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God help us, we like the look of the big, old beast. The Platinum brings a unique front grille, headlights and wheels to the Escalade.
General Motors Corporation
Seen here, the absolute polar opposite of Cadillac's recent German sport-sedan thinking.
General Motors Corporation
The Escalade's interior is already pretty nice for a truck, but the Platinum smothers it in tasty chocolate-color, French-seam leathery goodness.
General Motors Corporation
Note: Not a significant amount of actual platinum was used in the construction of this vehicle. The wood veneer is nice, though.
General Motors Corporation

2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum

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What is it?
2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum

What's special about it?
We know that by the conventions of automotive-enthusiast publications, we're not really supposed to like the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum edition just unveiled at the Miami auto show and soon to make an appearance at the L.A. show as well.

But we actually kind of like the fully pimped Escalade, even if the only changes to the vehicle are cosmetic and the price premium will be substantial. How much? Well, Cadillac ain't talking. But given the level of special equipment, we'd say it'll be more than the price premium charged for Platinum versions of other Cadillacs. Figure a standard-length Platinum (the Suburban-length ESV model will also be offered as a Platinum) will set you back about $76,000, or roughly $8,000 more than a standard Escalade.

This is not the first time Cadillac has offered the niche-within-a-niche Platinum getup for its models. There are versions for the XLR convertible, DTS luxo-barge and STS sedan. Like those models, the Escalade version comes with a dressed-up interior, including French-seam leather trim plus special wood and aluminum trim. The package comes with a number of standard luxury doodads and features, such as a power liftgate, heated and cooled cupholders and a heated steering wheel. And because one video screen just isn't enough these days, the Platinum comes with a screen mounted on the backside of both front-seat headrests. Passengers in different seats can watch or listen to different entertainment choices.

Unlike the other Platinum-series vehicles, the Escalade Platinum has a few semi-significant styling changes. The front grille now mimics that of the new CTS sedan, with a crosshatch pattern and a second grille beneath the front bumper. And we must admit, it looks pretty good. If you're going to go big, you should go really big.

The Platinum version also comes with 22-inch wheels designed exclusively for this model. The vehicle goes on sale as a 2008 model in the spring. But if you can wait until the summer to get yours, you'll also get standard LED headlamps. This makes each headlamp cluster look like a box of lightbulbs — but in a mostly good way.

What's Edmunds' take?
Shouldn't every Escalade be a Platinum edition? — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit