The
2015 Cadillac Escalade will turn heads and those who step inside the cabin will
see luxury equal to Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Lexus or Infiniti. “Cadillac’s ongoing growth provides the
ideal stage for the new Escalade to move forward” Uwe Ellinghaus who is Global
Marketing Manager states.
When
first introduced in 1999 people were impressed and GM did very well with the
Escalade. Later eve extended versions filled our streets. Over the years improvements have been
made throughout the Escalade.
Denali is a sub Brand of GMC. The Escalade is Cadillac’s Sub Brand and
with the new model will sell well.
Many
state that Ford’s introduction of the LARGE NAVIGATOR SUV made GM run to the
design boards and compete. And how they did. They won as far as I am concerned.
Today with the 4th
generation Escalade they must be
very proud. My son again states they have the best SUV ever made. Lincoln is
today lowering their price by $10,000.00 to entice buyers.
GM
designers and engineers worked together to make upgrades without bean counters
saying NO! That is why the
interior is like a Range Rover.
Dynamic
front styling cues are enhanced by a highly detailed Galvano chrome grille that
has a unique, almost brushed appearance. It is accented by full light-emitting
diode – LED – lighting in the front and rear that creates unique, razor-like
vertical light signatures. LEDs provide even, steady and very bright
illumination, while delivering longer life and using significantly less energy
than conventional lighting.
The headlamps
incorporate the industry’s first Total Internal Reflection LED high-beam
function, which consists of four vertically stacked crystal lenses and LEDs.
The low beam consists of five crystal lenses and LEDs that create the light
pattern. The Cadillac script is branded in the headlamp bezel. Tall, thin
vertical LED taillamps reach to the top of the Escalade and feature the brand’s
wreath-and-crest insignia, which illuminates in the dark. No price to replace
them have been given to me. Many replacement LED lighting systems coat a
fortune to replace! I do not yet have pricing for front or rear LED
replacements.
The 20 inch rims look great.
But, Cadillac offers a 22 inch rim. I believe that most customers will be happy
with either or as they did before this all-new model go to after market
rim/tire suppliers.
Today no young kid could afford
their dream Escalade. But, some
older folks can. If you go with
standard model you have plenty of room for six passengers. The extended
version offers room for eight. I would never wish to take eight passengers on a
ten hour drive. Shoot me first!
The extended version is longer
but the third row is not very good for 6 footers or above. The leg room is
superb in first two rows but not in the rear third row. Both versions of the Escalade are now on
new frames. No longer truck frames and that makes the drive superb on the
higway or Rodeo or Worth Avenue.
To enhance the journey rear passengers in the Cadillac have
all the newest infotanement equipment including the 12.3” reconfigurable
instrument cluster and the 8” touchscreen multi-media interface and
entertainment center by way of CUE (Cadillac User Experience) telematics,
innovation which brings intelligence to the interior. CUE incorporates OnStar
with Automatic Crash Response, navigation, weather reports, Bluetooth, climate
control, USB ports, and my favorite, Pandora Internet radio. The weather button
is detailed and precise and lists temperature hourly, daily or by each 36-hour
period just like your Weather Channel phone app. OnStar will also feature 4G
LTE and a Wi-Fi hotspot in future models. CUE does need a bit of work such as a
faster processor to make it a bit more user friendly. And we’re still mystified
as to why GM continues to go with a roof mounted DVD package which is not only
a relic, but takes space away for a potential sky roof. Cadillac added a 16-speaker
Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound system that is one of the best in the industry
and will leave you with an opera hall experience. “An exceptional level of
craftsmanship is found in the 2015 Escalade, and it all centers on the premium,
layered materials and extensive use of cut-and-sew live stitching – the way
fine furniture is produced,” said Eric Clough, director of design, Cadillac
Interiors.
Cadillac as always been far
ahead of most competitors on safety. Ten year ago I drove a Corvette in the winter with
Stabilitrak. It worked! Today Tadge at Corvette states he uses Winter tires and
he has no problem running the NAIAS CAR OF THE YEAR winner on the roads on snow
or ice. So if a Corvette can traverse this last winter with all the system them
and Cadillac have get serious the Escalade will move you around the USA with no
problem.
I remember being at the GM test
track and using their first magnetic ride control and also the first front end
crash avoidance system. I met with some of the engineers that developed the
systems and they were sure all future GM vehicles would benefit from the
technology.
Cadillac’s Magnaride or Magnetic Ride Control, the world’s
fastest-reacting suspension system, is standard, delivering precisely
controlled driving performance. And at its core, Escalade is an SUV with the
capabilities of a full-size truck, enabling a trailering rating of 8,300 pounds
on the standard model and an 8,100-pound rating on Escalade ESV. That’s more
than Mercedes-Benz GL550 (7,800 pounds), Lexus LX 570 (7,000 pounds) and Land
Rover Range Rover (7,716 pounds).
They were right! Now GM has
Driver Awareness Package and Drive Assist Package plus what I love adaptive
cruise control, forward collision alert, front and rear automatic braking and a
lot more.
Cadillac’s small block produces 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of
torque, 17 more horses and 43 more lb-ft than its predecessor. Off the line the
torque allows the driver to get to 60 miles per hour in under six seconds.
Amazing when the Escalade weighs in at 5,900-pound SUV. The new model Cadillac
states is the most fuel-efficient Escalade since the Hybrid model was
discontinued, thanks not only to the features mentioned above, but also active
grille shutters and other aerodynamic tweaks. In the short-wheelbase,
four-wheel-drive tester, EPA estimates sit at 14 miles per gallon in the city,
21 mpg on the highway and 16 mpg combined.
Cadillac expects pricing to
begin at $72,690 for a 2WD Escalade and up to $86,790 for a 4WD Escalade ESV
Premium. As my son states this is PRIMO! Pimp ride and all the stars will want
to drive it. He is right but the safety technology make this one of the best
vehicles outside GMC Denali and
Chevy Suburban.
At our Florida location Bruce Jr
and I towed a lot of boats with every manufacturers vehicles for tow boat and
other magazines. On the flat lands
of Florida many do well with gasoline enhanced engines. I believe that the
newest Escalades will handle any towing we need from Bradenton to Key
West. I hope they will follow my
suggestions for the last ten years and add as Fiat-Chrysler have done on Jeep
and their RAM 1500 a diesel. Why diesel. Towing first. Torque and longevity. At
Bosch we discussed the advantages and they are too log too detail
today.Volkswagen and Audi have proven that Diesel is an alternative to hybrids
and electric. They have been selling like hotcakes. For years I have praised
Diesel and many companies who stated they would never enter in North America
with a Diesel have now brought them here.
With all the technology and back
up cameras and surround cameras the towing of trailers, boats has become safer
and easier. The camera allows me to position the vehicle and trailer hitch so
quickly and with safety to the vehicle it is remarkable.
Competitors in 4 wheel
drive/all-wheel-drive would be the BMWx5 X drive,Infiniti Q70 AWD, Land Rover
Ranger Rover Sport, Lexus GX460 AWD,Porsche Cayene S, Mercedes ML 550 4 Matic,
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, and Lincoln Navigator.
Cadillac is winning more and
more customers daily. Their vehicles are amazing!
Bruce Hubbard
Bonnie Lynch
Brad Hubbard
JB Hubbard
AUTO ADVISOR GROUP
100 BEST DRIVES IN NORTH AMERICA
ROAD TRIPS
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