2018 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum Test Drive Review

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2018 Cadillac Escalade ESV Under the hood, you get the 6.2-liter V8 that
is putting out 420-horses and will tow 8100 pounds.
New for 2018 is a 10-speed automatic transmission.
My review vehicle is 4-wheel drive, but 2-wheel is available.
As you walk around the Escalade, you see an abundance of LED lighting, the signature bold
in-your-face grill, the 22-inch aluminum wheels, the hidden rear wiper-which is a nice touch
and bumper-to-roof taillights.The real story with Escalade continues to be the fantastic
interior and the luxury amenities.
Starting with the hand-sewn Maple Sugar seats with black accents that massage you, you feel
like you are in the lobby of a luxury hotel.
Everything within your touch is soft and supple; the new for 2018 center console is large and
has a built-in phone charger on top, and an electric cooler box inside that will hold
six bottles of water.
The cup holders are also cooled.
Once seated, you will see a HUGE 12-inch digital gauge cluster that is fully configurable.
If you look up, you will see a color heads-up display that even shows you the speed limit
where you are.
In the center of the dash, you find Cadillac's CUE system, which stands for Cadillac User
Experience.
It gives you Bluetooth, a suite of apps for real-time information, navigation system,
and you can operate the 16-speaker Bose stereo.
You can also enable a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot.
You can get real-time traffic & weather, hook up Apple Car Play or Android Auto.
My only complaint from behind the wheel is the antiquated gear shifter on the steering
column.
It just doesn't fit with the rest of the luxurious, upscale interior.
This vehicle is the top-of-the-line Platinum package that features almost everything as
standard equipment, including the 22" wheels, deployable running boards, power moon roof,
and DVD player with four screens.
You also get a heated steering wheel, pushbutton start and remote start, power adjustable pedals,
heated and cooled front seats, second-row captain chairs, and power hands-free liftgate
that you can activate with your foot.
I like that you can open the tailgate or just the rear glass from the key fob.
Both the second-row captain chairs and the third-row bench can be lowered with the push
of a button.
I also like the cylinder deactivation system that lets the big V8 engine run on 4- cylinders
when at cruising speeds.
I also really like the Driver's Safety Assist seat that vibrates when you drift out of your
lane and vibrates urgently if an accident is imminent.
This Escalade has GM's back seat reminder also, a terrific feature.
On the safety front, it has blind spot monitoring, forward collision alert, lane departure warning,
adaptive cruise control, and rear cross-traffic alert.
It also has the streaming rearview mirror that turns into a wide-angle camera, a nice
touch when you can't see out the back window due to people in the third-row seat.
The Escalade will also parallel park itself.The only option on my review vehicle is the $2795
performance front brakes, which will help you stop this 5800-pound beast.
The Escalade handles and drives really well thanks to Cadillac's exclusive Magnetic
Ride Control, and it is really quiet inside, but not so quiet you can't hear the rumble
of the engine that has become a trademark of the 6.2-liter.
With the new 10-speed transmission and cylinder deactivation, it's rated at 21- highway
and 14-city for a combined 17 miles per gallon.
This level of luxury comes at a price.
Base price is $99,085 and equipped like this one total MSRP is $103,185 with destination
charges.
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2018 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum Test Drive Review

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