From your imagination and above: Cadillac Escalade in the first test - voila! vehicle

2023-02-20T08:01:01.082Z

The new Cadillac Escalade arrives in Israel and offers an American experience in XXL dimensions. But its price pushes it to places where the manufacturer has to deal with the best of classical Europe

The Cadillac Escalade rises high above everyone, radiating the power and prestige of the brand (Photo: Walla! System, Rami Gilboa)

Price:

NIS 950,000

Score:

8.5/10

We liked:

dimensions, uncompromisingly 'American', interior space and accessories, engine performance, technology We

didn't like:

driving comfort on rough roads, fuel consumption, level of refinement in relation to the price

when you stand at the foot of the Escalade's hood , you no longer know who you are;

Did you suddenly become a rapper from Los Angeles?

Are you an FBI agent protecting President Biden?

What is clear is that it is difficult to compete with the 'arrival effect' of the Cadillac Escalade.

The Escalade comes to us about two years late, but when it lands here it is still up-to-date and very impressive.

With 5.4 meters between the fenders and a cubic body, the Escalade isn't trying to be politically correct, certainly not with the purring V8 under the hood.

Acres of chrome and metal, 22-inch rims, these place it in the category of American extra-extra-large SUVs like the Lincoln Navigator and Chevrolet Suburban.

But the Escalade has another weapon and that is the colorful Cadillac logo on the hood;

This is a logo that carries with it long-standing prestige, American pride known throughout the world.

Cadillac is one of the most desirable American brands, and it is the largest and most sophisticated (Photo: Walla! System, Rami Gilboa)

Design:

Escalade is designed with square and blunt lines, from its high nose to its vertical butt.

The front grill is huge, with the Cadillac logo emblazoned in the center and on the side small lighting units and vertical LED strips, a family characteristic of Cadillacs from recent years.

Despite the giant dimensions and the cubic structure, the design is not excessive and busy.

A black strip of windows stretches from the A beam to the rear door, the white roof 'floats' above it.

Escalade has an introverted silence that says: "With my size I don't have to make an effort" so it's not flashy, I liked it.

Virtual reality therapy: a treatment for coping with anxiety

in collaboration with zap doctors

A large and stylish cube.

The rear door opens electrically, you can only lift the rear window (photo: Walla! system, Rami Gilboa)

The black side steps open out as soon as you open a door, allowing toddlers and shorter people to climb to the high deck.

It is convenient for picking up the kids from school, and does not interfere with off-road driving - for those who will ever try to take this car down to technical terrain.

The trunk door is square and electric, carved and only the window can be opened.

Square exhaust pipes protrude from under the bumper, a promise of things to come.

In the United States, the Escalade is also sold in the ESV version, which is 43 centimeters longer, not here.

The leather armchairs are comfortable and sophisticated, but not perfect.

The OLED displays display a wealth of information, there are many physical switches.

In the central console, a small refrigerator (Photo: Walla! System, Rami Gilboa)

Passenger cabin:

The huge passenger cabin is also derived from the external dimensions.

Escalade is imported to Israel with four separate armchairs in the two front rows of seats, in the third row there is a bench with three seats.

The interior space is huge but in the end and despite massage and plenty of adjustments, the armchairs do not provide perfect ergonomic support.

The seating position is good but the monumental A-beam limits the diagonal-forward view.

The dashboard is dominated by a domed OLED screen with a total width of 38 inches;

Embedded in it are three separate monitors, colorful, sharp and fast response.

The selection of options will make the mind of any new driver dizzy, but I suppose that after a period of adaptation, you will learn to control some of the options. The Escalade has plenty of high-quality cameras (including an unimpressive night camera), and an excellent AKG sound system, which boasts 36 speakers and three amplifiers. There are even 4 microphones that increase the quality of communication between the front and back seats, which is fantastic.

Even with the 7 seats in place, a large trunk remains behind.

Two large tablets are installed on the back of the front seats. (Photo: Walla! system, Rami Gilboa)

There is full connectivity, charging sockets and air conditioners for everyone, and also 220 volts.

The Escalade allows control of the vehicle's systems with the help of the large touch screens, and physical switches are installed next to them;

The air conditioner alone gets a piano of 14 high-quality metal switches, but hey, at night it's hard to turn them on.

The central console is huge and inside it there is a useful cooling compartment, on the back of the front seats there are two 12.6-inch tablets for bored children, nothing is missing.

The dashboard is upholstered in leather, metal and wood, and all the seats are upholstered in leather.

It's very impressive and there's no reason to complain, but between us, and for a price close to a million shekels - I could have expected quality and refinement, how do I say it, a little more European?

The point is that the Escalade does not at all want to compete with the level of finish of the European aristocracy;

"I'm American" he states with confidence;

I have acres of leather and nickel miles, look what an engine!

