The Cadillac Escalade isn’t much of a thoroughbred. It was born from platform sharing years back, with little to no differentiation. However, the luxury SUV gained a foothold in the segment during the boom of sport utility vehicle in the early 2000s.
Flash-forward to 2016, and the Cadillac Escalade is now the brand’s biggest seller, and most profitable model, despite throwing brand president Johan de Nysschen’s strategy out of the window. For a short period, it was even uncertain if the Escalade would continue on, but de Nysschen will continue to adapt his strategy around the successful step-child.
According to The Detroit Free Press, de Nysschen has embraced the Escalade’s success, and the body-on-frame SUV will see all the attention deserves in the future.
“The Escalade must become more sophisticated and technically advanced, more detail oriented” in its interior design and materials, he said. “We can do all that with a body-on-frame architecture.”
We’ve already heard whispers of a six-figure plus Escalade, pushing the luxury SUV into a higher realm to command even greater transaction prices, and even an Escalade-V with 6.2-liter LT4 V8 power.
Long story short, GM knows how to build a damn good SUV, and if the luxury buyer at large thinks the Escalade exudes exactly what they want, Cadillac is going to continue doing its best to make sure the SUV stays relevant with the crowd it so badly wants to court.
Comments
This philosophy should apply to all Cadillacs, and success will come by itself
The Escalade and the SRX (XT5) are the shining lights in the Cadillac lineup right now and absolutely they should be given special attention.
A trim level above the ‘Platinum’ and ‘V-Sport’ is needed for all models.
I’m amazed that they sell this vehicle with a solid rear axle also found in a rudimentary pick-up truck on which it is based. The so called sophistication might be finally having a proper independant rear like everybody else.
More likely than not most of these have some kind of air ride system as part of their stability control, making IRS not as necessary. If they do go the IRS route, it has to be beefy enough to haul as well as its solid-axle counterpart. Otherwise it’s sophistication for the sake of sophistication.
Agreed. Like with all components and systems there are advantages and drawbacks to everything on any vehicle.
I would like to see an IRS used for the added space and ride quality but there are a lot of customers that actually use this vehicle to tow more than 5000lbs. and Cadillac should not alienate them.
Nope not just for sophistication. IRS allows more room and will enable the Escalade to have a third row that can actually accommodate adults!
The Lincoln Navigator has had an IRS for years yet has a 9000lb towing towing capacity with the 3.5 V6.
That’s a fair point.
Along with IRS Cadillac should add in a more powerful V8 engine and put the transmission selector on the centre console instead of the column.
The biggest downfall in having a 3rd row in the Escalade is that your left with no room for anything behind that 3rd row of seats . That should be left to the ESV model .
Cadillac needs to be careful with what they do here . The Escalade for the time being is their halo car . I can see them making a specialty model higher than Platinum with a $100,00.00 price tag as long as they continue withe the regular version . And I’m glad Johan doesn’t try to fold it into their XT….. whatever . The Escalade name has the image Cadillac needs . I’m sure the head designers argued the point to leave it be . This model is what they have wanted to be able to build for some time . In the next couple of years the content , suspension and powertrain will be exclusive to Escalade . That will help in distancing itself from GM’s other full size SUV’s .
The Escalade, as I”ve said for years – the one cvehicle in the cadillac line up that is nothing more than what Cadillac did in it’s hey day; Big, Brash, stylish, Opulant, Powerful…the end.
Now if GM would go ahead and give us a near carbon copy of the Elmiraj and Ciel, they’d be pleasantly surprised to find that Cadillac would really start to make moves in it’s market segment.
Stop with the “entry” BS. Stop with the Euro wannabe stuff. Make a high-tech, modern, American focused Cadillac!
The Escalade, as I’ve said for years – the one vehicle in the cadillac line up that is nothing more than what Cadillac did in it’s hey day; Big, Brash, stylish, Opulent, Powerful…the end.
Now if GM would go ahead and give us a near carbon copy of the Elmiraj and Ciel, they’d be pleasantly surprised to find that Cadillac would really start to make moves in it’s market segment.
Stop with the “entry” BS. Stop with the Euro wannabe stuff. Make a high-tech, modern, American focused Cadillac!
You are right in some regards. Big, Stylish, Opulent and Powerful will always sell in the premium luxury segment but there is more to consider.
Cadillac still has to get more clients to try it’s brand and right now the growing segments are crossovers (subcompact, compact and midsized). Doing only big vehicles will not grow the brand and will only cater to a ever dwindling niche.
Also doing an ‘American focused Cadillac’ will not make the brand desirable to the world and that would hurt sales in key future markets (read China and Europe).
Like it or not Cadillac is a global brand and has to think that way if it wants to survive another 100 years.
If Cadillac only did American focused vehicles that would hurt them long term and not give them a lot of room to grow the brand.
Every luxury car brand realizes that they have to sell world wide to not only survive but thrive.
Please move the gear selector from the column to the console.
all that would gain is reduced storage space in the console, doesn’t take up any room on the column
@ Ed
Absolutely Not, GM should keep the column shifter, maybe replace it with a shift knob (like fiat ram) or a push button shifter (like Acura TLX) but to the right of the steering wheel.