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Cadillac Escalade

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  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Escalades on the road : Saw three new 02 Escalades on the road this Easter weekend. They look to be selling ok despite the C$73k MSRP. Ack!

    thirdsuv : well, if it's a typical GM truck then that's a good thing as they seem to last forever.
  • sweetjeldoradosweetjeldorado Member Posts: 94
    Man I saw one on Saturday and man it is unique looking.

    They are absolutely beautiful or should I say gorgeous. Some may call it garish looking or Chevy Escalade but no one on here can't call the look of it boring, that's for sure. This one was silver sand or whatever the beage-like color is called.

    I also saw Infra Red model driven a couple of weeks ago. Personally, I think the truck looks great in any color.

    Also, did you read Truck Trend. The SUV was rated #1 overall along side with Lexus's LX 470 for quality while the Escalade was best for value. And get this, they rated the Escalade the best in fit and finish with an A and the Lexus second with an A-.

    I don't know why they include the X5 in the comparison. It is a different type of SUV that is more in league with the ML class, RX 300, and MDX.

    It was a good comparison but somewhat ridiculous. They should had included the Range Rover Land Rover 4.0.
  • robh3robh3 Member Posts: 157
    "Cadillac just feels the need to over do things don't they? And what is up with the huge crest on the tailgate? You would never see anything that big on a mercedes or bimmer".

    Never on a Mercedes? Are you kidding? When was the last time you looked at the front end of the Mercedes ML? Notice how huge that Mercedes logo is, smack in the middle of the grill? Or, how about many Mercedes cars of the past, with the relatively huge encircled star logo in the grill. Come one, b4z, I think you spoke before you really thought about what you were saying, at least with that particular point.

    If you were to argue that Cadillac was copying Mercedes by putting such a large logo on the vehicle, then I think you might have a good point to ponder.

    Here's another point to ponder; you and your friends went to look for Bravadas, and the very presence of the new Escalades caused you all to stop in your tracks and take notice. Bingo! That was exaclty what Cadillac wanted with its new look. Love it or hate it, you NOTICED and then took a closer look. Mission accomplished.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    "Or, how about many Mercedes cars of the past, with the relatively huge encircled star logo in the grill..."

    Um, perhaps you haven't seen the MB Gelaendewagen's front grill? Note that it has been in production for over 20 years now. ;-) MB just followed their truck lineage when designing the M-class's grill. Note that the new '02 MB C230K coupe also has a MB star in the front grill.

    http://www.edmunds.com/media/2001/nyautoshow/mercedesbenzgclass.500.jpg

    http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/kim/cclass/media/01.mercedesbenz.cclasscoupe.f3-4.350.jpg


    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    robh3 : Have to agree with you... big Cadillac logos are all good. People should take notice of these new trucks as Cadillac will make a strong come back in the years to come. The new CTS and Evoq both look like good follow ups to the Escalade.

    sweetjeldorado : Escalade does look much better in person than in pictures!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Are we sure that the door handles, electronic gizmos, and plastic pieces won't be falling off these trucks in 5-6 years as is tradition on american cars and trucks? I used to be a big american car fan, til I got burnt 1 too many times. I really hope that GM can pull this off and make it a success, but until I see these trucks in 1 piece (as far as non-mechanical items) over a long period of time I won't be convinced.

    -mike
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    has always put a huge 3-pointed star on the grille of trucks and sports cars. This dates back 60 years or so. Look at WW II vintage MB trucks. You will see the large 3-pointed star on those vehicles.

    Bob
  • bradfordl1bradfordl1 Member Posts: 18
    Does anyone have any experience with the Escalade AWD system in off-road conditions? (Yes, I know most people won't be driving their Caddys, Navigators, etc. off-road...but they do have that capability, right?) Thanks!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Since it doesn't have a Lo-range T-case, and I'm not sure if it has any kind of locking mechanism... Although with it's gobs of torque it may be able to spin through anything?

    -mike
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    fyi.. GM trucks are extremely durable. Probably the most durable trucks available over the long haul.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I know the drivelines are good dindak, but I have personal experience with a # of American trucks (Dodge, Ford and GM) where the Driveline held up but the body, and other such cosmetic items (door switches, window motors, radios, A/C, dash pieces, door handles, seats, knobs, lights, electronics, etc) all fell apart long before the truck itself became inoperable. I hope that GM has fixed these problems in the last few years...

