Just eight individual new units of the 2024 Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV equipped with the 3.0L I6 LM2 turbodiesel Duramax engine are still left in dealership inventory as of the second week of April 2025, according to Cadillac‘s inventory search.
The LM2 Duramax develops 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, with production of Cadillac Escalade units motivated by it ending on the week of September 16th, 2024.
Three of the remaining units are 2024 Cadillac Escalade SUVs of the Premium Luxury trim level. These three Escalade diesels are painted in Crystal White Tricoat (color code G1W), Galactic Gray Metallic (G6M) and Black Raven (GBA) respectively and are on sale at several different dealerships.
The other five diesel units are Cadillac Escalade ESVs and all are configured as Luxury trim level vehicles. Furthermore, all of them are painted in the Black Raven (color code GBA) exterior paint color, and all are located at a single dealership. This dealer is Colonial Cadillac in Woburn, Massachusetts, a city of about 41,000 people located just north of Boston.
GM decided to drop the Duramax turbodiesel from the Escalade’s engine lineup last summer because of weak demand. Originally, the 3.0L I6 LZ0 turbodiesel Duramax engine rated at 305 horsepower and 495 pound-feet of torque was slated to replace the LM2 diesel engine for the 2025 model year. However, this was also dropped from 2025 Cadillac Escalade production plans.
The turbodiesel variant of the Escalade went on the chopping block because it only had a 5 percent take rate, as revealed to GM Authority by the nameplate’s marketing manager Donnelly Baxter. Put simply, consumer interest in a diesel-powered Escalade was extremely low, leading to the decision to retire the powerplant option permanently from the full-size SUV.
As of June 2024, the number of diesel Escalade units was said to be 218 vehicles on dealer lots or in transit. Five months later in November, this number was 223 vehicles, with the higher number resulting from the final units produced up to mid-September working their way through the system.
With just eight diesel Escalades still on offer the window to buy one is shrinking fast, especially with five of them located in Massachusetts.
Comments
Dealer in Mass. must have had a fleet order for livery service go sour. A diesel Escalade would make an exceptional limo for black car service.
I partially agree with you as the 3.0 diesel engine was designed with an oil pump belt that is submerged in engine oil. It needs a belt change every 150,000 miles which is an extensive labor and expensive repair. 150,000 miles is nothing for a limo or ride share driver/company to reach.
Where I do agree with you is that 150,000 mile longevity/reliability is pretty good versus the anxiety of the 6.2L gas engine leaving you stranded from the time you drive it off the lot with only a “wait till it happens to you” approach from GM at this point
200k miles now.
“…which is an extensive labor and expensive repair. “
My understanding is it’s about a $5000 tab. Definitely not cheap. I really don’t understand the logic of using a belt vs a chain.
Don’t know which is worse…….an expensive/extensive oil pump belt replacement every 150,00 miles or play Russian roulette with a 6.2L ticking timebomb out on the road
Well the 3.0 Duramax also gets 40% better fuel economy & diesel is cheaper than 93 octane. The running costs are thousands less annually.
Both mean that GM an engineers are incompetent idiots and that means unless I get rich enough to trade vehicles every year or two, GM is off my list! A $5,000 maintenance item is ridiculous unless it’s included for life with the initial purchase price. Most of the vehicles I’ve owned in my lifetime didn’t cost that much! My first brand new car was a Camaro with a 350 and a 4-speed and it stickered for just over $3,500.
Is the equivalent caddy EV sold out?