G. David Felt

G. David Felt Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer www.CheersandGears.com Today started out as a day dedicated to my wife and kids as an early mothers day due to family scheduling issues and left me with a WOW factor after driving the new 2015 Escalade ESV. So how did I end up on the Bellevue Cadillac dealership lot, My wife wanted to spend some time shopping with our Daughter Amy and our son's girlfriend. So I dropped them off at the Bellevue Mall and headed to Auto Row to see what was new and interesting. Spotted this new SUV on the front corner. It had a whopping total of 1.4 miles on the spedo when I sat in her and I left her with 24 miles total when I left. Initial impressions are WOW Cadillac hit this one out of the ball park. The leather is top notch, dash is just amazing and the attention to fit and finish through out the interior is truly World Class Leading. This model was a 2015 White Diamond Tri Coat model with standard running boards and the 22" gun metal grey rims. I will start off with the dash, this Escalade has the HUD system, I was impressed to see that the HUD gave you the following options of display, MPG plus XM info, MPG plus Speed Limiter setting, MPG plus compass, or MPG plus RPM. The dash is a 21st century marvel of technology in it's presentation. It was very clear on how to change the Dash Monitor display from a computer style to an Analog style or a mix in between for me. The steering wheel had a great layout for the buttons and was very responsive. The center stack as all touch pad for your AC, Heat, Stereo, etc. You had the standard backup camera that came up on the large NAV display unit. Best part was that while this Escalade had Cruise sense braking, lane drift attention or blind spot lane changing how ever GM markets it, you had a screen that allowed one to turn off all the nanny devices. Default setting on the drive line is AWD, but you do have the option to go into true 2WD or lock in for 4WD. One thing that was interesting to experience is the vibration in the drivers seat either on the left side or right side depending on if the sensors feel you might hit something on either side. You can experience this just by parallel parking or backing up. Also, a great improvement to keep from marking up either your back or front bumper is that with the sensors built into the bumpers you also get a graphic display in the dash showing you exactly how close you are to the specific corner or full front or rear bumper. This will save many blemishes I think unless the person really is that inattentive to their surroundings. On the dash you have the AC/Heat control stack just under the NAV unit. If you just press on the large brushed V it lifts this whole center stack up to expose a hidden large compartment that could hold 4 Samsung Note phones and has a clear USB 3 Blue port for plugging in and charging your phone but also allowing you to tie it to the stereo so you can play the music if for some reason you do not use the Bluetooth connectivity. One thing I did like about the new Nav/Radio unit was that you just slide you finger on the brushed aluminum bar and it increased or decreased the volume if you did not use the buttons on the steering wheel. There is also an additional storage compartment on the floor center stack that can hold many things but has a traditional cigarette style outlet for chargers. The one thing I found interesting in the large center storage bin and arm rest was a SD card slot and 2 USB ports plus the 110 electrical port. You will find this also on the back by the middle seating area where you have the middle zone temperature controls and radio controls. In this same area is the traditional banana plugs for connecting a XBOX or other game console. Ports are also available back at the 3rd row seats and in the far back cargo area. Plenty of places to plug into 110 outlets or USB ports. The over head dual entertainment system was very impressive as it is only about 1/2 inch thick sticking down from the roof compared to what you would find in the 2006 Gen 1 version which was 3 inches thick. Screen is much larger looking to be about 10 inches for both units and the remote stores up in the unit so it is out of the way when you close the screen. The control can store in either the 2nd row or 3rd row unit. Second row seats as well as 3rd row were totally comfortable for me at 6'6" tall. Drastic improvement over the Gen 2 Escalade and best of all they drivers seat now goes back down all the way to the floor giving maximum headroom. I found that with the drivers seat set for myself, I could still get in and be comfy for a long drive in the second row as well as even the third row seats. Electronic push of a button folds the second row as well as the third row seats. There is no more manual intervention or removal of the 3rd seat to maximize cargo capacity. A very impressive Item I found was the BOSE stereo system. This 16 speaker with sub-woofer was outstanding in sound and was very cool to find two speakers built into the chairs facing the occupant so that each person if you had 6 people riding each had their own total surround sound experience. Exterior was a tight fit and finish and no where did I find any blemish on the auto. I loved the Rear tail lights that run from the bumper up to the roof as they fully light up to reveal a nice tribute to the long vertical Cadillac tail lights.You also get a great bright yellow LED line up of lights from the bumper to the bottom of the rear glass as your turn signals. No one should miss this at all. Big improvement is that they got rid of what I have always thought was an ugly brick of chrome in the center of the rear door and was found to have rust issues when I looked at them. You now have a great Cadillac emblem still with the crest and a nice chrome accent strip along the bottom of the rear window. From the front you have the LED Headlights and the daytime marker lights which are also found on the 2015 CTS but only larger on the Escalade. It really gives it an amazing look. Big Chrome grill and the stance is just WOW! Detail is amazing as you find the Cadillac name and emblem in the smallest of places on the lights both rear and front and even on the ceiling where you get day light equal LED reading lights. The interior lighting is just as impressive as the exterior lighting. This Escalade had the standard running boards, I feel it should be a standard not an option for the self hiding running boards, but that is a minor gripe. The engine was the 6.2 L with 6 speed transmission. I was surprised to find it had where the battery is standard on Gen 1 and 2 Escalades in the upper left from corner when you fact the motor is actually empty with electrical connections sitting there as the battery is not in the right rear corner. Based on the electrical connections in this empty battery bay, one would have to make the assumption that GM is clearly going to be putting a diesel into their full size SUV's finally. What other reason would you have for having battery terminals / electrical connections here. This Escalade had the new push button start/stop. The engine turned right over on the initial push and was whisper quiet. I was expecting some noise and yet with the Bose Noise Canceling system that is built into the Escalades that have the Bose premium sound system, it was amazing to see that you barely heard the road nose from the 22" rim/tire combo they had on this auto. With the radio on, I heard nothing from the engine or outside noise, just pure sweet music. Taking off from the dealership lot, it was a solid silky smooth transmission that amazed me as you really did not pick up on the shifts. Both driving around Bellevue and on the freeway, the auto was solid, quiet and had a pose that just stated I am the best. The auto just moves with a ton of power and conviction that you are truly driving the standard of the world. I challenge MB or BMW to build something this size, this quality for this price. Price was $84,799.00 I took pictures and will add them once I figure out why I cannot seem to attached pictures or add them to the gallery. I truly love this auto on how it drove, handled and the over all fit and finish. If you have any questions just hit me up and I will answer them.

