Buying a New Escalade ESV

Brooks2IS

Brooks2IS

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IMG_0239.JPG Though unrelated to Lexus news, I thought you all may like to see this new 2016 Escalade ESV Luxury. I went with some friends of mine this past Friday to pick this beautiful truck up from my good friends at Hennessy Cadillac... man, what a machine! The new owners of this rig have had the previous 2 generations of Escalade, but this new one blows them out of the water. I was astonishingly impressed after putting around 100 miles on it on the way home. It's a niche vehicle that many can't compare with- these owners needed an SUV with comfortable seating for six and decent luggage space. Only the ESV fits the bill with this level of luxury. Fingers crossed reliability isn't an issue as it wasn't with their past Escalades, but Consumer Reports begs to differ. Below is a full tour I published on their new car. Please feel free to drop any questions or comments down below!IMG_0244.JPG
 
mmcartalk

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Quite an SUV there. Did you get to sample it any from behind the wheel, or did your friends do the driving? And how did those huge 22" wheels (if not the standard 20s) affect the ride comfort?.......though I'd assume the extended-length wheelbase of the ESV model would help smooth it out a little.
 
Brooks2IS

Brooks2IS

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mmcartalk said:
Quite an SUV there. Did you get to sample it any from behind the wheel, or did your friends do the driving? And how did those huge 22" wheels (if not the standard 20s) affect the ride comfort?.......though I'd assume the extended-length wheelbase of the ESV model would help smooth it out a little.
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I did. I was lucky enough to put about 100 miles on it yesterday and I have nothing but positive remarks. The ride is incredibly smooth, thanks to GM's Magnetic Ride Suspension. The 22' rims did not impact the ride at all in my opinion as the tire still has a good amount of sidewall. Compared to the previous generation of GM full-sized SUVs, these new ones (particularly the Escalade) coddle the driver like a good luxury sedan. The old models felt as if you were on top of the car looking down, no matter the height of the seat. This was partially due to a low dash and center console. Take a test drive of a new Escalade and I think you'll appreciate it just as much, though I don't know I could stomach the price or reliability factor.

The extra length probably contributed to the solid weight you feel down the Interstate. You don't notice the acres of car behind you until you're backing up, though. Propelling forwards feels to me like any modern crossover. I will say that the 6.2 did not feel overly powerful-- not underpowered, but it certainly didn't have tire-screeching amounts of sheer power in reserve. GM's new 8AT is a tremendously smooth gearbox and I genuinely could not discern it actually changing any gears.

Furthermore, this was my first experience with an active lane keeping assistant, which absolutely blew me away.
 
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Brooks2IS said:
I did. I was lucky enough to put about 100 miles on it yesterday and I have nothing but positive remarks. The ride is incredibly smooth, thanks to GM's Magnetic Ride Suspension. The 22' rims did not impact the ride at all in my opinion as the tire still has a good amount of sidewall. Compared to the previous generation of GM full-sized SUVs, these new ones (particularly the Escalade) coddle the driver like a good luxury sedan. The old models felt as if you were on top of the car looking down, no matter the height of the seat. This was partially due to a low dash and center console. Take a test drive of a new Escalade and I think you'll appreciate it just as much, though I don't know I could stomach the price or reliability factor.

The extra length probably contributed to the solid weight you feel down the Interstate. You don't notice the acres of car behind you until you're backing up, though. Propelling forwards feels to me like any modern crossover. I will say that the 6.2 did not feel overly powerful-- not underpowered, but it certainly didn't have tire-screeching amounts of sheer power in reserve. GM's new 8AT is a tremendously smooth gearbox and I genuinely could not discern it actually changing any gears.

Furthermore, this was my first experience with an active lane keeping assistant, which absolutely blew me away.
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Good report. :) Glad you enjoyed it. I agree with the battleship-length making it difficult to back up and/or park. With about the same 130" wheelbase, though, it's actually a couple of inches shorter in overall length than the 225-230" bumper-to-bumper lengths of the big American full size-luxury cars I can remember from the 60s and early 70s. And, on the power issue, three tons-plus of weight (probably three and a half tons with you, a load of fuel, baggage, and all of your friends) is a lot of pork for even a 6.2L V8 to handle.
 
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mikeavelli said:
Nice. The new Escalade is well done and the interior is light years ahead of ones in the past. It's no wonder they are so popular.
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Along with the new Lincoln Continental, Chrysler 300, (and possibly the interior of the Buick Enclave), it's one of the few remaining examples of true (or, perhaps, traditional) American bling. The 2017 Continental, of course, brings it back....it was out of production for a number of years.
 
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