After I posted the picture of the new Escalade earlier in the month I got a phone call from Alghanim Automotive marketing people telling me I could take the car out for a ride. So yesterday I took it for a ride and wow what a ride.
The first thing I noticed once I got into the car was how beautiful the interior was. As I mentioned before, unlike the old Escalade who’s interior I found extremely boring and “American”, the new Escalade is much more cleaner and very European. The interior detailing is extraordinary and extremely comforting on the eye. It’s really a huge leap over the old one. The drivers seat was also extremely comfortable and I was quickly able to adjust it and the mirrors before I left the dealership.
I took the car out to the Gulf Road and went cruising. The engine is unbelievable, with over 400HP it just wants to go faster and faster. I had a hard time keeping it at 80KM/h, there is just soo much power in it that a slight tap on the gas and you’re already at the speed limit. Of course speed limits are meant to be broken when no radar cameras are around so as soon as I passed one I slammed on the gas for an earth-shattering kick down. The engine (which comes from the Corvette) just suddenly took on a new life and turned the classy quiet Escalade into a scary loud hotrod.. it was incredible.
After driving for a while I decided to park the car and take some pictures plus explore the various features of the car. The coolest thing I found was the trunk since its fully automated. Basically the old trunk was very heavy to open and close especially for woman so the new trunk is motorized. You press a button on the handle and step back while the door opens up. You press another button and the trunk closes down. I even recorded a video of it, which you can watch [Here]. The car currently doesn’t come with a Navigation system but by the end of the year they will not only be coming with a built in Navigation system but also 3 screens in the back (it currently has 1) and the ability to play a different movie on every screen, plus 3 other people in the car could also listen to 3 different CDs all at the same time using wireless headphones. So in total 6 people could be watching or listening to 6 different things all at the same time.
The exterior of the car has also changed a lot although it still closely resembles the older model. You still have the over sized headlights for example which allows you to spot an Escalade from a mile away. The new Escalades also come with 22inch rims as standard and soon official body kits will be made available by Cadillac so anyone will be able to pimp their ride at the dealer. When driving around on the Gulf Road the car is an eye catcher. It can’t not be since the car is huge and I was driving the Pearl White version so I was sparkling under the sun.
I had a lot of fun driving the car around and when I brought it back to the dealer, the manager gave me a detailed tour of the cars features. If I had the money I would have bought the car right on the spot which brings me to the final point, the price. The new Cadillac Escalade starts from KD20,900 which is cheaper then a Range Rover but more expensive then the Lexus. It’s in a pretty nice position at the moment and I am sure once the car is more widely available the price will come down a bit more. If I had to choose between a Range Rover and the new Escalade it would be a really tough decision, luckily it’s not a decision I am likely to make anytime soon.
Here are some pictures and videos I shot:
Picture of Escalade’s interior
Picture of Escalade’s Exterior
Another picture of the Escalade’s Exterior
Video of trunk opening and closing
Video of a tour around the car
23 replies on “My Escalade Experience”
looks nice, but also looks like a Lincoln Navigator from the side
it’s really nice ! ur lucky man 😛
next time ask them to test-drive the new corvette C6 😛
the range rover just seems to have some kind of understated refinement to it, like a handsome gent who turns out to be a muscled god when he removes his shirt. The escalade looks like a chubby average kid who’s been sent to a swiss boarding school by nouveau riche parents. 15,000KD and I’d buy it.
how do u get people to do what u want?
hmmm.. vo0odo0o magic?
lo0l ;p
Pimpin the pimp in yo pimp yo yo yo …The car made for pimpin and gangsta peepz yo ..
