2015 Cadillac Escalade Road Test

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2015 Cadillac Escalade Road Test

2015 Cadillac Escalade SUV

(6.2L V8 FFV 4x4 6-speed Automatic w/ Prod. End 10/14)

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Published: 05/14/2014 - by Mike Magrath, Features Editor

Quick Summary: The fourth-generation, 2015 Cadillac Escalade is all-new, but it's more of a subtle evolution than earlier redesigns. Compared to the Escalade it replaces, the 2015 edition has more power, a far nicer interior and a higher price. Sacrifices were made to cargo capacity and load height for the third row, which now folds flat. Full-time all-wheel drive has also been ditched for 2015. Instead, a part-time 4WD system is optional.

The 2015 Cadillac Escalade received an overall rating of B from our testing team.�

What Is It?
The 2015 Cadillac Escalade is a full-size SUV based off the all-new Chevrolet Tahoe that seats seven normally, or eight with the optional second-row bench. The Cadillac features a unique, unmistakably Cadillac exterior and an interior awash with leather, wood and high-tech features. The Escalade now starts at $72,690 for the well-optioned base model and climbs to $83,790 for the top-of-the-line 4WD Premium trim with four-wheel drive that we tested here.

Included in the Premium trim are amenities like a rear-seat entertainment system with a Blu-ray DVD player and additional safety and driver awareness features. Our test vehicle went a little further with optional interior trim, power running boards, optional wheels and more for a sticker price of $87,985.

See 2015 Cadillac Escalade Inventory in Your Area

Build and Price Your Car MSRP from $71,695

For those wanting even more space, a long-wheelbase Escalade ESV, based on the Chevrolet Suburban is also available. This XL Escalade adds about $3,000. Both the ESV and "normal" Escalade are available with optional four-wheel drive across all trim levels. The ESV is our pick for shoppers who actually plan to use the third row. The ESV drives nearly the same as the normal Escalade, but offers enough rear passenger room to be a truly useful seven-seater.

The Escalade EXT truck and the Escalade Hybrid have been discontinued.

How Does It Drive?
Look at the list of competitors for the 2015 Escalade and you'll see a bunch of fancy drivetrains. You'll see turbochargers. You'll see superchargers. You'll see overhead cams. You'll see transmissions with seven or eight gears.

The 2015 Cadillac Escalade has none of the above. What it does have is a 6.2-liter V8 and a six-speed automatic. Drive the Escalade for a few days, however, and you'll wonder why those other vehicles even bother.

The V8 cranks out 420 horsepower and a whopping 460 pound-feet of torque. That's not as much as some of its competitors on paper, but this motor has an effortless quality that is unlike the high-strung engines used elsewhere. The Escalade's 0-60 time of 6.4 seconds isn't quite as fast as the more powerful Land Rover Range Rover, but the Escalade never disappoints.

2015 Cadillac Escalade

The six-speed automatic shifts smoothly and quickly, even if it's down a gear to its competitors. There's also a tow-haul mode and a sport setting that add additional adjustability. We have zero complaints. Great powertrain.

Handling, as one might expect from a vehicle of its size, isn't particularly precise. It weighs 5,848 pounds, has massive 22-inch wheels with all-season tires and is a body-on-frame SUV with 4WD. This translates to steering that is often unnecessarily heavy and annoyingly slow in day-to-day life. Be prepared to turn the wheel a lot.

As for the ride itself, it's good for a 5,800-pound truck with 22-inch wheels. The ride is more surface-dependent than many other vehicles. Smooth pavement and low speeds? Beautifully smooth. Driving on cracked pavement or those fun little frost heaves that bisect most roads in the Snowbelt results in a thunk and a jiggle. This kind of behavior is very familiar to anyone already driving a truck or body-on-frame SUV, but won't meet the ride quality standards of anyone used to a more refined crossover.

Simply put, despite the fancy suspension, the Escalade's truck-based bones means it's not as controlled or as quiet as its main competition.