The rear seats fold electrically, leaving a huge volume for the trunk;

722 liters with the 7 seats in place, up to 3,427 liters when all seats are folded.

Without supercharging or electric boost, the V8 engine is very powerful and pleasant, not economical (photo: Walla! system, Rami Gilboa)

Performance and fuel consumption:

The glory of the Escalade is under the hood, where a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 beats, delivering 420 hp and a meaty 63.6 kg.

It is a no-nonsense engine that accelerates the White Whale from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 6.2 seconds. The pedal response is not immediate, but when it understands what you want from it, it flies forward. The acceleration is strong and delightful, accompanied by a rough and forceful sound and a slight tremor in the wing, A big treat for piston lovers. The Escalade is not offered in a hybrid or electric version, but believe me, there is a lot of pleasure in handling this V8. Recently, a V version of the Escalade was introduced in the US with a supercharged V8, which delivers 682 hp.

A fun vehicle for family trips, with an off-road option for leisurely trails (Photo: Walla! System, Rami Gilboa)

The Escalade has a 10-speed gearbox that works just fine, although it's not very agile.

The truth is that when you have so many horses and ten gears, you don't need brilliant and agile performance.

The box has an L mode that allows manual control, effective mainly for braking while towing.

As a tribute to modern times, the Escalade is able to shut down some of its pistons, in order to achieve relatively good fuel consumption.

The official figure is 12.4 kilometers per liter but I was not able to get more than 7.5 kml, in a calm intercity drive around 100-120 km/h.

This is a relatively good figure, but it is very easy to degrade it - a few vigorous detours, a challenging mountain section, and you drop to the 5-6 kmpl region. The safety system includes everything you need - fully autonomous braking and lane keeping, warning of entering a dead zone, control Adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, and more. NHTSA rating is 4 out of 5 safety stars.

Comfort and handling:

The fifth generation Escalade got rid of the live rear axle, and now sits on four independent suspensions.

Add to that magneto-active shock absorbers and adjustable airbags, and you can expect a pampering British-style magic carpet.

The Escalade is very comfortable on quality roads, but it is less good on our torn asphalt.

The 275/50R22 tires transfer the regimentation and hazards of the asphalt to the chassis, and the ride is not entirely comfortable - especially in a disturbed urban environment.

10: The vertical LED lights in the corners of the body are a feature of the latest Cadillac models.

Only here, they are even bigger (photo: Walla! system, Rami Gilboa)

The combination of soft suspensions and a fast-reacting steering wheel requires a short adjustment period.

Very quickly you learn to be a minimalist in operating the steering wheel, and get into calm and relaxed driving, lazy 'cruising' like in clichéd American movies.

You relax in your seat, listen to good country music, watch from above the passers-by.

One can assume that this is how the Escalade will spend most of its life, but every now and then the demon will enter you.

In TOUR mode it will oscillate too much, then switch to SPORT.

The suspensions will stiffen a little, the body shakes will be reduced.

The grip of the tires is completely satisfactory, and the steering does its job;

With 2.65 tons there is nothing to talk about sporty driving, but the Escalade knows how to sew a mountain road at a pace that pleasantly surprised me.

The brakes don't like a fast pace so very quickly you return to pleasant and indulgent cruising, that's what this car knows how to do best.

We went for a walk in the pastures of the farm (photo: Walla! system, Rami Gilboa)

Off-road:

No one would think of challenging off-road driving with an Escalade, but sometimes you have to tour the expanses of a Texas ranch, or rescue a cattle wagon stuck in the mud.

The Escalade has an ocean of power, 4x4 drive, and even the option to raise the chassis - the basic 20-centimeter headroom will increase to about 22.5 centimeters.

Apparently it can make good progress in the field, but the weight, size, lack of power transmission and basic body angles do not encourage adventures.

I sampled with the Escalade leisurely trails and found that it irons the terrain quite well, although when the suspension is raised, it is quite stiff.

The traction control is not quick to lock a reluctant wheel, but it allows to overcome light crossovers.

I haven't tried more than that, I guess 99% of the customers won't try either.

There is nothing more American than this (Photo: Walla! System, Rami Gilboa)

Bottom line:

The Cadillac Escalade is an unusual and unusual vehicle.

It is an American product proud to be an extra-large SUV from suburban America, and it does not try to be anything else - not a refined European limousine, not a tough SUV, not politically correct.

His customers are not looking for European features, otherwise they would buy a Mercedes GLS or a BMW X7 (which are about NIS 20-30 thousand cheaper than the Escalade).

The Escalade is intended for customers who are in love with the Cadillac brand and the American way of life and are not looking for excess sophistication or urban elegance, energy savings or real off-road capability.

For their NIS 960,000, they will receive a bold design and an overwhelming arrival effect, a tremendous interior space, and yet, a unique and very pampering driving experience.