Cadillac Escalade. Escalating pathos
The Cadillac Escalade is a premium full-size four-wheel drive SUV produced since 1998. There are rear-wheel drive models, gasoline, diesel and hybrid versions, and the Escalade Hybrid is the world’s first full-size SUV with a hybrid engine.
The Escalade is General Motors' first major entry into the SUV market, and a forced one. In 1998, Ford released the Lincoln Navigator, which captured the imagination of motorists with its size and splendor. In addition, Europe threatened to attack America with an ultra-luxury Mercedes GL and Range Rover, and Japan was preparing to release a magnificent Lexus LX. Having mobilized all of its resources, GM rushed to assault the premium SUV segment like a fortress. Hence the name of their off-road vehicle, for the ‘escalade’ is a direct attack of a high fortification in military tactics at a time when fortresses were still being conquered in battle.
‘When you rolled up in the Escalade’
The first Escalade was unveiled in 1999. GM was in such a hurry to get into a competitive battle that it took only ten months to go from idea to model. But in the end, the first generation Escalade was just a bigger GMC Yukon Denali with an Escalade badge and a few premium features. Nevertheless, people noticed it and began to wait for what would happen next. And a year later, as a result of revision, the very legendary Escalade appeared.
The initial idea was to create a worthy competitor to huge luxury SUVs from around the world was executed brilliantly, but GM hardly expected the Escalade to become such a significant phenomenon not only in the automotive universe, but throughout the modern world. In terms of the level of pathos and the number of memes, the Cadillac Escalade has very few competitors.
According to music content aggregator lyrics.com, since 2002, the name ‘Escalade’ has appeared in the compositions of contemporary artists more than 500 times. The Internet Movie Cars' database contains a record 50 pages dedicated to the Cadillac Escalade. This vehicle rarely became a means of transportation for good guys and girls, its drivers and passengers are movie villains. But if suddenly, by pure chance, the Escalade was not used by a cool drug dealer with a golden chain as thick as a log, then its task was to demonstrate the high social status of the character.
The Cadillac Escalade is not just a land based yacht to be pampered, but a real mighty off-road vehicle
Jay-Z, Ludacris and Kanye West rapped about the Escalade. Big Tymers in ‘This Is How We Do’ recalled three times that he has an Escalade and that is why he is very cool, 50 Cent showed a modified Escalade with scissor doors in the composition ‘How We Do’, which is the only thing that this video is remembered for. It happed more than once later when some next Ebonics-speaking West Coast Crips muttered something about money, guns and coke, and the audience eventually remembered only the ‘Big Black SUV’ TM. This is an Escalade super-wow effect. Jennifer Lopez immortalized the SUV in ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’:
- ‘When you rolled up in the Escalade Saw that truck you gave to the valet Knew that it was game when you looked at me…’
Moreover, the Escalade itself never appeared in the video. Maybe the producers didn’t have enough money, since Jenny was just getting close to the status of a sex symbol at that time… But it is telling that the Escalade had existed for only two years at the time of the song’s release, as that’s how long it took it to acquire its unfading star status.
The Matrix Reloaded featured ten Escalades, four of which were destroyed during filming, and the other six were recaptured by Neo in intense battles with Mr. Smith. In the iconic ‘The Sopranos’ series, the 2003 Escalade was Tony Sopranos' regular car. Shaquille O’Neill is a big fan of the Escalade, as this is one of the few SUVs, the entry-level version of which can fit an entire NBA star. And Tiger Woods was in the Escalade when he was beaten with a golf club by his wife. And, of course, the most famous automotive-related game, GTA, could not do without the Escalade… There are innumerable examples…
The Cadillac Escalade is not just a symbol of excessive pathos. It has been proven in practice that a luxury SUV has an excellent technical base. In 2017, the Escalade made headlines during Hurricane Harvey: ‘Redneck Army saves National Guard’, wrote the admired witnesses as they watched the Escalade pull a military truck out of the water in Monster Truck format. The Escalade is also used by police officers who probably catch especially pretentious and significant corrupt officials on it… It is also one of the regular cars of the FBI, the most powerful state agency in the world for the search for aliens. So the Cadillac Escalade is not just a land based yacht to be pampered, but a real mighty off-road vehicle that is appreciated not only by rich rappers, actors and athletes of the 21st century, but also by other quite wealthy people and some organizations with unlimited financing.
The first generation
The first generation Cadillac Escalade roamed the United States and some other countries from 1998 to 2000. The very first Escalade looked quite decent. It was a new humble 5-seater luxury SUV, a premium modification of the GMC Yukon Denali, but even then it featured some elements that subsequently transformed into recognizable style features. The first Escalade can be described as a Yukon Denali, dressed in an ironed tuxedo and powered by a 5.7-liter Vortec 5700 V8 engine with 255 hp or a 5.4-liter InTech V8 Navigator engine with 300 hp.