How Does It Rate in Terms of Interior Comfort, Refinement and Toys?
You can't judge the interior of the 2015 Escalade without reviewing CUE. This is Cadillac's touchscreen-based infotainment-navigation system along with a capacitive touchpad for heating, ventilation, etc.

This system has never been ideal, and isn't great here either. It's slow to respond, which often leads to pressing the same button multiple times to make things work. This lack of confidence means that basic functions like adjusting the fan speed require you to take your eyes off the road more than we like. Even the steering wheel controls are slow and lack any sort of confirmation.

2015 Cadillac Escalade

Our test vehicle had the optional $2,000 Kona Brown leather with jet black accents. The leather itself is lovely, but the seats are flat, featureless and have disproportionality short seat bottoms. On the other hand, the open-pore wood that comes with this interior is as impressive as any wood we've seen in a sub-$200,000 vehicle. We only wish there were more of it.

How Safe Is It?
The 2015 Cadillac Escalade has received five stars for side crash protection and three stars for rollover protection in testing by NHTSA. The 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, on which the Escalade is based, received five stars for frontal crash protection by the same agency.

Adding to the Premium-trim Escalade's safety cred are a litany of driver-safety features including dual-stage front airbags; head curtain airbags; side-impact airbags; an automatic collision mitigation braking system; automatic seatbelt tightening; adaptive cruise control; forward collision alert; lane departure warning; cross-traffic warning; and GM's OnStar suite including automatic crash response, emergency services and crisis assist.

2015 Cadillac Escalade

And while it's not directly safety related, the 2015 Cadillac Escalade has a dominatingly high seating position that allows a wonderful forward view as well as ultra-bright full-LED headlights. The brakes are solid as well, as the big SUV required only 131 feet to stop from 60 mph. There was some nosedive, but nothing dramatic.

What Kind of Mileage Does It Deliver?
The EPA says the 2015 Cadillac Escalade with 4WD will get 16 mpg combined (14 city/21 highway), but we managed just 13.9. Our best tank, achieved during our evaluation loop, was 14.9 mpg. We usually get EPA or better on this loop, which just shows this truck's aversion to inclines and stop-start situations.

What Are Its Closest Competitors?
Infiniti QX80: This less expensive option is worthy of consideration for its potent engine and towing ability, but third-row space is smaller than average. It does have a more engaging and carlike feel from behind the wheel, though.

Land Rover Range Rover: Notable for its off-road prowess and more luxurious interior, but comes up short in terms of cargo space, it lacks a third row and it's quite a bit more expensive.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class: Perhaps the only thing on the road with as much visual punch as the Escalade, the G-Class doesn't offer as many seats, but has more available horsepower.

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class: Residing at the top of the list of challengers, it benefits from a broader choice of engines including a fuel-efficient diesel option. The GL also showcases Mercedes' reputation for fine craftsmanship and quality. Similarly equipped, the Benz will set you back an additional $10,000 and feels like it The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class received an A rating from us.

Why Should You Consider This Car?
The 2015 Cadillac Escalade is currently the apex of American luxury. It's big, it's bold and it ticks all the boxes all the other lux SUVs do. It's got a fantastic motor. It'll tow a boat. It'll annoy your Prius-driving neighbor.

When your money's on the table, though, the only logical reason to consider the 2015 Cadillac Escalade is because you really, really want it and don't care about the cost. Can you put a price on having that face in your driveway?

2015 Cadillac Escalade

Why Should You Think Twice About This Car?
If you do care about the cost, however, there are better options than the new Escalade, some within GM's own stable. Consider the GMC Yukon and Yukon Denali. They have their own unique style and the same 6.2-liter V8, 22-inch wheels and fancy features as the Escalade. You don't get the Cadillac name, but you do get all the same capability for around $15,000 less.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.

Comments

jeffinoh Posts:

Apr 10

As well as US carmakers do trucks, this feels like a miss. Its obnoxious enough to sell, but the details are all just a little off. The taillights- yuk! And what's with the back doors??? A window, a fixed vent and a blacked-out pillar all in one small opening? Why didn't they just run the glass of the vent over the pillar, as on the rear quarter? Repeating details enhances consistency. It'll sell, tho, cuz its huge.

