Caddy Icon is Top Scorer in AutoPacific/Autobytel Vehicle Satisfaction Awards
The 2012 Cadillac Escalade isn’t exactly a big seller nowadays, but what it lacks in volume it more than makes up for in terms of satisfaction. Even during a time when fuel economy has become the No. 1 concern among today’s new-vehicle shoppers, who are downsizing accordingly, it was the big body-on-frame Escalade that garnered the top spot overall in the 2012 Autobytel/AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSAs).
The full-size luxury SUV tallied 775 points in the annual survey, giving it a narrow 2-point victory over the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. To put those numbers in context, the industry average was 650 points, and while two other M-B products—the Mercedes-Benz ML and Mercedes-Benz GL—scored 747 and 745 points, no other vehicle scored more than 716 points.
(This year’s VSAs were based on data collected from more than 75,000 new-vehicle owners and 48 unique measures of vehicle satisfaction.)
Coincidentally, the VSAs were revealed just prior to Cadillac’s announcement that it would build an all-new Escalade when the next generation of GM’s full-size body-on-frame trucks comes online. Timing is vague at this point, but those vehicles should start arriving next year, with the fresh Caddy probably seeing the light of day in 2014.