I seriously love this car, it says power, it is full of power.. the Escalade = Power
Its a nice car for sure, but the technology in it is old compared to European automobiles, which is really not worth its price (over 20,000kd!)
the automated trunk isn’t new or special, the nissan armada comes with it since late 2004 as a 2005 model, and the fully loaded one costs 11,000 KD….not as bling bling as the caddy, but it had that feature
yeah that thing is nice but waaaaaaaaaay too fucking expensive for an american truck and is just so out of its price range that it’s kinda comical to imagine the dumbass that figured the price for it. it’s just not worth 20G’s.
no way would i pick it over a range rover, not even a 2002 model and i personally love american cars. the RR oozes class, this thing leaks afro-shine.
U guys should check out the tech on this car.. cadillac division has moved forward alot over the past four years! They were the first commercial vehicles to be installed with no handle bar doors. I thought the XLR was sexy as hell but I couldnt find a handle until I found out it was a god damn button! So sweet! But I agree was rediculously over priced! But the escalade is worth it because they the 4year warranty and Service! U dont pay for anything for service for the first four years except the tires! and thats it! Thats pretty damn impressive.. if your gonna buy a range your gonna get the BMW service department and good luck with that..I havent heard any complaints about the cadillac service department. And that thing hauls ass at 400 ponies as well as huge space for friends and things! ..
Mark Geo would have a god damn play ground while you guys would be driving somewhere! lol!
hmm.. wasn’t the old escaled priced at 15,000ish?
the XLR is worth the price, esp the V edition which is like near 30grand but still worth every penny even compared to the corvette which is a better car but imo uglier than the XLR which is just amazing looking. also the other caddies are priced around right, the STS, CTS etc.
20 grand for the escalade however is laughable, it doesn’t even come with navigation which is almost standard on cars MUCH cheaper than it.
you basically get a really nice 4 door full option yukon with a different engine and caddy grille. 15,000 should have been absolute max for this.
holla i had the xlr for 1 week when I was visiting LA two years ago, and i really didnt think it was worth $70000 then and they are selling it for $90000 in kuwait! thats rediculous! But i do agree with you that all the other caddies are priced right.
I dont think the 20K is way to high since the Lexus LX 470 is priced around 18500 to 19000.. but it will be lower then 20 when you come to pay.. you should check out the interior of it.. i would agree with you about the price if i didnt see a huge jump in the quality of the interior.. and it just feels like it has a more solid build to it then before.. its nothing like a yukon or tahoe.. engine is completely different .. one is 6.2Liter and the other is the 5.7Liter! I wish the tahoe would come with the 6.2 Liter! I would have went for it in a heart beat if that was the case!
Mark, Considering Alghanim also have a banner on your blog your review of any of their product lines is indeed shadowed by a huge conflict of interest. Unfortunately you lack credibility when it comes to reviews of ANY alghanim product or service. 🙂
Sorry
well i made it clear to alghanim when they signed up, that if there products suck i would mention it. thats why they hooked me up with an escalade and not a chevrolet Aveo lol
The price is apropriate in every way! Cadillac is an American car but it’s a premium vehicle! The innovative design and hi tech electronics sets it appart from other trucks of it’s kind like the Yukon or Tahoe! There are 2 things I don’t like about the car and those two are:
1) The gear mechanism! I prefer my gear shifter to be on the floor!
2) I think the dash is a tad empty where the CDs are! They could have made it look a little better! (It looks way better with the Navigation screen but the CD slots just throw the design off)
Other than that the car is a beast!
I love escalades.
for this much money, I’d rather buy a range rover sport-super charge
that would set u back 29,000KD
The range rover sport -super charged is VERY plasticky on the inside! I really didnt like it! I check it out, and it feels like the build quality on it is very low! It drives fast, but so does the Escalade!
The bargained down price for the 2007 Escalade is KD 19,900 !
I have been using this beast for 2 years now, I can only say: its the most powerful SUV you can ever imagine being produced! Something else, I did everything with it, took it offroad, pulled a yacht, drifted in high speeds, went beyond 260 Km/h, I cant compare it to the range rover.. the new Caddy is way better looking, faster, bigger, comfortable and joyful!!