    -mike
  • robh3robh3 Member Posts: 157
    Well, I guess we will have to wait and see about the long term durability of the body parts on the Escalade, but an interesting thing to note is that GM's truck/SUV sales have exceeded that of Ford this year (for the first time in many years).

    The Chevy pickup is beating the Ford F150 sales. Also, Ford Explorer sales are down below that of its Chevy/GMC competitors. I read this this week in an online Forbes article.

    Interesting, if nothing else.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Well I've driven my buddy's Silverado many a time and it really is solid as a rock. I was also reading in the local paper that Silverado sales are much stronger than anticipated and because of this, GM has brought overtime back at the Oshawa truck plant. I know GM has had some problems in the past, but the newer models are excellent.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I'd love nothing better than to see the US manufacturer's long-term quality rise up. Love the new Denali/Yukon on paper so far, so I'm hoping they last. :)

    -mike
  • breezeebreezee Member Posts: 9
    When I leased my '98 Navigator, the dealer said he could cut me a better deal than Ford's Red Carpet and he did. My 36-month (15K/year)lease cost me $22,098.52 and since I extended the lease for 6 months, my total is going to be $24,114.94 or $574.17/month. That's really not a bad deal for a loaded (moon-roof, 3rd seat, trailer pkg, CD-Changer, 390Watt stereo)'Gator. The residual was $30,260.75. I have 49,800+ miles on it and still have another 6 months to go on Lincoln's 4-year bumper-to-bumper warranty.

    I did a search online at Kelly BB and they guesstimate the trade-in value at $24,740 based on my acessment of the condition (Good). I'm beginning to wonder if I should entertain offering the leasor (bank)maybe $23,500 which might be what they'd auction it off for. At least I'd know what I have, and maybe I could extend the warranty if that was a concern. But since this car has been as near-perfect as I can imagine... it's either going to keep going or collapse into a heap in the parking lot!

    BTW, as far as emblems go... I don't mind the emblems on the SUVs... but Lincoln isn't that big on them anyway.

    Lincoln was supposed to have a totally new 'Gator for 2003, complete with all new sheetmetal and a fully independent rear suspension. If Heatwave's numbers hold up and Ford's marketing people are looking at any sort of sales decline, it should confirm the rumors that the '03 'Gator will now be the real '02 model... probably intro'd no later than this Fall. No spy pix yet, but if you look at the Mountaineer and the Mark IX concept car, it looks like the new 'Gator will probably have a knife-edge fenderline front-to-rear with some sort of semi-familiar grill in a swept-back look.

    Just a suggestion to all Super SUV Marketing types; integrate "cornering lights" into your new designs. These cars have thick windshield posts, huge mirrors, and almost a blind spot... especially at night when rounding a corner.

    BrZ
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    I am certain the crest on the tailgate is larger than what is on the ML. Also the Mercedes has an open design badge, with the paint showing through.
    The caddies is one large mass.

    The angular lines on the front end do not go with the rounded windows and lines of the rest of the truck. I still feel that the leading edge of the hood should be lower.

    The interior is super.
  • jljlindajljlinda Member Posts: 7
    Just picked up my new Escalade. Thought the tow/haul mode would work about the same way as the electronic overdrive on a Ford van that I own. However, when I activate the tow/haul mode, absolutely nothing seems to change. Each time I turn the function on and then off, there is no noticeable change whatsoever. Can another 2002 Escalade owner tell me if I should notice any type difference in engine arm, transmission shift, etc when I activate the tow/haul mode? I am afraid that it is not working correctly. THANKS, in advance. Jerry J.
  • jljlindajljlinda Member Posts: 7
    I used Edmund's spell checker and it changed "engine rpm" to "engine arm" in the above message. I did not catch the change until after posting the message. Sorry. Jerry J.
  • robh3robh3 Member Posts: 157
    Yes, the crest on the tailgate of the Escalade is larger than the crest on the tailgate of the ML, but not larger than the crest on the front grill of the ML.

    Anyway, this is splitting hairs. It was just a clarification.

