Car Gazing
Escalade offers youthful, head-turning style and comfort
By Derek Price
Until a few years ago, hardly any young people wanted to own a Cadillac.
They were seen as cars for fogies – you know, folks who just don't buy
green bananas anymore.
All that's changed thanks to a monument of conspicuous consumption called
the Escalade. It started out as a rebadged, overpriced Chavy Tahoe with
softer leather, but buyers didn't care. They bought it like rebadged,
overpriced hotcakes.
Lucky for Cadillac, many of those buyers were not in danger of – how shall
we say this – kicking buckets or buying farms. Buyers were more likely to
be rap stars, football players, MTV beach bunnies, or the most common of
all: upscale suburban moms and dads who wanted to look like those
pop-culture idols.
Today's Escalade has come a long way from its roots as an expensive Chevy,
especially in styling and interior appointments, but it hasn't lost the
luxurious flashiness that made it famous. Gone is the Tahoe's bland front
end, replaced by an angular, aggressive look that fits better with
Cadillac's recent performance image. Think of it as a CTS on steroids.
Also gone is the original Escalade's thoroughly disappointing interior,
replaced by one that is only mildly disappointing. In terms of comfort and
features – like an available rear-seat DVD player, satellite radio, real
wood trim, and gadgets galore – there are no complaints. But chintzy hard
plastic and flimsy covers for storage compartments should be completely
unacceptable for a vehicle that can cost north of $60,000 with options. Base
price is around $54,000, still far from pocket change.
What that much cash will buy is the world's best drivetrain and cushiest
suspension in a luxury SUV. Its 345-horsepower V8 outperforms every other
SUV engine on the planet in a surprisingly quiet, smooth way, but it slurps
gas at an alarming rate – 12 miles per gallon in town and 16 on the
highway.
Then there's the ride – the sweet, supple, keep-Grandma-happy ride – that
makes the 5,700-pound truck float down the highway like it's rolling on a
bowl of Jello pudding. For long trips, few vehicles can provide such
complete isolation that makes you occasionally forget you're driving.
Many SUV drivers say they bought a big vehicle for safety – their own, of
course, not the poor soul who could get smashed by one. With this in mind,
Cadillac offers a dual-stage airbag system for both front passengers in case
of a collision. Minor accidents make the airbags deploy with less violence
than major wrecks, and the system can even sense the weight and presence of
a passenger to determine how best to protect them.
Also new for 2003 is improved brake feel and power-adjustable pedals that
can travel forward or backward to adjust for drivers of varying heights.
Power folding mirrors, tri-zone climate control, a redesigned instrument
panel, and GM's OnStar system all come standard.
Cadillac's most obvious competition for the Escalade is the Lincoln
Navigator, which was redesigned for 2003 with a handsome new body and
fabulous interior. While the Navigator beats the Escalade's cabin hands
down, Cadillac easily wins in the drivetrain and suspension departments.
Which one you should buy depends on what matters to you.
In any case, the Escalade is a worthy competitor whether you're Puff Daddy
or just a regular daddy.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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