The second generation
The second generation Escalade was introduced in 2001 and successfully developed until 2006. ‘A true idea must agree with its object’, says the great Dutch philosopher Baruch/Benedict Spinoza. Thus, the second generation Escalade began to fully correspond to the very idea of a luxurious large SUV. That’s why it became so successful. The second Escalade grew significantly, especially in terms of length, matured, becoming more angular and formidable, and got stronger, having acquired a 345 hp engine and received the maximum safety rating in crash tests. Previously a 7-seater front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, the new Escalade got the opportunity to become 8-seater and all-wheel drive if desired.
Initially, the word ‘Escalade’ was a special tactic of siege of impregnable fortresses in the Middle Ages, which was always successful.
The interior reached the highest level of comfort and acquired a lot of progressive options, including on-board telematics, a top-end entertainment system (the cassette one!), luxurious leather backseats, adjustable sports seats in front, electrified windows, door locks and heated side mirrors, security alarm, keyless entry, three-zone climate control for the front and rear of the passenger compartment, and so on.
The third generation
The third generation Escalade appeared pompously in 2006. It was built on the new GMT900 platform, like all other GM SUVs, including the Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe, Suburban, and so on. The regular Escalade is supplemented with a longer ESV and a reinforced EXT. The vehicle came with a bigger 6.2-liter aluminum Vortec V8 engine with an output of 403 hp and a torque of 565 Nm. The engine was paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. By the way, the third generation also had the first hybrid version with a total output of 379 hp.
In terms of comfort, the third Escalade became an unmistakably recognizable escalator of pathos. When the driver and passengers got inside the vehicle, they literally immersed themselves in luxury, like in an essential-oil bath, which was a typical sensation for those who were gently embraced by the Escalade for the first time. The vehicle started featuring an air conditioner with three-zone climate control, a 14-position driver’s seat, a DVD infotainment system, a navigation system, heated and cooled cup holders, a rearview camera, retractable electrically operated footrests and more.
The fourth generation
It appeared in 2015. GM skillfully warmed up the respectable audience for three years, intrigued, threw rumors, so the fourth Escalade became the most anticipated SUV of the year. Bob Ferguson, Global Cadillac Senior Vice President, introduced the Escalade as completely new and perfect in terms of design and technology, both inside and out. ‘The clear objective is to once again assume the leadership position among luxury SUVs’, said Bob.
Indeed, the fourth generation Cadillac Escalade acquired a completely new design. It started making everyone who was near it fell as the president of the United States. Even the President of the United States himself. The Escalade’s cabin has reached the limits of authenticity, becoming one of the most luxurious in the entire automotive industry. The SUV came with a 6.2-liter V8 engine with 420 hp and a torque of 623 Nm. There were new cool security features, including:
- front and rear automatic braking, which used short-range radar technology and ultrasonic sensors to help the driver avoid low-speed collisions at the front and rear;
- a center-positioned front airbag that was designed to provide additional protection to drivers and front passengers in a sliding side impact when the passenger was on the unprotected side of the vehicle;
- forward collision warning; lane departure warning system; a vibrating seat warning the driver of potential collision threats (!). And much more.
The fifth generation
The fifth generation Escalade has been produced since 2020 to the present (as of 2021). Initially large, the new 2020/2021 Escalade has become even larger, longer and wider, and due to the redesigned chassis, the interior space has increased by 40% in the third row and the rear cargo space has increased by 68%, to 0.7 cubic meters.
Exterior
The new Cadillac Escalade has a completely redesigned front face, featuring the reshaped headlights and a changed radiator grille. It is important that the designers have finally really worked on the rear end, making it slightly more graceful. That is, on the one hand, the Escalade began to look even more solid and pretentious (although, it would seem impossible), and on the other, it is clearly more sophisticated… How did they do it?
Interior and lighting
As for the interior, the latest generation Escalade has surpassed all expectations. Convenience and comfort of this extraordinary vehicle have become almost excessive and even, we will not be afraid of this word, morally corrupting. So, in general, it is not necessary to drive the Escalade, you can just relax in it during your vacation while feeling blissful, enjoying luxury and dreaming of… the next Escalade.
In terms of the level of pathos and the number of memes, the Cadillac Escalade has very few competitors.
In terms of options, the new Cadillac Escalade is at the forefront of automotive technology. It features a double pixel density OLED display that delivers vivid image, perfect black and the largest color gamut of any vehicle display currently produced. Navigation has received augmented reality. Thus, real-time street images are superimposed on the direction of travel. The Surround Vision comprises four exterior cameras that provide a bird’s eye view of the vehicle. There is also a trailer brake controller and a towing application, tire pressure and temperature monitoring, advanced side blind spot tracking technology. The rear camera feeds the image to a regular interior mirror screen. Night vision is an infrared technology that sees pedestrians and large animals at night using thermal signatures.
The Magnetic Ride Control technology is the fastest suspension in the world, with sensors that read road conditions and instantly change shock damping, faster than computer-controlled dampers, GM says. And the new Escalade has even more to offer. This is truly an ultra-modern premium SUV.
Engines and chassis
The 2021/2022 Cadillac Escalade remains as powerful as ever. It comes with a new 6.2-liter V8 engine with 420 hp. There is a 3-liter engine with a comparable output and with a torque of 623 Nm. Both engines are mated to an electronically controlled 10-speed automatic transmission. The chassis has been extensively modified to make the 2.5-ton giant easy to drive.
