2017 Cadillac Escalade

There are lots of technical highlights to the way the Escalade looks and goes about its business, too. LED head and taillights channel Cadillacs of yore without the kitschy overtones for an effect that is sophisticated and crisp from hood to tailgate. Unlike the outgoing Escalade, the big bruiser's look deviates a little further from the Tahoe and Suburban on which this Caddy is still based, although in profile the trucks are identical.

The biggest changes come inside, however, where a warmly sculpted look that wouldn't be out of place in a luxury sedan stands as a desirable counterpoint to the truck's sharply-creased body lines. Dripping with leather in even the base configuration, Escalades get more luxurious with each step on the trim level food chain until you get to the downright decadent Platinum flagship. Awash in semi-aniline leather trim and real wood, it can play in the big leagues up against long-time luxury leaders from Mercedes-Benz and Range Rover. 

All Escalades use an 8-speed automatic transmission that, in GM tradition, is silky-smooth in its operation.

Although the latest Escalade may tip the scales at 6,000 pounds, it can tug up to 8,300 pounds worth of trailer and it can storm from a stop to 60 mph in about six seconds (albeit not with a trailer attached, of course). That kind of thrust is about par with the optional engines on some competitors. 

Even though the Escalade utilizes a separate truck chassis and suspension that is not all that sophisticated on paper, the latest model's ride quality has been vastly improved thanks to standard Magnetic Ride Control dampers that use reactive magnetic fluid to adjust stiffness between gentle Tour and stiffer Sport modes. Opt for all wheel-drive and drivers don't need to plan ahead for slippery terrain. 

That said, the Escalade is far from sporty, and rivals like the Range Rover and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class feel more nimble and poised on curvy roads overall. 

Even the base Escalade's leather feels nice and hard-wearing, but stepping up to the Platinum's semi-aniline puts this SUV in an entirely different class. All around, Escalade's plastic and padded surfaces are a cut above the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Cut-and-sewn upholstery and trim materials, several different options for trim in real wood, suede accents, and nicely padded seats are designed to separate the big luxury truck from lesser siblings much more sharply than in the past. The available Kona brown interior is a certified knockout, and it feels even richer in the Escalade's quieter cabin thanks to pounds of sound deadening and Bose active noise cancellation.

In terms of roominess, the Escalade is hard to beat, although its solid rear axle design means that the rearmost row of seats folds flat but requires a higher load floor than in any rival. All three rows offer better room than ever, but the second row's heated individual bucket seats can feel narrow and a little thinly-padded over a long trip. The third row stows away and redeploys at the press of a button, but the second row must be raised by hand. 

Opt for the Escalade ESV and you'll benefit from the 14 inches added to the wheelbase and 20 inch overall length increase, all of which pays dividends inside to make this big SUV feel genuinely palatial. In all, the Escalade can carry up to eight passengers—and 15.2 (Escalade) or 39.3 cubic feet (Escalade ESV) of cargo behind the third-row seat. This grows to 51.6 and 76.7 cubic feet when the third row is folded, and a positively massive 94.2 or 120.9 cubic feet with both rear seats folded. 

With all that available real estate, it isn't much of a surprise that the Escalade offers stellar storage inside for smaller items. A big center console bin can hold a laptop or tablet computer and there are numerous pockets for items like pens, drinks, and notebooks.

In federal testing, the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon are rated at five stars for front and side impact ratings and they net a three star rollover score. The long wheelbase Suburban and Yukon XL, which share their structure with the Escalade ESV, scored four stars in the front impact test, five for the side impact, and three in the rollover test. IIHS, however, hasn't tested any of the SUVs.

Escalades include as standard an innovative airbag placed between the front seats designed to protect passengers from colliding with each other in a side impact. Automatic emergency braking is standard on all but the base Escalade, while adaptive cruise control, rear automatic braking, and automatic seat belt tightening are packaged together as an option for Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Platinum trim levels. 

One thing to note is that Escalades are often stolen. As a result, they're fitted with several levels of security that can sense can detect if glass is being broken or the car is being raised onto a tow truck. The systems can sound the vehicle's alarm and prevent it from starting or moving.

Even the base comes well equipped with the 420-horsepower V-8 and 8-speed automatic as standard, in addition to leather upholstery, wood trim, 20-inch wheels, heated seats and mirrors, a power tailgate, Bose audio, and Magnetic Ride Control. The driver can choose one of four themes for gauge clusters on a 12.3-inch display. And it's possible to recharge virtually any device with myriad power points and USB ports in the center console.

Stand-alone options include a dashing Kona Brown leather interior with beautiful open-pore wood, power running boards, and rear-seat DVD or Blu-ray entertainment systems based on the trim selected.

The Escalade doesn't use start-stop technology in its 6.2-liter V-8 to save gas, like some European rivals do. Instead, it relies on features like direct injection and cylinder deactivation, which effectively turns off half of the engine under light load situations like highway cruising. Grille shutters improve aerodynamics by closing at higher speeds, and weight is reduced with some aluminum construction. 

The rear wheel-drive Escalade is rated by the EPA at 15 mpg city, 22 highway, 17 combined—that's low, but not totally intolerable when you figure that this is about as big and heavy a vehicle as a consumer can buy. And it's better than the Mercedes-Benz GLS550 4Matic's 16 mpg combined. Opt for the all wheel-drive Escalade and the highway figure falls to 20 mpg. The EPA does not differentiate between the Escalade and the Escalade ESV.