got my vehicle new last december locally. so far is my vehicle of choice and more. have been to canada with it and no hassle at all, glitches(computer or otherwise). GM did the best move with this vehicle and is the most sought after in cadillac dealerships.

 

I wish they had it in '08, I would have bought one instead of my Tahoe. I love their design! Crisp, powerful, purposeful. Art and Science, indeed.

 

Yeah, I wish they had a Silverado 4x4 Cadillac version that kept the luxury features and didn't worry about shedding weight...ie.- a steel hood and tailgate instead of aluminum, full comfort and convenience package, etc. Not sure how much I would have paid for it...but it is standard on the upper end packages of a standard engine package, it was just taken out to save weight on the hybrid. I can't imagine that 600 pounds of interior weight would change the mpg's. Probably already fighting to keep the tow capacity up. I hear that in the next several years, the battery technology learned in the Volt will be put into the hybrid line and the tow capacity will go back up to 10,000 pounds anyway...hope they have a retrofit.

 

it doesnt have the tow switch like you would see in a regular suburban or yukon. can you shift to M on the fly and will recognize the current gear it is at? it does say it is a CVT though.

 

I have no problem with the aluminum hood, less weight = better towing and stopping. The tailgate is more than solid enough, but they could have redesigned the latch to be more appropriate for the lighter weight. It works fine, but never gives you a solid "locked" feedback. 600lbs is HUGE weight savings. These guys are scrapping for every pound of savings (probably ounces in day-to-day engineering work), so the equivalent of three big passengers is a very big deal.

I am certain that the weight savings changes the city fuel mileage significantly. Marty probably knows the exact figures.

 

The Tahoe, light pick up, and Yukon are in a different weight class than Escalades. So weight savings on them was a real big deal.

The Tahoe and Yukon got the most changes. Front seats, hood, bumper reinforcement, fixed rear glass and aluminum gate.

I like the Cadillac. Roof rack, power running boards, power rear lift gate. I drove one to Colorado, Rocky Mtn park, Yellowstone, and Mt. Rushmore and Sturgis and back this July.

20.1 mpg round trip average. Running posted plus 4.

 

Marty, what do you mean "running posted plus 4"? You lost me. I am worried about the aluminum tail gate on my silverado. I have a golf cart I have to carry sometimes and the rear wheels sat half off/half on the tail gate on my Z71 with a 6.5' bed. This bed will put the rear wheels of the golf cart on the end of the tailgate...not sure I want to risk that on an aluminum tailgate.

 

I like the Cadillac as well it just seems like a lot of extra money for comfort, The Tahoe is comfortable enough. I think though that the Cadillac comes with adjustable suppension.

 

Mel: I typically run 4 over posted speed at a maximum. So in the black "slade" in my photos I ran 79mph across Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana.

The SUVs have the aluminum lift gate with fixed glass. As far as I know the pick up box and tail gate are all steel. At least the ones I have been driving. I'll put a magnet on one next week so I'm not blowing smoke.

The 2009 Escalades have a 3.42:1 axle ratio. In 2010 they went common with all at 3.08:1.

Frankly I didn't see a noticable difference in FE or towing my Sea Ray.

 

i agree, after i rolled over my evo i had to replace it with something slow. got the new rx450h in mind but the backlog of orders made a stop in the cadillac dealership and liked the feel of the escalade. looking at the lx570, ml and gl 350, the escalade hybrid was the practical buy. so much tech in such a short time that it even gets better mileage than my V6 honda pilot 4x4 even if my escalade is also 4x4. not bad and no headaches at all.