I just sold my 02 Explorer Sport Trac (great truck!) but now I am looking for something a little more comfortable/quiet/smooth/luxurious/nice looking/etc. It looks like the Escalade will fill the bill quite nicely, but how do they truly ride? How quiet? How dependable? I have also been thinking about a Navigator or even a c230 kompressor 4 dr. Let me know your thoughts! I'm married and have 2 kiddos.

I had many Suburban's and a few Escalade's, the ride is very good, almost like a Cadillac ;) I have two 07' Escalade's at this time and drive them from Montana to PA and from PA to NY state, very dependable, if they weren't I would be driving something else. I know I can get Lincoln's cheap, my neighbor and good friend has I believe 7 dealerships, but the Navigator is underpowered IMO.

I just sold my 02 Explorer Sport Trac (great truck!) but now I am looking for something a little more comfortable/quiet/smooth/luxurious/nice looking/etc. It looks like the Escalade will fill the bill quite nicely, but how do they truly ride? How quiet? How dependable? I have also been thinking about a Navigator or even a c230 kompressor 4 dr. Let me know your thoughts! I'm married and have 2 kiddos.

Escalades ride nice, provided you don't have 24s or larger or a lowered suspension (makes the road a little rougher) - I run 20s. The interior ride is quiet (at least it is in my '04). And as far as dependable, I haven't had a mechanical or electrical problem... yet. I drive a lot of city and highway miles in South Texas (heat, dust, high speed) and it performs very well. In Texas, every other vehicle is a huge SUV or pickup truck, so having a few thousand pounds of steel strapped to your ass is a mandatory safety feature.

The Nagrivator is underpowered, doesn't feel as nice to me as the Escalade (inside and ride), and the latest model is, frankly, UGLY! I'd say pass, unless you like it and you can get a very good deal on it.

The Mercedes sedan is a nice ride. The big (obvious) difference is that it's a sedan - less room, less towing capacity, smaller, less road-visibility (others seeing you, that is). The benefits are speed, maneuverability, in general sporty nature, and an all-around fun car. Putting 2 kids in there would leave little room for anything else.

My 2 cents.

-E

I just recently purchased an 03 Escalade and now that I have a little over a thousand miles of driving it, I'm hooked. You won't even want to drive anything else. Most people I talk to who have Escalades usually either get rid of them, only to get another one. The power these trucks have is incredable, espically on the highway. Take one for a test drive and you'll never look back!

Test drive both the Navigator and the Escalade. I hear the Navigator is quiet and smoother - but I really don't know that as a fact. The power off the line in the Navigator is the same as the Escalade - but once moving, the Escalade is noticeably more powerful. You should definitely test drive both to see what you like better.. The Escalade turns heads more than the Navigator.

Sal, what Navagator were you driving? it's over 100 hp less than the Escalade and weights the same, I have driven two 08' Navagator's and they were dog slow.

I love my Escalade. Love it so much, I had to buy another!! :thumbsup:

Sal, what Navagator were you driving? it's over 100 hp less than the Escalade and weights the same, I have driven two 08' Navagator's and they were dog slow.


I think the original poster is considering a pre-2007 model. Nonetheless, the 02-06 are still more powerful than the Navigator.

I got out of my 2003 Escalade, and got right into my friends 2003 Navigator with almost the same mileage on it as my Caddy. I HATED the Navigator. It was loud, slow, and the ride was abomitable compared to the Escalade.

I rented an 07 Navigator earlier in the year for a one way rental to DFW when I bought my Concours. It was a mix of Interstate, city, and rural hwy driving, about a 6 hr drive overall. The Navigator is nice, but I like the Escalade much better.

The Navigator did not seem overly noisy to me, but I'm usually on the phone or have the stereo cranked -- so I don't pay a lot of attention usually. It was probably a little quieter than my EXT.

As I remember it, the ride was similar to my EXT, but not quite as good. The Escalade has a LOT more power. Not sure on the HP difference (I'm sure the Nav is 300+), but the 345HP Vortec just has much better performance. The Nav seemed much closer to my 285HP Avalanches in terms of performance.

The Nav's interior is either love it or hate it with the chrome waterfall dash, goofy 1969 Galaxie 500 style square block instrument panel, etc. The Escalade's interior is much more traditional. I like everything about it better except for the cupholders, which are terrible IMO.

The Navs have way more toys on them than the 02-06 Escalades: power hatch and running boards, power 3rd row seats that fold flat (which is NICE), much better stereo than the Escalade's Bose system IMO, and that's just what I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure the '07 Escalades have much more available on them.

Either vehicle would ride much smoother than any Explorer. As far as a C-Class, that's about as far on the other side of the spectrum as you can get. As was said before, you're not going to get much in it if you've got 4 people in it (road trips for instance). Personally, I would rather have either a Nav or a Lade vs. a C-Class.

Mike

If you are thinking of a pre-2007 C-Class, forget it. I get a loaner when I bring my MBin for service and it is usually a C-230 /Kompressor and I can tell you they are not that good. It is okay if it is a commuter car just for you. Family vehicle? no way. Too small and under-power when you have 4 people in it.

Btw the C-class is indeed reliable. It is the ML class that is bad.