The 2018 Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury SUV that has a lot of capability and creature comforts, along with a few drawbacks. Its pricing is defined by four trim levels, of which any can be paired with four-wheel drive. Most of the available options are offered as stand-alone options rather than being part of packages.
Among the trim levels — base, Luxury, Premium Luxury and Platinum — even the base variant comes laden with features, including the same V8 and 10-speed automatic found in every Escalade. Also standard is an adaptive suspension, front and rear parking sensors, automatic parallel and perpendicular parking assist, a hands-free liftgate, remote start, three-zone automatic climate control, a heated steering wheel with power-adjustable tilt and telescoping, power-adjustable pedals, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated power front seats, driver-seat memory settings, heated rear seats and split power-folding third-row seats.
Given that the base trim's pricing is commensurate with the norms in its segment, it's not a huge stretch to the Luxury trim. This adds larger wheels, a sunroof, power-folding second-row seats, a head-up display and a camera-based rearview mirror system (the rearview mirror integrates the backup camera's display). It also adds a host of driver assistance features — a safety-alert driver seat that buzzes to warn of potential hazards, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning and intervention, rear cross-traffic alert, and forward collision warning and mitigation with automatic braking.
Our recommended trim, Premium Luxury, ratchets the cost up again by the same amount and adds adaptive cruise control, a rear entertainment system with a Blu-ray player and two overhead-mounted displays, and a more advanced collision mitigation system with both forward and reverse automatic braking.
Then there's Platinum, which gilds the lily with every conceivable creature comfort. It adds power-retracting side steps, upgraded power front seats (with massaging function), upgraded leather upholstery, a cooled front-seat center console, and two more rear DVD screens mounted in the back of the front seat headrests. It's a healthy jump in price over the Premium Luxury, though, so make sure its contents resonate with you first.
Among three-row SUVs, the Escalade skews more toward the workhorse set, what with its stout tow rating and somewhat trucky demeanor. That's not to say it isn't laden with luxury features because it clearly is. Whatever your sensibilities, if a 2018 Cadillac Escalade is in your future, Edmunds' premium shopping tools will help you find the perfect one.
2018 Cadillac Escalade Overview
The 2018 Cadillac Escalade is offered in the following submodels: SUV. Available styles include Platinum 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 10A), Premium Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 10A), and Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (6.2L 8cyl 10A). Escalade models are available with a 0-liter gas engine, with output up to 0 hp, depending on engine type. The 2018 Escalade comes with four wheel drive. Available transmissions include: 10-speed shiftable automatic. The 2018 Escalade comes with a 4 yr./ 50000 mi. basic warranty, a 6 yr./ 70000 mi. roadside warranty, and a 6 yr./ 70000 mi. powertrain warranty.
Is the 2018 Cadillac Escalade a good car? Edmunds experts have compiled a robust series of ratings and reviews for the 2018 Cadillac Escalade and all model years in our database. Our rich content includes expert reviews and recommendations for the 2018 Escalade featuring deep dives into trim levels and features, performance, mpg, safety, interior, and driving. Edmunds also offers expert ratings, road test and performance data, long-term road tests, first-drive reviews, video reviews and more.
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How can Edmunds help? Edmunds has deep data on over 6 million new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles, including rich, trim-level features and specs information like: MSRP, average price paid, warranty information (basic, drivetrain, and maintenance), features (upholstery, bluetooth, navigation, heated seating, cooled seating, cruise control, parking assistance, keyless ignition, satellite radio, folding rears seats ,run flat tires, wheel type, tire size, wheel tire, sunroof, etc.), vehicle specifications (engine cylinder count, drivetrain, engine power, engine torque, engine displacement, transmission), fuel economy (city, highway, combined, fuel capacity, range), vehicle dimensions (length, width, seating capacity, cargo space), car safety, true cost to own. Edmunds also provides tools to allow shopper to compare vehicles to similar models of their choosing by warranty, interior features, exterior features, specifications, fuel economy, vehicle dimensions, consumer rating, edmunds rating, and color
Is the 2018 Cadillac Escalade safe? The 2018 Cadillac Escalade earned a 4-star overall safety rating from NHTSA and "GOOD" ratings from the IIHS in the following caregories: and a JD POWER overall quality rating of 2.5 out of 5. Among Edmunds' many tools and resources for finding your perfect car are detailed safety ratings and analysis from NHTSA, IIHS, and JD Power, including overall ratings, frontal barrier crash ratings, side impact tests and crash ratings, rollover test results, roof strength tests, rear crash protection and head restraint ratings, side barrier ratings, combined side barrier and pole ratings, and more.
