The fifth-generation Cadillac Escalade, introduced for the 2021 model year, turned a big luxury SUV into one of the most technologically advanced vehicles on the road. Its three headline features are a curved OLED display more than 38 inches across — the first of its kind in a production vehicle — Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance, and an AKG Studio Reference sound system with up to 36 speakers. Here is what each one actually does.

The curved OLED display

The Escalade’s dashboard is dominated by a single curved piece of glass containing three screens: a driver information display behind the steering wheel, a small touchscreen to its left for lighting and camera controls, and a large central infotainment screen. Together they measure more than 38 inches diagonally.

Why OLED? Unlike LCD screens, OLED pixels produce their own light, so black areas are truly black and contrast is extremely high. That makes the display easy to read in bright sun and less distracting at night. The screens also show a night vision image and an augmented-reality navigation view that overlays direction arrows on a live camera feed.

Super Cruise

Super Cruise is GM’s hands-free driver-assistance system. On hundreds of thousands of miles of mapped, compatible roads in North America, it can steer, brake and accelerate while the driver takes their hands off the wheel. An infrared camera on the steering column watches the driver’s eyes; if attention wanders from the road, the system warns, and eventually hands control back.

Key points:

  • It is Level 2 assistance: the driver must stay attentive and ready to take over.
  • It can change lanes automatically to pass slower traffic when enabled.
  • A light bar on the steering wheel shows its status — green when active, blue when a lane change is under way, red when the driver must take control.

In professional chauffeured service, the chauffeur remains in control at all times; driver-assistance systems add a safety margin on long highway runs rather than replacing the driver. Compare it with rivals in Super Cruise vs Autopilot vs BlueCruise.

AKG Studio Reference sound

Cadillac partnered with AKG, the Austrian audio company, for the Escalade’s sound systems: a 19-speaker system as standard, with 28- and 36-speaker Studio Reference options. The top system places speakers in the headliner and seats and uses road-noise cancellation technology to reduce low-frequency rumble. For passengers it means clear audio at low volumes — useful for podcasts, calls and quiet music.

Other passenger-facing tech

  • Rear-seat entertainment screens on the backs of the front seats, with streaming from phones.
  • Tri-zone or multi-zone climate control, with rear controls.
  • Wireless charging and plenty of USB-C ports.
  • Night Vision with pedestrian and animal detection.
  • Magnetic Ride Control and available Air Ride adaptive air suspension, which smooth out potholes and expansion joints.

Why it matters on the road

For passengers, the practical benefits are a smoother, quieter ride and a cabin where you can charge devices, take a call or watch something on a long transfer. See the Escalade we use on our Cadillac Escalade page, or read the passenger’s guide to the Escalade interior.