2012 Cadillac Escalade: Video Road Test and Review

The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size, four-door luxury SUV that makes excellent use of its pickup truck platform in order to provide solid utility and an 8,300 lb tow rating.  The Cadillac Escalade can handle as many as eight passengers across three rows of accommodations, and with those same seats out of the picture the Cadillac Escalade is capable of swallowing as much as 108.9 cubic feet of cargo.  In addition to its undeniable road presence the Escalade also offers standard safety features such as side curtain airbags, side impact airbags and forward airbags for those riding in the front two seats as well as electronic stability and traction control to go with its parking sensors and rearview camera.

All versions of the Cadillac Escalade are blessed with a 6.2-liter, eight-cylinder engine that can be relied on to generated 403 horsepower and 417 lb-ft of torque.  A six-speed automatic transmission is standard, and all-wheel drive can be ordered as an option.  Fuel mileage for rear-wheel drive editions of the Escalade shows as 14-mpg around town and 18-mpg during highway cruising.

No fewer than four trim levels can be had with the Cadillac Escalade.  The base SUV (MSRP $63,170) provides an adaptive suspension system, HID headlights, power folding heated side mirrors, three zones of automatic climate control, heated and cooled leather seats up front (with additional seat heaters for second row occupants), a touchscreen navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity, and a surround sound audio system.  Opting for the Luxury trim (MSRP $67,395) upgrades from 18-inch to 22-inch wheels, installs a blind spot warning system, swaps a magnetically-controlled suspension system for the initial adaptive setup and includes a sunroof and a heated steering wheel. 

The Escalade's Premium trim (MSRP $71,675) is primarily an appearance package that brings with it plenty of body-colored trim, while the Escalade Platinum Edition (MSRP $79,945) loads up on the luxury gear thanks to the presence of nicer leather upholstery, LED headlights, special rims and exterior touches, and Cadillac's top-of-the-line rear seat entertainment system.

A list of cars similar to the Escalade includes the 2012 Mercedes Benz GL550, 2012 Infiniti QX56 and 2013 Lexus LX570.

See more details about the 2012 Cadillac Escalade.