Skip to main content

Time for a New Escalade: 5 Things Cadillac Needs to Improve

img195163709 1532112277043 jpg 2018 Cadillac Escalade | Cars.com photo by Aaron Bragman

The Cadillac Escalade has been king of the hill for American luxury vehicles for many years: an expensive, hulking, leather-lined behemoth that’s the picture of ostentation. But not anymore. The redesigned 2018 Lincoln Navigator has upended the order of things with its newly redesigned aluminum-intensive frame that brings a healthy dose of classic American mid-century modern design to the luxury automotive landscape. Lincoln dealerships can’t keep them in stock, even though fully loaded Black Label trim models easily top $100,000 (for the record, Escalades aren’t any less expensive). But drive the two back-to-back and they couldn’t be more different. I recently had time in both the extended-length 2018 Lincoln Navigator L Reserve and Cadillac’s massive 2018 Escalade ESV Platinum.

Related: What’s the Best Full-Size SUV for 2018?

Shop the 2018 Cadillac Escalade near you

Used
2018 Cadillac Escalade Platinum
70,287 mi.
$36,495 $500 price drop
Used
2018 Cadillac Escalade Base
44,326 mi.
$35,995

The Navigator is a stunner, but the Escalade is definitely ready for its redo, which should arrive in a year or two. Here are our thoughts on five areas where Cadillac really needs to focus its efforts to catch up to the latest and greatest Lincoln SUV.

1. Ditch the Touch-Sensitive Panels

This is the Cadillac Escalade’s worst aspect, a bad idea that spread to all Cadillac models but one that’s slowly being rectified. These blank, touch-sensitive panels don’t convey a sense of premium luxury — there is nothing luxurious about flat plastic that doesn’t move when you touch it. It feels vague and requires you to take eyes off the road, and it’s something even Lincoln dropped after going that route for several years. The next Escalade needs to go back to some real, high-quality buttons and switches, just as Lincoln did.

img 2041167460 1532112283023 jpg 2018 Cadillac Escalade | Cars.com photo by Aaron Bragman

2. Upgrade the Interior Quality

Look at the gap around these console doors on the ESV. They’re just one indication of an interior that doesn’t feel anywhere close to the price Cadillac charges for it. My Platinum-trim Escalade ESV ran more than $103,000 as tested from the dealership, but the leather quality, assembly quality and design don’t meet that level of scratch. Unlike the Cadillac Escalade, the Navigator Black Label trim model is now on par with the premium luxury of a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class or Land Rover Discovery in terms of vehicle interior materials and assembly quality. As a luxury vehicle, the Escalade ESV isn’t even close.

img 2097348332 1532112283428 jpg 2018 Cadillac Escalade | Cars.com photo by Aaron Bragman

3. Drop that Load Floor

GM’s full-size RWD and 4WD SUVs all retain a rear axle instead of an independent rear suspension, limiting the ability to engineer space under the vehicle floor to stow the third row. The luxury-oriented Lincoln Navigator and its Ford Expedition corporate sibling replace the F-150’s rear axle with an independent suspension, making for a lower, flatter load floor and seats that disappear completely. You can see the raised lip of several inches that the Escalade needs; hopefully the next truck will switch to an independent rear to improve ride, handling and packaging.

img964640108 1532112283821 jpg 2018 Cadillac Escalade | Cars.com photo by Aaron Bragman

4. Lighten It Up

The most astonishing aspect of the new Navigator is that it drives like a much smaller SUV — light, nimble and unintimidating. The Cadillac Escalade, not so much. It has a big 6.2-liter V-8 to the Navigator’s turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6, and while that doesn’t really penalize it any more than the Lincoln for MPG fuel economy, the Cadillac feels slower, heavier, more ponderous in corners and portlier on the road. Strangely, the SUVs both weigh the same — about 6,000 pounds in extended-length models despite the Navigator moving to an almost entirely aluminum body and structure for 2018. This suggests that the Lincoln’s center of gravity is considerably lower than the Escalade’s, which makes sense if the SUV’s upper structure is now aluminum.

img1014005253 1532112281205 jpg 2018 Cadillac Escalade | Cars.com photo by Aaron Bragman

5. Improve the Packaging

Despite the Escalade’s massive exterior dimensions, the interior is somewhat cramped. The Cadillac Escalade’s super-wide front console impinges considerably on front passenger space, and the second and third rows lack legroom — certainly not as what you’d expect in such a large vehicle. The luxury Navigator, by contrast, feels considerably more spacious, with a premium quality third row that’s nearly as comfortable as the second.

img1970553790 1532112282164 jpg 2018 Cadillac Escalade | Cars.com photo by Aaron Bragman

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.

Aaron Bragman
Detroit Bureau Chief Aaron Bragman has had over 25 years of experience in the auto industry as a journalist, analyst, purchasing agent and program manager. Bragman grew up around his father’s classic Triumph sports cars (which were all sold and gone when he turned 16, much to his frustration) and comes from a Detroit family where cars put food on tables as much as smiles on faces. Today, he’s a member of the Automotive Press Association and the Midwest Automotive Media Association. His pronouns are he/him, but his adjectives are fat/sassy.
Email Aaron Bragman

Featured stories

202502 what are cheapest evs profile scaled jpg
toyota 4runner trd offroad 2025 42 exterior offroad front angle jpg
kia ev9 land 2024 07 exterior front winter scaled jpg