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| 2011 Cadillac Escalade |
As readers pointed out when commenting on Wednesday’s Lincoln Navigator review, anyone who needs the combination of interior space and towing capability the Navigator and its arch-rival, the Cadillac Escalade, have on offer, could obtain the same functionality in a Ford Expedition or Chevrolet Tahoe / Suburban for a lot less money. Might the Cadillac Escalade fare better?
Like the Navigator, the current Cadillac Escalade is now in its fifth model year. The double dubs better suit the extended wheelbase Escalade ESV. From the rear there’s little to distinguish the Escalade from the closely related Chevrolet and GMC SUVs. This generation of Escalade received a bespoke instrument panel. The Cadillac isn’t embarrassingly pedestrian inside.
The Lincoln’s thrones are much larger and cushier. As in the Lincoln there’s nowhere for the driver to properly rest a left foot. The Cadillac Escalade continues to employ a live rear axle, and this forces a high rear floor. The Navigator has a huge advantage here.
There’s little of it behind the third-row seat. The Navigator is a much more functional vehicle. Dip into the throttle, and the Cadillac Escalade starts to make sense. The V8’s burble recalls fine watercraft more than anything on wheels, and in the process makes driving the Escalade a distinctive, and distinctively American, experience.
On center the Escalade’s steering feels far too light and a touch loose. Compared to the Lincoln, the Cadillac flows with the road rather than fighting it. Cadillac, apparently aware of its vehicle’s more premium feel, charges heftily for it. Though the two vehicles I drove were comparably equipped, with an MSRP of $75,000 the Escalade listed for $12,000 more than the Navigator. I’m not about to attempt a rational defense of the Cadillac Escalade. Cadillac has never marketed itself as a sensible purchase.
The 2011 Cadillac Escalade has become an American luxury icon, and for good reason. Several guises of the Escalade remain available. Then there's the excellent Escalade Hybrid, which erases much of the guilt with EPA ratings of up to 20 mpg city, 23 highway. Across the lineup, the Escalade shares its platform and mechanical layout with the GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs.
The Cadillac Escalade is a big, heavy, truck-based luxury vehicle. The huge, thirsty 6.2-liter V-8 in the Escalade makes 403 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque, which allows the Escalade to dash to 60 mph in only about 6.5 seconds, according to some sources, even though it weighs nearly 6,000 pounds in some trims. Towing capacity remains at 8,100 pounds for the all-wheel-drive model and a hefty 8,300 pounds for the rear-wheel-drive variant.
Larger passengers will welcome the Cadillac Escalade's abundant elbow and shoulder room. Other features worth note individually include an eight-inch touch-screen navigation system with real-time traffic, a Bose 5.1 Digital Surround Sound system, cooled front seats, and power-actuated running boards.
