Are you the type of person that thinks the Escalade is:

1)a "Suburban with a Cadillac logo"
2)a pretty cool truck made into a Cadillac even if it isn't a Caddy in the purest sense
3)an all out pure Cadillac Motor Division machine?

....personally, I think that even though it's a cash cow for GM, it's just another truck and when I see one, I know it ain't no Caddy! And now the ESV...how chincy can we get huh?

vote now!

*disclaimer: Escalade owners on this board, please take no offense....they are beautiful, just unoriginal

I agree with you Chuck.....Just another truck, Not worthy of the Cadillac name!

Im with kc. Its just like dressing up the suburban in my garage with some caddy emblems and a different engine.

Saw an Escalade EXT in the dealer showroon today when I got my radio re-installed. Guess how much....................77,000 dollars Canadian. It's a Chevy truck basically, and for that much I can get a decent house in the city!

They sell conversion kits for the older Tahoes and Yukons that make them look just like a late-90's Escalade.

I have heard that the suspension in the Escalade is nicer than Chevy or GMC, but I don't care how hard you try, something that top-heavy is going to have some ride issues.

The 2002-up Escalades are def. better than the late 90's ones. They were basically Denali's with a wreath and crest.

I still dont think that they can be THAT much better, that 20k more than a suburban is worth it. We have a suburban, and it rides great, and is good off road. I dont think they could make them ride much more without sacrificing off road performance.

As if a guy is gonna drive an Escalade off-road!! Thats why he buys the Hummer H2 :D and off-road for them is jumping a curb.

Most Escalade drivers think they're off roading when they hit the dirt that collects on the center line of the road! Hummer drivers are no better! These people don't buy these vehicles to go anywhere in, They just buy them to try to impress the neighbors for the most part! If they ever got a scratch in it, They'd shit their pants and run screaming to the nearest body shop!

I shit my pants just seeing dust on my car!!!

I generally drive so fast....I outrun the dust...LOL!!

The first generation Denali's/Escalade's were just rebadged Tahoe/Yukon's. Second generation (GM800 chassis) Denali/Escalade (these are the ones with the new front end) are far better from the ground up than gen.1. They are still basically rebadged Tahoe/Yukon's, but there were some nice "extras" added that seperate them from the lower priced trucks such as a 6.0 V8 and AWD rather than 4WD. I have a '01 Denali (I got a better deal on the GMC and I liked it's looks better) and the truck is fast ( I just smoked a '03 HD Chevy pick-up the other day), and it ride very nice. Are the changes enough to seperate them from their lower priced siblings? Yeah, I think so. The issue as far as I'm concerned is not whether the Escalade is "worthy" of being called a Cadillac, it's whether Cadillac should market a truck at all.

Originally posted by Katshot
The first generation Denali's/Escalade's were just rebadged Tahoe/Yukon's. Second generation (GM800 chassis) Denali/Escalade (these are the ones with the new front end) are far better from the ground up than gen.1.

Agreed!

I just dont like any of them, Escalade, Yukon, Tahoe, Hummer, Expedition, Excursion, Suburban. If you have some legitimate reason for having it, fine, towing crap i guess??. But if i see one more of these behemoths driving around with no passengers im gonna puke. Well i need it to drag my kids to soccer practice 12 times per year, so who cares about the other 10,000 trips i take by myself. Like no kid was ever able to get to soccer practice before the invention of the Tahoe. I went to practice in my moms Delta 88, and somehow survived to be a constructive member of society. Now we got a bunch of bad drivers in massive trucks and i hate it. These people pull out in front of you and cut you off, and they do it with a smile. Like they are invincible in their tank. I hate them I hate them I hate them. However, smaller suv's are fine with me:)

Pesonally, I like mid-sized SUVs the best. I use the hell out of my wife's Denali though. I have a big mat for the back, it has the battle scars back there to prove it, and the 3rd row seats are almost NEVER in the truck. What I could really use is a truck like the Ford Harley Davidson, but it's only 2WD and then I'd have to remove all the "Harley" crap on it.

Driving one of these monsters around without any legitimate reason? How about "I can afford it and I live in America" -- that legit enough?

