2015 Cadillac Escalade

Last Updated:

Sure, they put a Cadillac dashboard in there. Just like last time.
And just like the last time, the rest is pretty much the same as the tahoe. Including the armrest and the 70’s column shifter.
This thing is not a Cadillac, it is just a cash cow for GM. A way to charge a fortune over the Tahoe.

It’s business….

Conversation 14 comments

  1. Vince. … Your hatred of these trucks is beginning to border on the rediculous. It has a column shifter, get over it!! You can't honestly really believe the rest is that bad!

  2. Actually, I am sure they are some of the best trucks around.
    I test drove the previous generation twice, and these were already nice driving trucks.
    Except for a somewhat dated interior.

    But the column shifter screams cost cutting.
    Using the same doors, armrest etc also does. In a car that will cost about $15 000 more than the Tahoe!
    Nothing should feel or look cheap for $65 000.

    I am a fan of GM and think most of their current cars are great. I guess I was expecting too much …

  3. I agree with you, Vince. I actually liked the 2012 "Platinum" dash MUCH better than this. For $65k there should be INLAID 2-tone woods (like a $45k BMW 328i-LUX) AND annodized metal trim. Do you suppose they at LEAST included an "air-suspension" like what's standard on a $49k Dodge RAM pickup truck???

  4. right again, vince. they're NEVER going to sell a bench seat version. to properly distinguish the experience, the only right decision would be to build it with a gorgeous center-mounted leather-and-metal gear selector. That dash mounted snake is both fugly and cheap. And worst of all, betrays the fact that the 'cut and sew' dash is little more than a pretty layer of veneer over suburban innards.

  5. Um, Vince… I'm a car guy so I hate to be the one to break it to you, but take your pick – Cadillac, Chrysler, BMW, Citroen… it's all business. You make money and get to stay in business when you make what people want to buy. Why aren't there more little hatchbacks and station wagons in the US? Because people stopped buying them in enough numbers to make it worthwhile for everyone to offer one. Why does GM tart up a Tahoe with a Caddy grille and charge twice as much? Because when they do, people show up to buy it. There's nothing wrong with a car company having a broad portfolio of cars. We can't all drive B-class hatchbacks… because we all don't want to. And it's ok if there are still a couple of cars out there with a column shift. Some people like that to. To each his own, Vince. Love your blog, but sometimes you're a little overly hatey when it comes to more traditional American cars and trucks.

  6. Let's judge the interior on its merits and what we know to be true. What I see here looks pretty inviting, IMO. The only thing I can see anyone being totally up in arms about is the column shifter. Personally, I like vehicles with them, but feel this vehicle shouldn't have one. My nitpicks are with the center stack, which looks tiring, and the amount of soft curves, which I don't believe are going to mesh with the exterior's chiseled, boxy design. Oh, I have a problem with photos that have been so manipulated that they look like paintings, too. Maybe 99% of the population is fooled by stuff like this, but I, for one, don't live in a cartoon world. This is pretend luxury photography.

  7. While I think Vince's critique is a bit strong, we have to acknowledge here that it was Cadillac that set our expectations so high. They were the ones talking about how differentiated and bespoke the next generation of Escalade was going to be compared to its platform mates and, thus far, from what we're seeing, well, not so much.

    That doesn't mean it's *bad*. Actually, I love the interior and think it looks awesome and I bet it'll look great outside as well. I'm sure it will drive well and vie for best in class. I guess I don't understand why Caddy set our expectations so high for something unique when the overall approach and philosophy seem so similar to what they've done before.

    Oh, and regarding the touch-up aspect of the photo, it *is* supposed to be a "teaser," so it's supposed to be somewhat affected and veiled…

  8. When I sit in my Range Rover, it's lovely. But y'know what, the window switches are the same switches as on my mother's volvo. The mirror adjustments are the same too, and they're the same as on a new Focus and on an Aston Martin. The Nav is the same as in a Jaguar, and it sucks terribly in both cars. When I sit in my Audi, a $65k car, there are the same bits n pieces as in a $250k Bentley, and also a $20k VW.

    GET OVER IT. No car is 100% bespoke. The armrest and door panels are fine.

    That said, I don't like horsey looking column shifters that resemble a butter churn. How much leverage do you need to change gears anyway? The motion itself is awkward and not very dignified for a luxury car.

  9. This photo is a 3D rendering built in a program such as Alias or Rhino. The reason it looks fake, is because it is fake, but very skillfully done! GM always first previews their new interiors in any model, any of their brands, with a 3D rendering.

  10. Your Escalade-bashing is getting really tiresome, Vince. And as far as the doors being the same as the ones on a vehicle $15,000 cheaper: Hmmm… Isn't that exactly what Toyo-yo does with the Lexus LX? I know– I used to have one back in my "sucker" days. It seems no matter what Caddy does to the Escalade, you'll never be happy. And, by the way, bashing a vehicle from one little interior picture doesn't do much for your credibility.

  11. ^I'm not sure that it's a rendering. I looked at sample images from the programs you mentioned and nothing I saw BEGINS to compare quality-wise. Of course that doesn't mean I'm right… it's not my forte and there are undoubtedly more sophisticated programs out there that I'm unaware of. What is my forte, to a degree, is photography. And, aside from replacing the background (something I'm not very practiced at), I could quite easily produce an image like this with Photoshop and a certain suite of plug-ins that I won't mention… in a matter of minutes. I don't mean "sort of" like it, either.

  12. As far as I know, at least for the past 2 or 3 years, all official GM interior pictures have been 3D renderings.
    We only get real pictures when the cars are actually introduced to the press.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *