $1,100, can add up to a window sticker of $184,550 after a $1,350 destination fee.
In the margins are insurance costs, detailing the diamond-stitched leather after a lengthy road trip, and fuel. A friendly reminder: these brutes are on a strict diet of premium unleaded. CarEdge, which tracks the value and average ownership costs of cars, estimates that the GLS costs $156,783 to keep it on the road for five years, after factoring in depreciation. The Escalade received an estimate of $130,212 over the same period.
Mercedes-Benz GLS
Cadillac Escalade
Depreciation
$86,280
$72,366
Insurance
$28,038
$19,860
Interest
$21,125
$19,593
Fuel
$15,400
$13,590
Maintenance
$5,940
$4,803
Total
$156,783
$130,212
Mercedes-AMG Finally Has Real Competition from the Escalade-V
2025 Cadillac Escalade-VChristopher Smith/CarBuzz/Valnet
The GLS flies under the radar because it’s unassuming to those who don’t know what the SUV is. The Escalade, on the other hand, is a cuckoo clock every hour, on the hour. Without fail, the Escalade announces your exact location with every startup or blip of throttle. It’s an ego booster through-and-through. So is the Mercedes, but not nearly to the same level as Cadillac, which has put in the work to continue drawing attention away from the competition and towards itself with a battalion of rowdy V-series models.
The Escalade has been the ride of choice for dignitaries and celebrities for decades. Until the V model, Escalade didn’t have the power to take on a comparable AMG-tuned Mercedes SUV. Both of them let owners get the kids to school on time and show up in style, with immense comfort, at any function where you hope people take notice of what you arrived in. If these SUVs could, they’d run on liquid arrogance. Which would certainly help fuel costs in the long run.
Sources: Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, CarEdge
