The Cadillac Escalade encrusted in chrome, endowed with thousands of cubic inches of displacement, it’s as close as Cadillac can get these days to a DeVille with four-wheel drive. This is, of course, a great thing. Some other luxury utes have faded into the woodwork, and others aren’t quite up to the most extreme tasks. GM makes the Escalade precisely for the folks who want everything of everything. They tow, they trailer, they tailgate, and they do not go quietly. Those drivers will find the Escalade to be more of everything this year. It is the Cadillac of GM SUVs, and that is no small thing. It’s quieter, it’s smoother, it’s more attractive, and it’s more fully equipped, just like GM’s other upgraded SUVs and the pickup trucks that spawned them. Of all of them, the Escalade has the most substantial standard powertrain and cabin and technology upgrades, as well as some truly swanky touches. Cadillac calls the Escalade’s new lines crisp, and more sophisticated. The more firmly pressed panels are handsome, but it’s the full LED lighting that creates the most effective drama, front and rear, from the vertically stacked elements on the nose to the rear LED taillights that soar up to the roof and illuminate the Cadillac wreath-and-crest logo.
