2006 Cadillac Escalade ESV New Car Buyer's Guide

What's New for the 2006 Cadillac Escalade ESV?
Having received a host of changes for 2005, alterations to the 2006 Cadillac Escalade ESV border on the miniscule. The illuminated vanity mirrors and PRNDL instrument panel display are updated with revised lighting, the latter using LEDs for overall clarity and reliability. Other changes include relocating the outside temperature display from the rearview mirror to the climate controls. Lastly, rest assured that the body-to-chassis bolts have been beefed up from 12mm to 14mm. An all-new 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV is slated to arrive by summer of 2006.

Advantages of the 2006 Cadillac Escalade ESV:

• Stout power from the 6.0-liter V8 engine
• Comfortable seating front and rear
• High-amperage alternator for powering plasma TVs
• Huge amount of cargo space
• Pop-culture icon status

Objections to the 2006 Cadillac Escalade ESV:

• Awful fuel economy
• Sometimes haphazard build quality
• Third-row seats do not fold flat into the floor
• Lacks serious off-road capability

Editor's Advice:
The 2006 Cadillac Escalade ESV is the largest, most luxurious SUV you can buy, especially the tricked-out Platinum Edition. Fuel economy is terrible, build quality sometimes haphazard, and forget about doing any serious off-roading – with no low range transfer case, the toughest trails this SUV should see are those to the local mall. If you can live with these few detriments to ownership, the 2006 Cadillac Escalade ESV is an excellent choice.