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The Cadillac Escalade is big and powerful, capable of towing trailers of 7600 to 8300 pounds. In its most popular configuration, the Escalade seats seven. It's a stylish truck, with a bold yet smooth, integrated, sculpted look.Built on GM's full-size truck platform and equipped with a 403-horsepower 6.2-liter V8, the Escalade, ESV, and EXT make good tow vehicles. They share their platforms with the Chevy Tahoe, 1500-series Suburban and Silverado, as well as the GMC versions. The 2009 Escalade Hybrid is notably easier on fuel than the standard Escalade, with EPA ratings of about 20 mpg. New for 2009 is the Platinum version with every amenity Cadillac offers, including color-contrast-stitched Tehama leather with French seams and embroidered logos, a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled cupholders, multiple DVD entertainment systems, and LED headlamps. Also new for 2009 are a Side Blind Zone Alert system to warn of vehicles in potential blind spots, the latest 8.0 version of OnStar, XM NavTraffic with real-time traffic advisories, a light cashmere/cocoa interior color scheme, power-tilt steering wheel, automatic up/down front windows (very handy for toll-booths and drive-thrus), and rear seat audio jacks. Mechanically, the 6.2-liter V8 can now run on E85 (EPA 11 combined) and Escalades with 22-inch wheels get Magnetic Ride Control automatic suspension damping. The Escalade offers comfort and convenience features of a luxury sedan, including automatic climate control, navigation, rear camera, a premium Bose sound system, ultrasonic parking assist, power adjustable pedals, and heated leather seats. DVD entertainment systems and a moonroof are optional. Escalade comes in three body styles: Escalade, ESV, and EXT. The standard Escalade is a full-size sport utility sharing the same architecture and roughly the same dimensions as the Chevy Tahoe; it's the only one offered as a hybrid. The Escalade ESV is a long-wheelbase version, similar to the Chevy Suburban. The Escalade EXT is a combination five-passenger luxury SUV with a short bed; it is Cadillac's version of the Chevy Avalanche and was characterized by a leading truck magazine as better as a Cadillac than a pickup. All Escalades are roomy and luxuriously appointed, letting them haul family or friends or business associates in real comfort. The engine supplies serious power for surprisingly quick acceleration. On the road, all Escalades are smooth and stable. They ride smoother than a standard Tahoe or Suburban; but are at the same time taut and well-controlled for surprisingly good handling by full-size SUV standards.
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