    True, the curve of the bottom edge of the side windows from front to back doesn't necessarily "go" with the otherwise edgy design of the Caddy variant of this body, but it still "works" overall, and the design does absolutely distinguish the Escalade not only from its GM SUV relatives, but also from any other SUV on the road. That certainly can't be said of the Lexus LX470 vs. Toyota LC, Infinity QX4 vs. Nissan Pathfinder, and from most angles the Lincoln Navigator vs. Ford Expedition.
  • nota4renota4re Member Posts: 54
    Don't worry Jerry, everything is probably working OK. Under "normal" driving conditions you likely will not notice any difference in these two modes. Most of the difference is going to come when you are putting a load on the drivetrain. In the tow mode under medium to hard acceleration, the trans computer will defer the shift to the next gear until a higher RPM is attained. This will happen at all the shift points, 1-2, 2-3, etc. If you have a hill near you, try accelerating up the hill in both modes and you'll likely see this effect.

    The other difference is that in tow mode, the computer will downshift a little sooner than "normal" to avoid losing speed on a hill while towing a load. Presumably, the trans will alos have less of a tendency to "hunt" between two gears when towing a load opting to stay in the lower gear at a higher rpm.

    As you can see, in normal driving with no towed load, it would be hard to detect any of these programming differences.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I thought it turned off the OD on the Tranny on most GM vehicles, but if you are saying that it doesn't make a difference, it may act like the "Power" button on many vehicles which will move the shift points to a higher RPM closer to Redline.

    If you really want to do a test, find an empty road, and gun the truck out of dead stop up the gears to 4th gear. Have someone what where the vehicle shifts. Then do the same run in "Tow mode" and see where it shifts.

    -mike
  • robh3robh3 Member Posts: 157
    I had a chance to drive the '02 Escalade on Sunday at the Motor Trend/Cadillac World Challenge. I am not an SUV driver and don't have any other SUVs that I have driven to compare it to, but I can say that it felt "tight", and the ride was very smooth.

    The pro drivers there did a demo of the Stabilitrac system on a soapy wet surface. The Lincoln Navigator spun out 180 degrees, while the Escalade worked its way around the corner flawlessly. I did not drive the Navigator due to a lack of time.
  • ducatistaducatista Member Posts: 20
    when towing/hauling loads. I pull a 5000 lb camper and can really notice the tranny holding the gears for higher rpm for shifts. When pulling in regular mode, up shifts come too soon and the motor seems to "bog" down and becomes difficult to accelerate from the too-soon shift point. Tow/haul mode does allow the overdrive to come in (1)if towing on level ground at speeds over 60-65 mph, or (2) when "coasting" on a decending grade with little pressure on the pedal. The od mode will drop out any slight attempt to accelerate.
  • jljlindajljlinda Member Posts: 7
    Just want to say "THANKS!!" for your info re tow/haul mode in the Escalade. I now feel quite comfortable that my unit is working ok. Only have 640 miles on the vehicle and have not yet hooked it up to our boat. Thanks, again! (This a GREAT board!!) Jerry J.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Good luck with your new truck.

