2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Review
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Review
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Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Strong V8 engine is never at a loss for power
- cabin remains quiet regardless of road conditions
- seating for up to eight passengers
- capable of towing up to 8,100 pounds
- Apple CarPlay phone integration.
Cons
- Less refined ride quality than some other SUVs in the class
- sheer size requires careful maneuvering in tight quarters
- high cargo floor makes loading baggage difficult
- driver interface isn't always intuitive.
What’s new
Following a complete overhaul for 2015, the Cadillac Escalade ESV gets only a few changes this year, including an enhanced CUE infotainment interface, a front-view camera and an available lane-departure intervention system.
Edmunds says
There aren't many luxury SUVs that can seat eight, tow a trailer and still have room for luggage. The 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV can do all that and more. It's the biggest SUV Cadillac offers, so if you have a large family and like tackling big adventures in style, this could be the SUV for you. Let's take a closer look.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Standard 4dr SUV (6.2L 8cyl 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.31 per gallon for premium unleaded in Ohio.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$297/mo for Escalade ESV Standard
Escalade ESV Standard
vs
$247/mo
Avg. Large SUV
Vehicle overview
When the Escalade debuted as a 1999 model, more than one critic suggested that Cadillac was trying to scratch an itch that wasn't there. But the luxury SUV market caught on, and the Escalade is still here. In fact, one version has grown into the extended-length 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV, an SUV that can serve as a plush, oversized minivan while simultaneously hauling a boat or camper. It's one of the few vehicles on the market with such a broad set of capabilities.
The Escalade received a complete redesign last year, its imposing size emphasized by blockier styling and more conspicuous flourishes. Inside, a sleek, modern dashboard layout distinguished the Escalade from its more openly trucklike predecessors. This year, not much changes, though Cadillac has updated its often-criticized CUE touch-operated infotainment system with a faster processor and a more accurate voice recognition system. There's also a newly available lane-departure intervention system, and this marks the first model year in which every Escalade ESV will come standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission that pairs with the strong 420-horsepower V8 engine.
There are some things we're not particularly fond of, however. The Escalade ESV's high cargo loading floor is an unfortunate legacy of its truck-based architecture, which is shared with full-size SUVs from Chevrolet and GMC. We've also found the Escalade's ride quality to be less than optimal, which can also be attributed to those rugged underpinnings. Then there's the ESV's size — it stretches almost 19 feet from nose to tail, 20 inches longer than the already sizable standard Escalade — which makes parking maneuvers even more challenging.
But the reality is that not much else can match the Escalade ESV's towing and hauling capabilities. The 2016 Lincoln Navigator L is the main option you'll want to consider. It rides better and has a roomier interior, but it's not as stylish. As for smaller competitors, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class provides a superior driving experience, better fuel efficiency and a more usable third-row seat, while the two-row 2016 Land Rover Range Rover pairs peerlessly premium brand cachet with serious off-road ability. But if a beefy SUV with all the trimmings is what you're after, this big Caddy should hit the spot.
We Recommend
All versions of the Escalade ESV come with the same powerful V8, sophisticated suspension and unmistakable styling. In order to get the best features on the inside, however, we suggest going with the Premium trim. You'll get the advanced active safety features along with a rear entertainment system and adaptive cruise control.
Performance & mpg
Powering the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV is a 6.2-liter V8 engine that produces 420 hp and 460 pound-feet of torque. Power flows through an eight-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels or to an available four-wheel-drive system.
In Edmunds testing, a four-wheel-drive, regular-wheelbase Escalade Platinum took 6.1 seconds to accelerate from zero to 60 mph, which is pretty quick for a big luxury SUV. Expect the larger, heavier ESV to be a few tenths of a second slower. Properly equipped, an Escalade ESV can tow up to 8,100 pounds.
Safety
Standard safety features on all 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV models include antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control, a surround-view camera system with a selectable front-camera-only mode, front and rear parking sensors, front seat side airbags, side curtain airbags, and an airbag located between the front seats that aids in side-impact crashes. Also standard is OnStar, which includes automatic crash notification, on-demand roadside assistance, remote door unlocking, stolen vehicle assistance and turn-by-turn navigation.
