There I was, just the Secret Service and me, driving down the road in my black Cadillac Escalade ESV with the darkly tinted windows, intimidating the bejabbers out of my fellow motorists.
I even had one of the city’s finest get out of the way when I pulled in behind him. He did follow me though, and I’m certain he ran the plate number, or at least my ego wants to think so.
All this happened in the first three hours of my week-long test drive.
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Interesting, I thought, and interesting it was. I had a young gent in a Land Rover Freelander tell me that it was the vehicle he lusted after. I had a couple of Cadillac owners stop to chat and compare the ESV to a Suburban (similar, but much more upscale in creature comfort) which they also owned.
The consensus was that the ESV was much more in keeping with their lifestyle and their Suburbans’ days were numbered.
Part of their interest comes from the way I was driving, which to be blunt was a bit on the aggressive side of normal. Part of it comes from the stance of the ESV. Cadillac has put its new “family identification” features on prominent display, such as the front grille and fascia. Scale the modern, edgy front end up to something the size of the ESV and all you need do is pull in behind someone and they get nervous.
Running boards and a tiny bit of chrome accent the 17-inch alloy wheels and the ESV’s sheer size. Add in tinted windows and the small but prominently placed OnStar antenna, and the look is of opulence and malevolence at the same time.
Open the door and you climb into the world of luxury sport utility vehicles. The steering wheel is the best assist for making that little step up to the command chair. Once in place, power adjustments make setting the seat to a comfortable driving position a 10 second job. Set the mirrors, your favourite radio station and other odds and ends, then push the memory button on the door so that you don’t have to waste time fiddling again. Once in memory, you can have the system use the key fob to unlock the doors and set everything to where you want it.
Passengers in the front seat and second row have individual captain’s chair-style buckets. Those in the third row are nearly as comfortable, but getting back there takes a bit of extra effort because of the folding and flipping of the second row seat.
Movie buffs will enjoy the small DVD-based entertainment system. The best seats in the house are the second row. Aside from a small picture, those in the third row come off fairly well, thanks to the wireless headsets.
Cargo space with the third row of seats in place is a bit tight for much more than two or three sets of golf clubs.
Power for this luxury leviathan comes from a Vortec 6000 V8 that puts out 345 horsepower to a four speed electronically controlled automatic.
Full time all wheel drive is standard, as is Stabilitrak, the stability enhancement program that uses the ABS components to keep the vehicle in line.
Putting that power to use can be purposeful or fun. You can drive in a relaxed and doddering manner, floating along in Cadillac comfort, or you can put some serious driving music in the CD and let fly. When you put your foot down, the tranny drops a couple of gears and off you go. Changing lanes or getting up to speed to merge doesn’t take long and you can fit into nearly any hole in traffic you want.
Put a trailer behind you and aside from the added distance needed to fit back into traffic, the ESV doesn’t seem to slow down much.
The ESV has great brakes and if I have a complaint it is that the ABS system feels like it comes in too soon. Once I became familiar with it, however, I really enjoyed a bit of late braking and then diving into a corner, leaving the ho-hum drivers in my wake.
The 17 inch, 75 series tires have a bit of side wall flex (it’s part of that smooth ride), which means that under hard, go-to-jail type cornering, the ESV pushes out. Back off a bit and the nose comes back. If you don’t back off and the ESV starts to move about, the Stabilitrak program will shut you down and get things back to normal.
Long distances, poor roads and hauling people and stuff in comfort are what this ESV from Cadillac does best. It can do the job in town, but without the optional quadrasteer, it takes a lot of room to manoeuvre about – kind of like taking the best parts of your living room with you on the road. That’s my favorite kind of luxury, all the comforts of home with me on the road.
Charles Renny is a freelance automotive columnist and a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. The opinions expressed in this column are the personal views of the writer.
