Boston.com's view

There was a time when Cadillac, striving to look sharp and gain an edge, got literal in its interpretation of that mission. Remember the days of high, sharp fins? Those were edgy. Remember the distinct edges of the brows that hung out over headlights? Those were sharp. But they were stamped and formed onto the lines of passenger cars.

Today, and as my grandmother used to say, “Whodathunkit?” Cadillac has gone sharp and edgy with, of all things, an SUV. And as with many SUVs and pickup trucks today, Cadillac, in redesigning the Escalade for 2002, has given it the sharp creases of the exoskeletal body: fender lines, door creases, even the grille says cutting edge – literally and figuratively.

It is a distinct step ahead for an SUV that began in 1999 as a quickly rebadged GMC Yukon Denali. Lincoln, with its Navigator, and Ford, with luxury versions of its humongous SUVs, showed there was big money to be made at the high end of the SUV scale and Cadillac did not want to be left behind.

With the redesign for 2001, Cadillac has moved to differentiate the Escalade, going full bore with interior luxury and amenities and encasing it in the new exterior box.

Seating is broad, firm, and spacious. Think of the interior of the Escalade as a Suburban decorated to the hilt. Familiar big-grab door handles, huge dash and gauges, but better leathers, wood appointments on the dash and center console, a massive covered box between the seats as part of that console, and gadgets galore. You get OnStar concierge service (for hotel or restaurant reservation, navigation tips, or Internet access). A dash-loaded six-CD changer is quite convenient, as is the Driver Information Center – fuel, mileage, trip data.

One interesting touch in the Escalade is an LED display in the passenger-side rear pillar that lights red when you are close to running into something while backing up. The power folding mirrors also are a great convenience, particularly when pulling into a car wash.

It takes a lot to move a 3-ton behemoth down the road, and Cadillac does it quite well with a V-8 engine that delivers 345 horsepower and 380 lb.-ft. of torque. The four-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly and holds onto the torque band quite well, even on long, steep grades. There is no sense of the transmission shifting up and down as it constantly seeks the proper gear ratio.

On the highway, the Escalade feels far more deft than you would expect from a 3-ton beast. Yes, it’s big, and yes, there is still a certain truck feel to its highway heft, but it is remarkably smooth. It moves, with grace to its bulk, through well-planned lane changes (sudden changes in any SUV are dangerous) and its straight-ahead glide is smooth and whisper quiet. The Escalade runs in permanent all-wheel drive, with a power split of 38-62 front to rear.

Remarkably, considering the way other big General Motors SUVs used to bounce in the rear even as the front flowed smoothly a head, the Escalade remains singularly smooth, front to rear, even when hitting unexpected bumps or highway joints.

Cadillac has done a fine job of tuning the suspension: upper and lower control arms, torsion bars, electronic shock absorbers, and antiroll bar up front; and, in the rear, a multilink system with electronic shocks, coil springs, and antiroll bar.

It is not set up to be a jamming off-road machine (it has no low range) but this suspension, so supple on the road, virtually negates the bumps in fairly rough, near-off-road conditions.

The electronic shocks, called “road-sensing” adjust for load and road, gracefully putting the days of the free-floating rear-ends and leaf-sprung adventures in the rearview mirror where they belong.

A stability control system helps keeps things under control when the going gets slick or there is a need for emergency maneuvers.

Standard amenities and gear include front and front-side air bags, three rows of leather seats, cruise control, front and rear climate controls, ABS with four-wheel disc brakes, and a towing package that includes a transmission cooler.

The Escalade is a workhorse for those who want to play big and play in luxury. It will tow a big boat, haul a large load of vacation gear, and do so as if you are riding in, well, a Cadillac. Now there’s a leap.

But it’s a leap many manufacturers are making as SUVs get ever more luxurious, performance oriented, and car-like.

And where are we going next in the world of domestic luxury? Keep in mind that both Lincoln and Cadillac have pickup truck versions of their big SUVs (Blackwood and Escalade EXT respectively) on the market even as we speak.