The Luxury trim adds automatic high-beam control, a blind-spot monitoring system, lane-departure warning and intervention, a rear cross-traffic alert system, a forward-collision alert system and a safety seat alert system that buzzes the left, right or both sides of the driver seat depending on where attention is needed. The range-topping Premium and Platinum models add forward and reverse collision mitigation with automatic braking.
In government crash tests, the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV received five stars for total side-impact protection.
In Edmunds testing, the regular Escalade needed 127-131 feet to stop from 60 mph. Those are relatively long distances by today's standards, even for such a large, heavy vehicle.
Driving
It wouldn't be an Escalade if it didn't have a brawny V8 under its hood, and the 2016 Escalade ESV proudly delivers. Mash the gas pedal and this big SUV easily accelerates to highway speeds. Steering effort is light at low speeds, which makes parking easier, although the ESV's massive size adds stress to any maneuvering in tight spaces. Surprisingly, the 2016 Escalade ESV feels solidly planted to the pavement when going around turns at moderate speeds.
Regardless of speed or road surfaces, the cabin remains blissfully quiet. Wind, road and engine noises are admirably quieted to premium luxury sedan standards, allowing for relaxed conversation between rows. The adaptive suspension is a bit of a letdown, however, as it fails to produce a consistently comfortable ride even in its default Tour mode. Perhaps it's the unforgiving nature of the available 22-inch wheels, but going over bumps results in tiresome impact harshness. The jiggles and shakes that result from the Escalade ESV's truck underpinnings certainly don't help the situation.
Interior
The 2016 Escalade ESV's cabin features an attractive, visibly contemporary interior design that's in line with the rest of Cadillac's offerings. As expected from an SUV of this size, passenger space is also generous. Full-size adults can ride comfortably in the front and middle, even on extended road trips. The third-row seat has 10 additional inches of legroom versus the regular Escalade, which should allow even tall folks to stretch out and avoid the "knees pushing toward the roof" problem we encountered with the standard Escalade.
One of the centerpieces of the Escalade ESV's interior is the CUE infotainment interface, set in a beveled pod in the middle of the dashboard. We find it aesthetically pleasing and are encouraged that Cadillac has taken notice of user complaints about the system's sometime balky operation in past model years, providing a faster processor and other upgrades for 2016 that are designed to make it more responsive.
In terms of cargo capacity, the Escalade ESV stands out with an impressive 39.3 cubic feet of storage behind the third row, 76.7 cubic feet behind the second row and 120.9 cubes with the second and third rows stowed. The rearmost seats fold away in a few seconds at the touch of a trunk-mounted button. On all but the base trim, the second row folds forward at the flip of a switch.
Accessing the cargo area is convenient thanks to a hands-free liftgate actuated when you sweep your foot under the rear bumper, as long as the key is within 3 feet of the vehicle. Loading items is hampered, however, by a high cargo floor height that makes it difficult to lift bigger, heavier items up from the ground.
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV models
The 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV is a full-size luxury SUV available in four trim levels. It can accommodate seven passengers with the standard second-row captain's chairs, and eight if optioned with the second-row bench seat. The shorter-wheelbase standard Escalade is covered in a separate review.
The base Escalade ESV is generously appointed with 20-inch chrome wheels, magnetic ride control with Sport and Comfort modes, automatic LED headlights, automatic wipers, front and rear parking sensors, running boards, a hands-free power liftgate, power-folding and driver-side auto-dimming mirrors, keyless ignition and entry, remote start, tri-zone automatic climate control, a heated power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, power-adjustable pedals, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated eight-way power front seats with four-way lumbar adjustment and driver memory functions, heated rear seats and split power-folding third-row seats. Standard electronic features include the CUE infotainment interface (with an 8-inch touchscreen), a surround-view camera system, a customizable instrument panel, a navigation system, real-time traffic and a Bose 16-speaker audio system with active noise cancelling, a CD player, HD and satellite radio, five USB ports and an auxiliary audio jack.