    -mike
  • phattrukphattruk Member Posts: 4
    What grade of fuel is required in the escalade. Since the engine compression is 10:1 do you have to use super or can you get away with using regular unleaded...
  • bradfordl1bradfordl1 Member Posts: 18
    I had the same question and contacted Cadilac via their web site and they said they "reccomend premium but that the vehicle will run on 87 octane or higher....."however, you might experience a loss of performance on less than premium" I would like to hear from people with experience with the vehicle ...............
  • chuck1000chuck1000 Member Posts: 2
    I'm well aware of many negative comments/reviews of the 2000 model year. I have the opportunity to purchase a brand new one at $37,500. Does that make it a dud at a lower price, or does it move the car into a different category and make it a very good buy? Need to make decision today. Immediate and insightful comments would be appreciated.
  • tcapps5961tcapps5961 Member Posts: 1
    Go for it. I had a 1999 Escalade and it was a great truck. I paid 47,500 for it. I traded it for a 2002 only because I wanted to. There was nothing wrong with the '99 at all. If you can get a 2000 new for that price that's a good deal. GM did have some 2000 Escalades damaged by hail at the factory and the one you are looking at may be one of them. But if it was factory repaired I wouldn't think there would be any problems. Good luck and enjoy!
  • jljlindajljlinda Member Posts: 7
    Just made a weeklong trip in our 2002 Escalade from central WV to Miami. We stopped for a couple of days in Jacksonville and drove several "city" miles, also. First of all, I was delighted with the mileage we got on our first trip. The new car sticker shows 12 mpg city & 15 mpg highway. On our total trip of about 2400 miles, we averaged 17.4 miles per gallon from the time we left home until we returned. Regarding the octane question, the manual does recommend that premium fuel be used. It also says that if premium fuel is not available then octane as low as 87 is acceptable (but not less that 87.) We experimented with premium and with regular fuels and even tried driving the same speed (without A/C) on level southern highways with both fuel grades to see if we could determine if mileage was better with premium. Based upon our experiments, we could not see any difference in mileage nor performance between the two fuel grades. In my opinion, "good" money will be wasted to use premium fuel in the 2002 Escalade instead of regular. As you can probably tell, we just love our new "truck." Very comfortable on long trips, low noise levels, great power and quite efficient for a 4-wheel drive vehicle that weighs 5400+ pounds.
  • bigpimpinbigpimpin Member Posts: 1
    Hey Chuck !!! $37,500 is a decent price for the 2000 Escalade. I just purchased a 2000 Escalade. It had 7,000 miles on it at purchase. The warranty in-service date started in mid January 2001 (it was a former GM program car), so I only lost 4 months of the 4-year warranty. Even has the Rosen entertainment system in it. Its Aspen white, and the prettiest thing you ever did see. I got a sweet deal on it. I only paid $36,500. After reading all the negative reviews on the 2000 Escalade, I was going to break down and buy a 2002. I am so glad I didnt. My 2000 Escalade is a dream come true. I absolutely love it. It definitely has curb appeal. Daily, I receive compliments on my Escalade. If you still have the opportunity to buy the one you are looking at, jump on it. I am sure you will enjoy it as I do mine.
  • phattrukphattruk Member Posts: 4
    Anyone know of any dealers in the northeast that are honoring the GM employee discounts. I have tried a couple of dealers in the immediate NYC area. They all took my deposit and said they would order the truck immediately. After 30 days of having my deposit, my paper work was still sitting on the dealers desks. If anyone knows of any dealers that have allotments and are accepting employee discounts let me know. I will travel as far south as Virginia to purchase the truck...
  • carrol2carrol2 Member Posts: 1
    Why not slap all that plastic on an Aztek, rebadge with the wreath and crown? This adds another SUV to Cadillac and will get rid of some Judge Dred mobiles.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    What??
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Cadillac finally makes Escalade its own with new 2002 model.

    Steve
    Host
    Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • sweetjeldoradosweetjeldorado Member Posts: 94
    Road test review of the Escalade

    http://www.autoworldweekly.com/RTarchive/2002/Cadillac/2002 CadillacEscalade.htm

    Steve

    Thanks for posting those reviews of the Escalades.


    J "CaddyLac"
  • sweetjeldoradosweetjeldorado Member Posts: 94
    Since alot of Escalades is being driven from the car dealerships and now seen more of them on the streets, have anyone of you guys with the 2002s has trouble-free quality in your Escalades so far.

    I have not witness anyone having problems with their Escalades, yet.

    J "CaddyLac"
  • chuck1000chuck1000 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks to tcapps5961 and bigpimpin. I bought a new 2000 in sand/silver with a Vogue Grill and gold package for $37,500. When I heard it had these after market items, I thought they would not be acceptable. The dealer agreed to remove them if I wanted. It's about $2000 of ad-dons (retail) that they were including in the $37,500 price. When I saw the grille and gold package, they looked great. Not too flashy which is what I was worried about.

    Very, very happy with the car. Lots of compliments and the biggest problems so far is that they gave me the wrong cartridge for the DC changer! I guess I can understand some of the criticism in the write-ups but them seem a little vindictive. I actually use the vehicle on construction sites and didn't buy the car to handle like a sports car. I don't get stuck on the sites with the 4 wheel drive and it is very smooth on the highway. And those Cadillac seats! Very comfortable. And I got it for the same price as a 4x4 Explorer!

    I've seen a lot of discussion about gas mileage. In two tanks of mixed driving (highway, city, some 4WD) I am getting a little less than 13 mpg on regular. My 1998 Mountaineer did no better than 15 and that was two wheel drive.

    Have any of you looked into upgrading the audio. The dose is pretty good but it is a little understated and radio reception is not great. Has anyone replaced speakers or the amp? (I understand the face is integrated with the On Star so would be difficult to replace). Also, has anyone added a back up sensor system.

