Cadillac has gone eco-friendly with its most popular line, the Escalade. Now, even an environmentally-conscious guy can enjoy luxury and power all in one truck.
Design It’s an Escalade, what else can you say about the design? It’s a large truck that shows refinement and aggression in its lines. The hybrid version of the Escalade is very similar to the standard model, except for the very cool hybrid logo on the side and rear panels. The dashboard has a slight change for the hybrid version – there’s a monitor indicating the battery usage and an indicator for when the engine switches between V4 to V8.
Features It’s the first, full-sized hybrid powered vehicle in the world, and yet it’s the fine details that definitely make this truck impressive.
Cool Features - Easy manoeuvring – the mirrors adjust for reversing, while a rear-window camera shows a clear view of the back of the truck.
- Blind-spot sensors – warn the driver if a car is in a blind spot.
- Power assist fold out steps – used when the doors open (this is an optional feature).
- Switch from V4 to V8 automatically – while at cruising speeds, the engine switches to V4 to reduce fuel consumption.
- Auto-stop during brief stops.
- Runs on pure electric at low speeds.
Usability The hybrid engine certainly reduced the kick of this car dramatically, but not necessarily the power. Coming off the line, there’s a slight delay in response time for an electric engine. It’s a small price to pay because it saves 32 per cent less in gas consumption than its non-hybrid Escalade counterparts.
The fuel economy for highway and city driving is approximately 12L/100 km (20 MPG according to fueleconomy.gov). Our test show a little bit higher at 14-15L/100 km.
Price The improved fuel economy, the luxury and the handful of standard features will go for a base price of approximately $93,000 CAN. At this price, you’re not only getting a truck, you’re essentially getting a lifestyle.