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kokomojoe Posts:

Apr 10

The body style is nice and should be adopted to the truck line.

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markinnaples_ Posts:

Apr 10

Not bad, but why is the rear floor flat only in the upper trim levels (if I read that correctly)? And, you left off the Navigator and the other GM sister models in the competitors section. We have an '08 Navigator and it's certainly the closest to an Escalade aside from the other corporate GM SUVs. Our Navigator is a worthy competitor to the Escalade and I really don't get the derision by Edmunds against them.

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patinthecity Posts:

Apr 10

@jeffinoh: consistency is for common design to please the masses. I've always noticed that design on higher price tagged anything always had a bit of an eccentric spin on it, not necessarily for outright good looks that would please the masses; more so to

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aston_dbs Posts:

Apr 10

Ah, the finger print magnet center console is a beaut, isn't it? A single look at the auto show is enough for me to skip this obsolete and over-rated behemoth...

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agentorange Posts:

Apr 10

Is there an option for a bigger grille?

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desmolicious Posts:

Apr 10

So, $85k for a creaky boat that makes you look like an airport limo driver? Sweet!

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themandarin Posts:

Apr 11

Gigantic truck leaves little hip room for front occupants due to even more outsized center console. They need to bring back the front bench option

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throwback Posts:

May 14

"Full-time all-wheel drive has also been ditched for 2015. Instead, a part-time 4WD system is optional." This is surprising, and I assume it was done for fuel economy reasons. How many Escalade owners will want a part time, manual 4WD system? These aren't Wrangler owners. Seems like step backwards to me.

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legacygt Posts:

May 14

I checked out this car (along with it's Chevy and GM siblings) at the NY Auto Show and, while I haven't driven any of them, found them to be competent updates in terms of appearance, features and comfort. There is one glaring flaw and it's in the cargo area. GM must have run some focus groups where they learned that people like a flat load floor when the seats are folded. However, they seem to have received this information AFTER the suspension, rear hatch, rear seats and interior floor were designed. The solution was to add a raised shelf on the floor behind the third row of seats. It looks silly to see this seemingly tacked on shelf in such an expensive car. It also raises the load height and decreases the overall usable height of the cargo area. The shelf has storage underneath but it's only a couple of inches deep so you're not talking about particularly useful space. Why does this matter? Well it's a very expensive vehicle (even in Tahoe and Yukon form) and you would like to see better execution of the interior packaging. And these cars are all about the cargo so the cargo area should get as much attention to detail as the rest of the car rather than be treated as an afterthought.

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bankerdanny Posts:

May 14

@markinnaples: I think they left off the Navigator because it's not very good competition. The Escalade has some luxury cred in the US and the Navigator doesn't. The top engine in the new Navigator is the EcoBoost V6, which pales next to the Escalade's LS

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kokomojoe Posts:

May 14

I think the GMC and Chevy versions should be the bases for the new pick up, it is a much nicer body style then they are using for the pick up now.

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dfelix70 Posts:

May 14

So, does that grille convert to a cooker during your rounds at the TX BBQ cook-offs?

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tourian Posts:

May 14

@throwback The AWD system did not have a low range which was deemed a disadvantage. The Escalade has more capability even if it will never be utilized by many of its owners. Which can be said for many Landcruiser/LX owners, QX owners, Range owners, etc e

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quadricycle Posts:

May 14

@tourian: The high floor is almost exclusively so because of that big axle, not what kind of fancy shocks it is running. GM had a choice (with that rear axle option) of having a low floor and a seat that doesn't fold flat like the last generation, or a hi

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legacygt Posts:

May 15

@tourian, clearly trade-offs were made. The problem is that the result thrusts those tradeoffs into plain view and makes the vehicle less useful. Some people actually buy these vehicles to use the vast cargo space they provide. The raised floor in the rea

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