    Thanks,

    Chuck
  • impalass4impalass4 Member Posts: 1
    have any of you seen the 2002 Escalades...tell me those are not off the chains...standard 345 hp motor, on star, 8 passenger seating...The General will steal Lincoln sales with this new truck...it has more power, and the Navigator, to me, is just another F.O.R.D.
  • phattrukphattruk Member Posts: 4
    Has anyone heard of a stabilitrak problem with the new escalades. I've been waiting for a dealer to put in my order (with a gm discount) for over a month. he claims that GM has not built any escalades for the past 6 weeks due to a problem with stabilitrak.. If anyone has heard of such a thing ols respond. I personally think the dealer ios giving me the run around and am awaiting my deposit to be returned....
  • robh3robh3 Member Posts: 157
    If you live in Southern California you probably were like I was in thinking it wouldn't be long before a brand new '02 Escalade stretch limo hit the streets.

    I saw my first one this weekend down in San Diego. I only caught a quick glimps of it as I was driving by and noticed it parked in an open parking lot. It was black, and it was looooong!

    I'd have been very curious to see the inside and what they have done with it.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    We've had em in NYC for a while now :)

    -mike
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Now that would be the King of the limos!!

    I think it would look cool with bull horns on the hood. I'll bet there is a guy down in Texas with one on order now.
  • bradenbraden Member Posts: 8
    Have a 2002 Escalade arriving in 2 weeks. Has anyone added the gold trim to
    theirs? How much extra did it cost you?
    Thanks
  • bassamaticbassamatic Member Posts: 79
    Had been looking at the Navigators but thought the seats were too uncomfortable and noticed some wind and road noise in the two we drove. Thought we would wait and just yesterday we drove by a Cadillace dealer with a white 2002 Escalade on the lot. Drove in, went straight to the sales managers office and asked what his best price on the Escalade was. He said $46,400. I asked what was wrong with it and he said not a thing except it had 227 miles on it as it was used in a parade and driven by some golf pro to the course and back. He had to sell it as a program car. We drove it and bought it on the spot. 227 miles was nothing, I put that on it driving home.

    What a wonderful rig...powerful engine, ultra smooth handling and enough bells and whistles to keep anyone happy.

    One thing I can't get to work is the Homelink system with my garage door opener. I know Homelink works as I tried it on my neighbors garage door opener. My opener is made by Liftmaster. Anyone had any experience with this?

    Another thing I get a kick out of is that there is no way to tell if this vehicle is 4WD/AWD. No badges or emblems outside and no buttons, etc inside. You literally have to pop the hood and check for the big engine or crawl underneath and check the transfer case!!

    Anyways, this is super nice rig and am looking forward to driving it once by wife gets out of it
    clay
  • bradenbraden Member Posts: 8
    Homelink does work with Liftmaster openers. The liftmaster you have probably
    has the random code generator feature. Your owners manual should tell you
    how to set it. It takes a few extra steps if you have the random code feature.
    It will take two people. One in the SUV and one at the garage door opener unit. Also it may tell you how to set it in the LIftmaster manual. If you can't
    figure it out, I can probably post the instructions. It only takes a few minutes
    once you now what to do.
  • megasuvownermegasuvowner Member Posts: 64
    My 2002 Cadillac Escalade is on its way, cant wait!
  • bassamaticbassamatic Member Posts: 79
    Thanks for the reply. I've tried several times to get that Homelink configured with the Liftmaster but still can't get it to work. The instructions from Liftmaster differ a little from the manual instructions and I tried it both ways, but I am still doing something wrong. I would greatly appreciate it if you could post the correct way to do it. I'm stuck!
    Thanks,
    clay
  • joeedoranjoeedoran Member Posts: 2
    You must press the learn button on the Liftmaster unit. You have 30 seconds to press and hold your vehicle Homelink button. At the same time, aiming the remote control at the vehicle Homelink assembly, usually about 3 inches away. Homelink light will flash when complete.
  • bassamaticbassamatic Member Posts: 79
    Thanks for the reply. I will try this procedure when I get home tonight. I know when I press the red learn button on the Liftmaster unit, a green light comes on and then goes off. This way doesn't seem to require two people. I must also park outside of the garage as when I press the remote button, the door will of course close. I'll let you know.
    clay
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