Rappers and reality TV heroes who I'm not familiar with at all, rejoice! Here's the new 2015 Cadillac Escalade! Yes, 22-inch wheels are available, there's plenty of space for your stuff, hitting a deer shouldn't be a problem, and it's very manly.
After yesterday's leak, GM released all the information about the 2015 Cadillac Escalade. I'll hit you with some numbers in a second, but first, forget all the LEDs up front, as what's inside is the best news:
Sure, it's still no S-Class, but what do you expect from a truck wrapped in leather? You get a quieter cabin thanks the new, stronger body structure, enhanced sound deadening and Bose's Active Noise Cancellation technology. There's real wood combined with cut-and-sewn materials all around.
The 12.3-inch center digital gauge cluster features CUE for the first time, with an eight-inch center screen using capacitive touch technology and gesture recognition, enabling tapping and swiping common to smartphones and tablets. CUE uses proximity sensors to activate common options and controls as the user’s hand approaches. It also has voice recognition.
Heads-up display and a Blu-Ray DVD rear entertainment system with a nine-inch roof-mounted screen (or two nine-inch screens on Escalade ESV) will be optional.
The seats are more comfortable, too. Cadillac uses dual-firmness foam to make long trips more enjoyable, while the front seating area offers 1.5 inches more headroom and four inches of additional legroom. The second- and third-row seats fold flat. Heated and cooled seats are standard in front and second-row buckets have standard heat. The available second-row bench has heated outboard seats.
The 2015 Escalade is a brand new truck, which means it comes with an upgraded 6.2-liter V8 with direct injection, cylinder deactivation, continuously variable valve timing and an advanced combustion system, all resulting in 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque in both the 2WD and 4WD drivetrains. The variable-assist power steering system is also standard to improve fuel economy.
Power goes through a Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission and a 9.5-inch rear axle with a standard automatic locking rear differential. Magnetic ride control is standard with the Tour and Sport modes.
The extended-length ESV offers a 14-inch-longer wheelbase and 20 inches more in overall length, which is great news for third-row passengers, and also provides 60 percent more cargo space behind the third-row seat than the Escalade.
With all that power and weight, a high level of safety is expected. Cadillac's answer is a a fully boxed frame composed of more than 75 percent high-strength steel, coil-over-shock front suspension and five-link/coil-spring at the rear, a stability control incorporating tow/haul mode, auto grade braking and hill start assist, new disc brakes with rotors offering up to double the service life and a front seat center-mounted air bag for additional protection.
For more dough, there's more gadgets. The "Driver Awareness" package includes forward collision alert, lane departure warning system and the safety alert seat, which vibrates your butt to alert about potential crash threats. It also 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. So, you get lots of alerts for your dollars.
To fix another problem with the current car, Cadillac also fitted the 2015 Escalade with an intrusion, inclination and glass breakage sensors. Along with triggering the vehicle’s alarm systems, they also shut down key control systems to make it almost impossible to start or move the vehicle. We shall see if "almost impossible" is enough.
So, now that you know everything (apart from the price), is it a yeah or a meh?
Photo credit: GM