The Cadillac Escalade was a late entry to the luxury SUV game, and it seemed to have arrived half-dressed.  Clearly little more than a Chevy Tahoe dressed up in Cadillac clothes, the truck was nicely appointed, but sorely lacking in, ahem, cachet.


That’s no longer the case.  The Escalade has undergone its first redesign, and it’s now a truck that’s much more deserving of that brand-new Cadillac wreath and crest on the grille.  It’s also no longer the only Cadillac truck; the Escalade EXT, an SUV that can be converted into a pickup truck, is now sharing showroom space with the Escalade.  The 2002 Escalade gets its own engine, stability control on all-wheel drive models…and it’s built in Arlington, Texas.

The new Escalade is the first roadgoing Cadillac to use the sharp-edged, sheer-sided sheetmetal that’s been featured on Cadillac show cars for several years.  Designers have been saying all along that the sharply creased theme was going to be the direction for future Cadillacs, and it’s finally hit the street.  It looks good.  The new Escalade features an almost flat, slightly slanted front end, with a big, body-colored eggcrate grille and headlight units that approximate the stacked quad headlamps of late ’60s Cadillacs (even though they’re square).  The bodysides are sheer as well.  If a comparison must be drawn to the other full-size offerings from GM, then say it looks like a Chevy Tahoe that’s been carefully pressed and starched.  Future Caddies, including the upcoming Catera replacement, will take this sheer design even farther, and won’t resemble anything else in the GM lineup.

Inside, Cadillac has equipped the next Escalade to resemble your own personal limousine.  It’s a very special-feeling truck.  The new dashboard is features gauges ringed with brushed aluminum trim and an analog clock in the large console.  The steering wheel is a wood-and-leather unit similar to that in the current DeVille.  Comfortable leather chairs coddle passengers in all three rows of seats, and an eleven-speaker Bose Acoustimass sound system will keep them entertained.   Hiproom and legroom have been increased over previous models.  If that’s not enough, General Motors’ expanded OnStar system provides access to directions, emergency personnel, and limited Internet access for checking e-mail (OnStar reads it to you) or getting weather and stock quotes.  An ultrasonic sensing system helps the big vehicle to park gracefully.

The Escalade is available with two-wheel drive or full-time all-wheel drive.  All-wheel drive models feature GM’s Stabilitrak stability enhancement system, a heavy-duty four-speed automatic transmission, and a 345 horsepower 6.0 liter V8 under the hood.  The new Vortec 6000 V8 is the most powerful engine available in an SUV; the giant Escalade has a sub-nine-second 0-60 time, and can tow up to 8500 pounds.  It makes the 5800-pound truck seem lighter than it is, that’s for sure.  We drove the all-wheel drive version, and the beast simply felt better on the road than its closest competitor, the Lincoln Navigator.  The Escalade would stomp the Navigator in a drag race, too.

Keeping the ride smooth is a road-sensing suspension, whose computer controls the shock absorbers to allow them to reduce body motion over road irregularities or under hard braking.  On the road, the Escalade isn’t as trucky as the competition, although it’s not as floaty as a Deville, either.  Rough roads and railroad crossings are smoothed out nicely, without the bouncing that we’ve grown to expect in large sport-utes.

On the safety front, the Escalade comes with front and side airbags and four-wheel ABS.  Stabilitrak is standard on the all-wheel drive model.

Escalade prices start at  $50,285 for the all-wheel drive model.  Cadillac considers the Escalade its flagship vehicle for now, a throne traditionally held by the Deville sedan.  With standard equipment like zebrano wood trim, ultrasonic parking assist, traction control and leather throughout, there’s no denying the Escalade’s place at the top of the Cadillac heap.  Unlike some other luxury SUVs, it’s not popular with celebrities simply by virtue of being bigger than everything else; it’s a Cadillac, and we’re happy to report that the badge once again means luxury.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2002 Cadillac Escalade AWD.
Length:     198.9 in.
Width:        78.9 in.
Height:        74.2 in.
Wheelbase:    116.0 in.
Curb weight:    5809 lb.
Cargo space:    108.2 cu.ft maximum
Towing capacity:    8500 lb.
Engine:     6.0 liter OHV V8
Drivetrain:     four speed automatic, all-wheel-drive
Horsepower:     345 @ 5200
Torque:     380 @ 4000
Base price:    $50,285
Price as tested:    $50,985
Fuel capacity:    26.0 gal.
Est. mileage:    12/16