Stepping up to the Luxury trim adds 22-inch wheels (optional on the base), a sunroof, automatic high beams, power-folding second row seats, a head-up display, an enhanced alarm system, a blind-spot monitoring system, lane-departure warning and intervention, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision alert and a safety alert driver seat that buzzes to warn of potential hazards.
To this, the Premium trim adds cornering lights, a rear entertainment system with a Blu-ray player and two ceiling-mounted, flip-down 9-inch screens (offered as an option on the Luxury trim), adaptive cruise control and forward and reverse collision mitigation with automatic braking.
At the top of the range, the Escalade ESV Platinum adds specialized door sills, heated and ventilated 14-way power front seats (with four-way lumbar adjustment), massaging front seats, upgraded leather upholstery, a simulated suede headliner, a cooled front-seat center console and two more rear entertainment screens (mounted in the front headrests) with individual display capacity for viewing multiple videos when your passengers just can't decide on one.
Power-retracting side steps with approach lighting are optional on the Premium and Platinum trim levels.
Reliability Ratings by RepairPal
2.5 out of 5 stars2.5/5Average
#15 out of 20 among Luxury Fullsize SUVs
RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.
Cost
The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Cadillac Escalade ESV from 2008-2022.$851/yr
vs. $735/yr
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
Frequency
The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).1.65x/yr
vs. 1.83x/yr
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
Severity
The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).24.4%
vs. 16.5%
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
for Average Luxury Fullsize SUV
powered by RepairPal Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV.
5 star(32%)
4 star(4%)
3 star(18%)
2 star(5%)
1 star(41%)
22 reviews
Trending topics in reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
1 out of 5 stars
Last Cadillac I will own
22jrm, 06/16/2016
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)
Purchased a $90,000 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV only to find engine coolant on garage floor. Ended up finding out engine was sent out of the factory with bad left engine head. Ended up with motor of the Brand new engine stripped down to motor block in small town GM shop with parts laying all around to be fixed. Asked Cadillac to exchange vehicle since I will never trust this engine and … didn't not purchase used or refurbished and told warranty fixed it and that is all they will do. So I spent all this money to have a dependable family vehicle thinking I had the best customer support since it was Cadillac. I was wrong.
1 out of 5 stars
Cost vs quality, fitment=big disappointment,
Jim Hilbrant, 01/12/2016
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)
UPDATED 21 Aug 19: Nothing changed DO NOT BUY!!!~Having owned the 2007 ESV I thought long and hard about buying a new 2016. Keeping in context we have owned Lexus since 1990, total of five LS models over the years. Best single auto manufacturer in the world for quality, value, cost of ownership. Unless you need the size of the ESV for family, road travel, don't buy one. Your hard … earned $80K+ needs to go elsewhere because of the workmanship, quality issues. It LOOKS awesome, rides great, it is the fitment, vibration, flutter of plastic parts rubbing against each other that will drive you crazy. The center CUE had a vibration as if a wiring harness had been flopping around. The sunroof decided just this morning that something up in there, needed to be jostling around, and these things happen only when they want to. We have only owned her 3 weeks, she has 735 miles on her. We got her for the room, size to accommodate family. If LEXUS ever decides to make one similar in size, we are in.
Nothing in my review changes except that I will never own another. It is GM junk at the highest level. Last May 22, 2016 we finally got help from the BBB in Washington DC to help replace the original 2016 we bought in Dec. 2015. It took us 6 months to get rid of that pile of junk, replaced it with another pile of junk. Folks other than the dealer experience being so stealor and supportive, I will never own another. PERIOD. From problems with transmissionn shifting at times I cant understand, to the dye color of the leather already wearing away. Plastic parts look like wood and yet vibrate into a frenzy at times. Listen carefully, you do what you want. If you want to toss money into a pit loaded with stress and problems, then buy this thing. If you want to save yourself the grief, buy Lexus or something else. UPDATE: JUNK it is OVERPRICED JUNK Would love to sell it if you know of anyone interested. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING CADILLAC
3 out of 5 stars
Transmission shifting is still not great.
Griselda C. Gaytan, 03/22/2017
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 8A)
My husband and I have purchased brand new GM vehicles for many years now. Needles to say we have invested a great deal of money in our trucks and suvs. In 2015 we decided to purchase a 2016 Cadillac ESV because we liked the look of it. Well, not everything that glitters is gold, that's for sure!! Shortly after purchasing we started noticing the shifting was rough, the gears shift so … rough all the passengers feel the rough shifting especially when taking off and on and off during a ride. The roughness of the shifting gets worse after time. As the problem with the shifting gets worse and worse the truck eventually won't even turn on, it just goes dead. We had to use cables to start it up so we could drive it to the agency and hope it would not leave us stranded. We expected so much more from a Cadillac vehicle being that our investment was a total of 94,000 dollars. The truck has been in the shop a total of six (6) times and it almost feels as if I've been driving a loaner more than my vehicle. Our family loves to take road trips in the summer months but we we have not been able to take summer road trips since we do not trust this truck to keep our family safe. We have no faith in Cadillac products and will never, EVER invest in Cadillac again!! We contacted GM to informed them of our concerns and expected GM to stand by their product but the best they could do was inform us that the shifting pattern is a new one with these new Cadillacs and the customers are not used to it. Whaaat??? No vehicle that we have ever driven shifts as rough and in such unpredictable patterns as this Cadillac ESV. Plus every time we get our vehicle back and new parts such as , gear box, are replaced and computer is reprogrammed it rides much better but eventually the problem starts once again until it gets so bad it eventually goes dead again!
We will be trading this useless piece of JUNK for a real quality suv. Obviously GM does not care enough about their customers to keep them satisfied. Never Again!!
It's been a while since my first review and a lot has changed.
After filing the lemon law documents through the BBB and getting our lawyer involved GMC offered to exchange our vehicle for any other vehicle we wanted.
We paid a fee of approximately 10,000 dollars which in the lemon law is called a usage fee. The usage fee is basically what you have to pay for the time the vehicle was used based on a formula.
We chose another Cadillac Escalade ESV.
it was great at first but now just two months and a half driving the vehicle we are starting to notice the modulator acting up. We will be calling the agency to get it serviced. This truck is much, much better. We are hoping it just needs adjustment.
The interior assembly of this new 2017 model seems to be much sturdier since I don't hear rattling of panels like with the last one. It's too soon to tell though.
If you are thinking of spending high dollar on a luxury vehicle I don't recommend it. Try Lexus or Range Rover.
1 out of 5 stars
Buyer beware GM 8 speed transmission vibration
Scott Jetton, 10/17/2018
2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV Luxury 4dr SUV (6.2L 8cyl 8A)
We have had our 2016 escalade in the shop approximately 30 times in two years. The repair shop stated there is nothing further they can do and that the vibration is common in the 2016 8 speed transmission GM products. GM customer service has stated they would extend our warranty buts thats all they could do for us, since there were no technical services bulletins. Google search … reveals several technical bulletins regarding the transmission. The first two years my wife took her car in they never mentioned the transmission problem. The first time I took the car in and showed them the technical service bulletins they started working on the transmission. (funny) I made an attempt at letting them trade our car in on a newer model and reimbursing us for the multple repairs we made in attempts to correct the problem and the Service Manager for the Houston are (Jose) has informed Cadillac customer service that we do not have a problem
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV, so we've included reviews for other years of the Escalade ESV since its last redesign.
2016 Escalade ESV Highlights
Standard
Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee | $75,970 |
---|---|
Engine Type | Gas |
Combined MPG | 17 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $297/month |
Seating | 7 seats |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 39.3 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | rear wheel drive |
Warranty | 4 years / 50,000 miles |
Safety
Key safety features on the Escalade ESV include:
- Blind Spot Monitoring
- Lane Departure Warning
- Alarm
- Tire Pressure Warning
- Stability Control
- Pre-collision safety system
- Post-collision safety system
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriverNot RatedPassengerNot Rated
- Side Crash RatingOverall5 / 5
- Side Barrier RatingOverall5 / 5Driver5 / 5Passenger5 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront Seat5 / 5Back Seat5 / 5
- RolloverRollover3 / 5Dynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of Rollover20.3%
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