General Motors has just unveiled the 2015 Cadillac Escalade in New York City. It’s fully redesigned, yet all very familiar. The flagship SUV is everything you’d expect it to be.
While anticipated to be “less ostentatious” from the outgoing model and “more differentiated” from the rest of its K2XX SUV brethren, the 2015 Escalade is still very much a full-bodied flashy SUV with a pickup truck column shifter, which seems to stick out at us more than its otherwise fantastic looking interior.
At launch, there will be the standard Escalade, and the stretched ESV model, giving 14 more inches of wheelbase and 20 inches of extra length overall. The Avalanche-based EXT model is no more. Production begins in Spring 2014 in Arlington, Texas.
Under the hood will exclusively be the powerful 6.2L L86 V8 engine mated to a Hydra-Matic 6L80Â six-speed transmission, producing 420 horsepower at 5,600 RPM and 460 lb-ft of torque at 4,100 RPM. Both numbers are SAE certified. Magnetic ride control was also implemented to optimize ride quality.
As for the interior, Cadillac says the front seating area offers more than 1.5 inches (44 mm) more headroom and more than four inches (101 mm) of additional legroom compared to the outgoing models along with fold-flat second and third row seats, plus a segment-first hands-free liftgate includes programmable height settings.
Cadillac didn’t hold back on material usage, either. The 2015 Escalade outdoes its predecessors in overall fit and finish, ambient lighting, cut-and-sew stitching of the leather, suede accents, a reclining second row, standard heated and cooled seats, et cetera. As with the rest of the modern Cadillac Lineup, there’s the CUE system, and a 12.3-inch reconfigurable instrument panel.
For those that lack the proper skill to drive something this big, Cadillac has incorporated a suite of active safety technology. Systems such as Front and Rear Automatic Braking, which relies on short-range radar technology and ultrasonic sensors to help the driver avoid front and rear low-speed collisions via a progression of alerts that extend to complete braking, if necessary. Meanwhile, the Driver Awareness package includes Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning System, and the patented Safety Alert Seat, which offers directional vibrations to alert the driver about potential crash threats. A Driver Assist package adds Full Speed Range Adaptive Cruise Control, Front and Rear Automatic Braking, Automatic Collision Preparation and Automatic Safety Belt Tightening. Additionally, Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Lane Change Alert are standard on Luxury and Premium models. You get all that?
Also new is the segment’s only Front Seat Center-Mounted air bag, which first debuted in the GM Lambda crossovers, and is engineered to provide additional protection to drivers and front passengers in far-side impact crashes, where the affected occupant is on the opposite, non-struck side of the vehicle.
And because the 2015 Escalade is a body-on-frame SUV, the 5,603-6,086 lb vehicle can tow up to 8,200 lbs, or the equivalent of one owner’s ego.
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Comments
Im so relived i was a little worried because the gmc yukon and denali looks terrible but i wasnt sure if it was the thin headlights but now that i see them on the escalade it looks amazing. gmc should seriously consider changing their grill because thats what is making it look so ugly also i love the taillights. only if they had the side body trim like the 1st and 2nd gen without it it makes it look a little bland from the side but overall from the last generation especially its amazing!
column shifter -_-
really gm, really….
I like it! Not my kind of vehicle but its sweet. Only downside is perhaps the Volvo-esque rear lights.
Remember Mike….GM had them First on the Pontiac Transport and Volvo adapted them later to their Vehicles…….I think the are Soooo Coool!! 🙂
It still looks a bit thuggish compared to a Lexus LX 570 or the full-sized Range Rover (both of which would no doubt get cross-shopped with the Escalade), but it’s still quite nice. In particular, I’m glad to see the interior get upgraded significantly.
A column-mounted gear selector does free up a lot of space in the center console, and the only time I’ve ever seen one become an obstruction is the instance in which a friend of mine wanted to install a motorized sat nav screen in his Tahoe.
Besides…Rolls-Royce does it 😛
I think this Caddy is very cool
Good call on removing the 2nd row bench for independent seats.
Just Drop Dead Gorgeous SUV…..They Nailed it All except…. I was Really Hoping for a Bit more Powerful Engine, something in the Hood of about 450/480….to Separate it Even More from the Denali, also hope they do Drop a Diesel with the New 8, 9 or 10 speed coming soon……….What you Think gang? 🙂 🙂
Kyree what makes this car “thuggish”? Because its popular in black and hispanic communities?
I have mixed feelings about the new Escalade. I think it’s still the most handsome full-sized SUV on the market, but the latest design just doesn’t seem to have the same appeal that the last generation Escalade had when it was revealed. I know the boxy profile is a trademark of the Escalade lineup, but I think this model is a bit too close in appearance to the new Yukon. Plus the grille is just too garish, at least in my opinion. But again, it’s still quite attractive. And it seems as though GM just can’t design a decent rear fascia: I’m sorry, but these tail lights look totally out of place on this full sized SUV.
Now the interior is the real highlight. The cut-and-sewn, leather-stitched dash with the rich wood accent is to die for! Although I’m a bit skeptical in regards to the CUE system. I hope it’s been refined more. The rest of the interior features are pretty standard SUV but overall it’s laid out beautifully. I love the design of the new seats. It looks similar to the Elmiraj concept. And did Cadillac mention reclining 2nd and 3rd row seats with an optional heating/cooling function? That’s luxury!
But where is the 8-speed?!!!!!! I’m sick of that same old Hydra-Matic 6L80 6-speed trans! Reviews of this transmission have mostly been critical. We all know that 6.2L LT1 is one impressive engine, but this tired tranny won’t cut it! Get with it GM
Latest I heard was that GM and Ford were creating 9 and 10 speed transmissions. I am waiting patiently though
This truck is the best looking one outta the bunch! Except those dreadful tailights, but I guess there will always be one or two things wrong with any car, oh well. . .
I was really hoping for the TT 3.6L! Whatever, as long as GM puts a new 4.5 TDI in there I’ll be fine. . . .
EvenR……Don’t you think a 2.8 TDI is Way too Small for this???? I was looking at something more of a 4.5 TDI!! 🙂
Yeah, I’m sorry. I had a brain fart! I honestly don’t know what I was thinking (possibly the Colorado and Canyon). GM should seriously consider doing the 4.5L TDI. Maybe they can put the 4.5L TT V8 in the Escalade when it comes out (if it comes out).
Its a sexy suv no matter which way you slice it. I still think Chrysler make the best looking suvs… Grand Cherokee SRT8 and Durango. I do hope Cadillac offers a high performance version of the Escalade though.
None of these new trucks have done anything for me. They are all ugly. The Cadillac has the best interior and perhaps the best exterior, but “best” is relative. This is not drop-dead gorgeous at all. Somebody has claimed they “nailed it”. Nailed what? The lid of a coffin? I want to hear the rhetoricians, spin doctors, and zealots at GM claim that the Escalade market is “conservative” and will not respond well to revolutionary changes, as they have with the other set of garbage trucks they’ve put out recently.
I think this is the best looking out of the K2XX SUVs
This is the coolest SUV I’ve seen.