I abhor SUVs as a detour in the advancement of automotive technology, but this is a Cadillac forum, and Cadillac has always been bigger, heavier, and thirstier than transportation need be.

Any Cadillac owner who decries "excessive" SUVs is a hypocrite.

As to Escalade's Cadillac-ness: Many of what we think of as quintessential Cadillacs have been built on standard GM platforms. It doesn't have to be exclusive componentry to be a true Cadillac.

A Cadillac must (a) be more luxurious than any other GM, and (b) be a clear reflection of the owner's unapolagetic success. By these standards Escalade is without a doubt worthy of its badges.

Indeed, consider that SUVs are today's aspirational automobiles, and consider that Escalade is about the most imposing statement in the luxury SUV market. Escalade is more Cadillac than anything else in the inventory.

.Jinx

Originally posted by Katshot
. What I could really use is a truck like the Ford Harley Davidson, but it's only 2WD and then I'd have to remove all the "Harley" crap on it.

While you're at it take all the Ford crap off too!.....But seriously, I always thought that was a stupid yuppie toy....Ford /Harley-Davidson Truck......Pathetic.

Originally posted by kcnewell Ford /Harley-Davidson Truck......Pathetic.

Yeah too much for that truck and you know they ain't never gonna put their bikes up there. But honestly Katshot you could buy one of the other SuperCrew Fords with 4x4 and still be cheaper than the "Harley"Truck.

You want some serious fun Kat, get a Lightning. I think they 400 HP this year. You can put your bikes or ? on there! (sorry KC, I guess I still have a soft spot for F****).

I LOVE the Lightning. The problem is, I need more than a 2-seater. That's why the Harley truck is perfect for me. All the power of the Lightning, AND a back seat!
Mad'lac,
That's my problem, I want a Lightning with 4-doors and AWD. THAT would be my dream daily-driver vehicle. Then I could have the FTS for the weekends/special occassions.
KC,
I KNEW I'd get you with the comment about the "Harley crap" ;)

Jinx : Driving one of these monsters around without any legitimate reason? How about "I can afford it and I live in America" -- that legit enough?

Actually no, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt have the right, i never said anything about stopping people. i just wish people would make the choice to buy something else. As far as being a hypocrite, my SLS is averaging 23.7 MPG currently, which is about 10 mpg above an escalade. Actually mpg is not my main problem with big SUV's

Originally posted by Katshot

I KNEW I'd get you with the comment about the "Harley crap" ;)

I just think that those Harley-Davidson trucks are Soooooooooo tacky! I'd strip the Harley stuff off of it too. Of course, I don't wear ANYTHING that says Harley-Davidson on it nor do I have any of the lameass window decals on my vehicles or any of that stuff. I ride one of their motorcycles....But I'm not a billboard.

Originally posted by Brett
Actually mpg is not my main problem with big SUV's

Mine either, I just think that the average dunce buys them because everybody else does. I think they're pretty stupid for the most part (with the Cadillac offering being the cheesiest) but this is America and you have the right to do as you please and drive what you want. If you want to be a sheep and drive what everybody thinks is hip right now....Knock yourself out! I'm not one of the "Sheeple" I'll continue to do as I please with no regard for what anybody else thinks!

Lemmings!
(did I spell that right?)

Yes!

Hey Katshot this is the supercharger you would need for that SuperCrew 4x4 to have the same power that a Lighting produces.

http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLine/Products/AMS/SC/SCK/300-520.html

My friend in Florida put it on his Expedition and he loves it. Nothing like watching his kids sinking into the backseat when he hits the skinny pedal.

Sounds good but I don't even want to know what it costs.
Not to mention in light of some of the 5.4 problems lately, I'm not likely to choose it as a candidate for supercharging.

Originally posted by Brett
As far as being a hypocrite, my SLS is averaging 23.7 MPG currently, which is about 10 mpg above an escalade.

And about 23mpg below a Civic Hybrid. And way below a Honda scooter.

But it's not about the gas mileage, is it?

Just be happy with your well-deserved smug superiority for your better-engineered more-efficient but still plenty excessive personal transportation and fashion statement.

It works for me. :)

.Jinx