Yes Direct injection engines are able to maintain or gain HP / Torque. If you have a carburated engine or Throttle body injection you loose about 10% of your HP & Torque. For older auto's if a person is building it up with a new engine and wants to run CNG it is recommended that they go with a Direct Injection solution from one of the 3rd party suppliers like Holley.

Any update? Hope she is doing well! My mom is doing much better, She now has a new face due to skin cancer and the need to replace the facial skin. She is happy to be alive. This round she won, but only time will tell if she won long term or if it comes back. Skin Cancer is one of the hardest to destroy long term. Thanks for asking.

Ocn, so Patriots have gone back to traditional transmissions then? Weird that they would leave the CVT in the Trail rated edition. My sons is trailrated and he has had some issues with the CVT. They should have stayed with traditional transmissions from the start. Not a fan of CVT. They should only be used in cheap subcompact auto's.

WOW, Talk about a waste of cargo space, rear head room and over all just an over priced, over rated 2 person auto! Guess the small man with a big ego will love it and buy it up as usual cause it has Porsche on the auto.

WOW, Talk about Blind spots. I agree with bobo, Juketastic!

wow, I wonder if they will follow that awesome concept they did not too long ago for it.

7 Billion in Alfa with a 400K expected sales is a joke and waste of money at this time. The brand is DOA in all but a few niche markets. Better off killing it and investing that money into their lines that actually have sales and makes money or at least breaks even. This Alfa crap will be a drag on the whole company and cost them not help them in the long run. No matter how sexy of a concept they show off, it is past prime and in this global market, not going to make it.

