Subtlety is not an option on the 2007 Cadillac Escalade, which has turf to defend as the king of SUV bling. GM’s flagship SUV retains its bold grille and gets a smoother look with all seams and gaps narrowed. Tailights are transformed into a vertical strip of bright LEDs.
An SUV-as-villain perception and climbing gasoline prices have caused a serious drop in large-SUV sales, but that may be less true of luxury SUVs. For buyers of $60,000 vehicles, routine $85 fuel bills aren’t a big issue. The new Escalade has an enlarged 6.2-liter pushrod V8, and horsepower and torque figures well over 400. Yet it claims fuel-economy advantages over competitors. (Compared with Escalade’s 19 mpg EPA highway estimate, I got less than 14 mpg on a freeway trip. I drove in tandem with an Audi Q7, which scored 20.4 mpg.)
Escalade’s new interior features a rear-seat video screen, and heated and cooled seats. Richly finished fabrics add panache. My test vehicle was a stunning dark blue with bright chrome accents, a neat departure from the black that seems standard among the football and rap stars who’ve made Escalade their cult favorite. They add huge chrome wheels to personalize the ride. But, as if to show how “with it” Cadillac is, the new ’Slade comes with 22-inch chromed aluminum wheels.
The Specs: 6.2-liter aluminum pushrod V8 engine; 403 horsepower at 5,700 RPMs, 417 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 RPMs; six-speed automatic transmission; all-wheel drive; length 202.5 inches, wheelbase 116, width 79, height 74.3; curb weight 5,777 pounds, towing capacity 7,400.
Strong Points: Striking appearance with a “smoothed-over” redesign; greatly stiffened new platform improves handling and safety; 0–60 acceleration in 6.4 seconds; stylish interior.
Weak Points: Real-world highway fuel economy is closer to 14 mpg than to the EPA-estimated 19 mpg.
Competition: Audi Q7, Mercedes GL, Mercedes R-Class, Lincoln Navigator, Lexus LX470, Infiniti QX56, Range Rover.
Base Price: $54,945.
