Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

• FUEL ECONOMY:

  20 / 21 MPG 11.76 / 11.2 L/100km

• BODY TYPE:

  SUV

• TECHNOLOGY:

  Hybrid

• BASE MSRP:

  $70,000

As the fact sheet says, the “Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is the world’s first hybrid applied to a large luxury SUV.” That’s absolutely true. It’s also true that this vehicle is the world’s blingiest hybrid, with GM’s characteristic hybrid-logo-with-green-H rendered in large, garish chrome letters in the fender vent—which is chest level to a standard-size human being.

This is one really, really large vehicle. It went on sale this past August, and gives the luxury Cadillac line a 17-foot-long vehicle that can seat eight and still boast fuel economy of 20 city / 21 highway. Not Toyota Prius numbers, for sure, but that city mileage is 50 percent better than the comparable non-hybrid version. But can you find a Prius that can tow 5,800 pounds?

The Hybrid version of this big SUV is a complete option package that incorporates a raft of options offered on lesser Escalades. Those include 22-inch chromed aluminum wheels, remote starter, heated and cooled front seats—all rows are fragrant leather—and an “AM/FM/XM/CD radio with MP3 capability and 6-disc charger and 10-speaker Bose Studio Surround.” Phew.

Just a few options can be ordered on your Escalade Hybrid, including four-wheel drive and power running boards (which are actually pretty handy; I’m six feet tall, and I found myself using them).

After an afternoon of fairly aggressive driving, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid's dashboard mpg display told the story: 16.3 mpg. (Photos: John Voelcker. All rights reserved.)

Beneath It All, A Truck

All of which is to say, this is a large dollop of luxury laid on top of what is, in the end, a very large station wagon built on a pickup truck frame. But unlike the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (see our drive report) on which it’s based, the Escalade takes no extreme measures to reduce weight and increase mileage. The front air-dam is subtly different, but there are no other aerodynamic changes or mass reductions. It even has the standard Escalade roof rack. Cadillac buyers like their features, and the Hybrid is meant to minimize compromises.

But its truck heritage is never too far from the surface. Over the rough country road surfaces of Bear Mountain, New York, it was pretty obvious that this 5700-pound vehicle had a live rear axle. The rear wheels wanted to twist and hop rather than soaking up the bumps individually, as they would have with a live rear axle like that on Ford’s Expedition full-size SUV. And while interior noise was commendably muffled, the ride hardly brought to mind “luxury” in the traditional sense of a fast, comfortable, elegant sedan.

Inside, wood and leather dress up a conventional dashboard with the usual complement of controls. The “efficiency gauge” is somewhat confusing, as it uses an unmarked green bar—so it’s not clear whether drivers are supposed to try to keep the needle to the right side or the left. I had to experiment to learn that the left side meant engine low or off (high efficiency) while the right side was power on (low efficiency). A couple of pictograms could go a long way here.

Like other Two-Modes, the engine switched itself off and on seamlessly, with the electronic control system’s magic guaranteeing a smooth flow of power from any combination of battery and engine. And careful driving took the big truck up to 25 mph on electric power alone before the engine kicked in.

Is the Escalade Hybrid for you? It’s no Prius, but then it was never meant to be. If you need a really big seven-seat vehicle—and have a taste for luxury and the cash to match—this $70,000+ hybrid truck may be your cup of tea. (Who knows how many buyers are in the mood for a strong cup of tea these days?) If you need that same big vehicle, but like less bling and want to baby your wallet, the Tahoe Hybrid, and its twin the GMC Yukon Hybrid, may do you almost as well.

Note: The Two-Mode transmission system in the Escalade is also used in the full-size Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and GMC Yukon Hybrid SUVs on which it’s based, and the system will also appear next spring in the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid full-size pickup trucks. Chrysler now offers it in the Dodge Durango Hybrid and full-size SUVs (act quickly, since they’re soon to die), and it will launch eventually in the BMW X6 Hybrid and a future Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid SUV as well.

• Overview