Nice review, it would be good to know how that 18.8 cubic ft of space can actually be used. Two full size suitcases, bunch of small box;s or what. I suspect based on the sloping roof line and with the seats tilting back that the space is not as usable as it would seem. Agree with the others, the Sonic is still way better than this car, but glad to see they are working to update it. Nissan fans will be happy.

Yes todays CNG conversion keep the MPG and give more hp and torque due to the higher octane. CNG is 130 octane rating.

G. David Felt Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer www.CheersandGears.com AGA Systems Anounced this week that they were given their EPA certification for Direct Injection CNG Conversion kits for the 2014 Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain. Either of these CUV's can be converted to be bi-fuel running on petrol or cheaper CNG with the 2.4L DI Engine. On CNG These Compact CUV's achieved a certified 33mpg. Interested in their system get more info here: http://agasystemsinc.com/ Additional news, MGM Resorts in Las Vegas is running the first Pure CNG fleet of Escalades. These ESV's had their petrol tanks replaced with CNG tanks and run in stock form on the GM 6.2 Liter V8's on an AGA EPA certified system.

Too Funny!

That is freakin UGLY!, I take the rebadged Nissan Job over that monster.

I would debate you on that as I think GM did a great job on this from what the original source did. I think the Transit was cool when first out but is not aging well and tiring now. I think this has better long term potential. I expect it to do well for GM.

Or you invest in buying it even if it is 35K and hold onto it and enjoy it for 5+ years. You will get your money back out of a truck with the Baby Duramax Diesel.

I wonder if you can jump start a Tesla or what he was looking for myself as based on past comments, I thought you call Tesla and they come bring you a loaner while picking up yours to fix, charge etc.

All fines should go into the Roads Period, not into the general fund.

Tint Laws are a Joke, The police double standard it all the time. Here in Washington State, the WSP (Washington State Patrol) use unmarked cars with all windows including the front heavy tinted except where the lights are that are still clear. So they sit on the HOV on ramps which are hard to see and wait for people to go by and then creep up behind them and once they confirm over the speed limit turn the lights on and BAM, you have a hefty ticket. They then once the cars hit 100K miles sell these Crown Vic's and Chargers. So now you see a ton of private people and taxis driving these used cop cars. So illegal for us to tint and drive them so you get nailed with a $200+ fine and yet the cops can do it and use it to sneak up and ticket you. I have filed many complaints about the cops double standard of tinting and it falls on deaf ears as the response is the cops have the right to do what ever is needed to protect society. Just like a communist state at times. The cops and Politicians can do what ever they want as long as they are in control. They are above the law it would seem. I am 7yrs without a ticket and watch it as WSP and City cops have gone crazy ticketing and causing massive slow traffic rather than protecting by cracking down on criminals. It seems the criminal is better protected while the innocent are prosecuted. Our legal system is a failure and not what the founding fathers intended.

Very cool numbers for GM, Amazing that without JEEP, Chrysler would be flat as Ram off sets dodge and the negative Chrysler. Very happy with the numbers for the GM divisions. Now to go higher.

Interesting, first I have heard of this car. What is the engine type, spec's any better pictures as until now, I have not heard of this car at all. Must be an inner circle thing that has been buzzing all about it as the public sure has not.

I am all for holding companies accountable, but it has to be within reason and it seems there is more positioning for reelection going on than common sense by the Idiots in DC.

Ugly styling IMHO, Interior is very nice but over 6'2" tall people are going to have room issues. The Escalade has far more room than the Infinity.

That is way better than the refresh version shown at NY. But very similar to the Chinese version. since the Chinese version had the chrome and road lights it gave the nose an uglier look. but with the black spots it tends to not look at ugly as the Refresh version.

+1 to the Dumpy Amarok comment!

Found this web site that sells Lim's from everyone so you can compare the different brands and it is pretty interesting. http://www.limousinesworld.com/newlimousines_mobileofficesuv/index.php?pid=79&lang=en From what I can tell online via Bing search is that MB does indeed build their own limo's but while I find it on the European site along with their complete MB Mini Van line, You find nothing like this on the US web site.