Driving Impressions: 2021 Escalade 4wd Sport Platinum

By: Mark Moskowitz MD

A week's worth of driving interspersed with other obligations rarely allows the reviewer to sample, engage, and understand every technological aspect of every new vehicle. And even the most dedicated reviewers rarely digest the entirety of an owner's manual (the Escalade's was 480 pages) and its supplements. So there are surprises.

Much was easy to see. The new Escalade is definitely bigger. Rear most seating and cargo area are all improved not only by the five-inch longer wheelbase and eight-inch increase in overall length but by the presence of independent rear suspension.

Speaking of which I was initially concerned about harshness of ride as I traversed low speed bumps. The ride was solid and the stability around corners outstanding for a tall, massive SUV. Of course, this was a sport model and I was in Sport Mode! I was pleased that the steering provided feedback without seeming artificial. Switch to Touring and the bumps disappear. The ride is soft but not sloppy. Cadillac employs both magnetic ride control and electronically controlled air springs to good stead.

Powering the chassis is a front mounted 6.2-liter V-8 with 420 horsepower and 460 pounds of torque. A 3.0-liter Turbo Diesel is available. From a standing start I was able to reach 60 in under six seconds.

Engage the Cadillac at night and it's a light show. First front and back amber lights blink twice. In the rear, red lights ascend from bumper to roof. In front vertically oriented accent lights flash a pair of times before new for this year horizontal headlights shine; all the while a lengthy strip of LEDs glow beneath power-assisted running boards. All emphasize the Cadillac's vast perimeter.

Seats are comfortable as expected and topped by a thick, soft leather surface. All the usual high-end luxury interior upgrades are present including a color Heads Up display, rear mirror camera, touch activated door latches, a highly efficient climate control system, 16- way powered and ventilated seats, etc. Worthy of recognition are the multiple positive toggles used to activate the climate controls. New for this year is an incredibly sharp 38-inch OLED Display (continuous across the left and center dash but divided in three parts). Commendable is the flexibility to have an augmented reality NAV screen or a frontal camera view in the gauge cluster position. An extra $2000 brings Night Vision to the central cluster. I tried it but did not find the circumstance where it helped more than headlights.

Employing the Cadillac emblem to activate the cargo door reveals a new for 2021 lower thus more accessible rear threshold, an improvement attributable to the new rear suspension. From various positions in the car including the rear, one can actuate and fold down the rear seat and captain's chairs, an exercise which takes less than three seconds.

Sound quality is what you expect of a high-end car and 38 speakers. Old school drivers will enjoy the functionality of a console mounted volume knob as well as a rotary dial for changing stations (and a few other functions).

On that same console is an electronic shifter. These are now commonplace and I'm not actually a fan as one has to take their eyes from the windshield to positively identify direction of engagement. A minor annoyance and it makes no difference once underway as there are column mounted paddle shifters.

Back to the tech surprises. I've chauffeured far fewer passengers during the Covid era and might not have noticed a voice enhancement system were it not for my soft-spoken seat-mate. Tunes were playing and the fan was at its high setting to overcome the July heat. Conversation was easy! I first noticed what I thought was an echo but found that there are microphones which pick up and enable speech enhancement varying it based on ambient noise. Impressive.

Cadillac is doing more than just playing catch-up with its Super Cruise system. It's a subscription service designed to work on only the most well mapped roads. When and where employed it offers true hands-free driving. (My longest session was 18 minutes.) Impressive is the Escalade's ability to stay in the middle of the lane and its driver like functionality. I watched the wheel make human like minor corrections throughout each turn. And it seemed to work just as well with a trailer behind. Automatic lane change is activated with a touch of the blinker stalk; I didn't try this with a trailer.

Should you buy one of America's premier luxury edition? The cost of entry ranges anywhere from 77K for the base model to 103K for the ultimate Platinum Sport and one has to spend a bit more for any color but black. The trailer package, Super Cruise and power assisted running boards add to the cost but are recommended. While tall SUVs seem to have a bit more tendency to roll than a family sedan car, in most other accident circumstances size matters and prevails -not an insignificant consideration when hauling around your family. Parking may be a bit of a problem but Cadillac provides the operator with some significant visual and auditory aids. Gas mileage and more are recorded below.

If it fits your circumstance, I do not believe this Cadillac will disappoint.

Photo credit: Mark Moskowitz MD

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