Cincinnati.com's view

This is about as politically incorrect as they come – a gigantic, fuel-slurping luxury SUV – your eco-whackos could find at least 4 things in that description to inveigh against. Sorry, but I like the Cadillac Escalade ESV – in its place. It’s obviously neither a commuter nor suburban errand-runner.

If you look at the vital statistics, it will become apparent that the ESV has much in common with its cousins, the Chevrolet Suburban and the GMC Yukon XL – same 130-inch wheelbase, same garage-filling 219-inch overall length, same propensity to look best with a horse trailer hitched behind.

Some thought it was unwise for Cadillac to venture into SUV country, and they did almost blow it with the first Escalade, a rebadged Tahoe that was one of the scariest SUVs I ever drove. But with the re-creation of the brand last year, they hit a bull’s eye.

The logic is perfect. Those people who have a need to tow horses or a substantial boat obviously have dough – why should they and their friends be subjected to a trucky-looking interior?

So in consultation with the Italian design firm Bulgari, Cadillac wrought the kind of interior one never expected from GM – restrained and elegant. The wood and leather are used with discretion and the overall tone is luxury sedan, not truck. (GM expects a median household income of $200,000+ among those buying this puppy).

The ESV is essentially an Escalade with a 22-inch stretch, most of which is devoted to the passenger and cargo compartments. It can be set up as either a 7 or 8-passenger conveyance. The standard arrangement is two buckets for second class, a three-person bench for third. The two buckets can be swapped for a three-place bench, but that would ruin the ambience, in my opinion.

As it is, those second-class buckets are the place to be, offering plenty of legroom and more lateral freedom than any other location. And with the two buckets, getting to third class is considerably easier. The test machine had the bench, and it evoked some harsh words during my experimentation with it.

About that third class: It’s a joke on midsize SUVs, but here it’s for real. Again, 2 adults would work a lot better than 3, but there is enough legroom and hiproom to make a run to the country club, at least, tolerable for the reasonably spry. (If I can get back there, anybody can.)

To cite cold numbers: The ESV’s total interior volume is 131 cubic feet. The third row is removable and the second row can fold flat. With both aft rows in place, you have 45 cubic feet for those Vuittons – about three times as much as in the trunk of a full-size car. Dump Row 3, you have 63 cubic feet, and if you make a 2-passenger Greyhound out of it, the yawning cavern grows to 108 cubic feet.

Out back, you can drag up to 7,400 pounds (nominal), and could probably cheat on that a bit. Getting under way should not be a problem, even heavily laden, considering th e muscle GM has built into this platform.

The engine is an aluminum-head, iron-block 6-liter V-8 of the overhead valve persuasion. Not the cutting edge, but just the ticket for an application such as this. That displacement (364 cubic inches for the metrically-averse) has been massaged to make a class-leading 345 hp. Torque peaks at 380 foot-pounds, at 4,000 rpm, but is present in gratifying quantities from just off idle.

Truth in Advertising Department: Cadillac boasts that the ESV is the most powerful vehicle in its class. I suppose if you stipulate base engine, and luxury class, that’s OK. But if you have hefty horses or a serious boat, you might be interested to know that for just $700, you can upgrade the (much cheaper) Yukon XL or Suburban to an 8.1-liter V-8, which offers almost as much “power,” which is usually taken to mean horses, 340 to be specific, and nearly 20 percent more torque – 455 foot-pounds at 3,200 rpm.

In a vehicle of this sort, to ue is what counts. I hauled only people and couple of dogs in mine, and for that work, it was abundantly potent, moving out better than many a sedan, and with a satisfying V-8 grumble when treated to an open throttle.

To achieve maximal power output, you’ll need to use 91-octane premium gas, although GM says there’s no harm in using regular. A good strategy might be to anticipate your activities over the next 31 gallons’ worth and buy accordingly.

The ESV in its base, i.e., loaded form weighs 5,839 pounds. It should come as no surprise that gas stops will be fairly frequent, even with that generous capacity. EPA ratings are 12 mpg city, 16 highway. Again I won’t cite my numbers because much of it was under adverse conditions – moderately heavy snow.

The ESV did beautifully, thanks to its new standard all-wheel-drive setup. It now puts 40 percent of available torque on the front wheels under steady-state conditions, but with an open center differential, that can change in a wink to reallocate twisting force to the axle better able to handle it.

Climbing fairly steep, snow-covered slopes with an underlay of ice, the ESV made no fuss at all; it just got the job done. Front-wheel-drive cars failed the same test miserably. With traction control and stability control, the ESV felt assured over roads rough enough to break a car.

On one of my experiments on a large, snow-covered parking lot, I asked more of the stability control than it was able to give under the circumstances by dialing in a severe turning maneuver. The rear end whipped around – a real thrill when there’s this much rear end – but as soon as the laws of physics allowed, the ESV regained its composure and proper heading.

With an overall height of 6 feet, 4 inches, it did feel a little tippy at times, but only when the maneuvering was more suited to a sports car.

It would be somewhat out of place in a crowded mall parking lot, with its length and huge, 43-foot turning radius, but it felt great on the highway and on suburban streets. I only clipped curbs a few times before I gained a sense of how much Caddy there was behind me. Another standard feature worth its weight in platinum is the rear sonar – four sensors trigger lights and buzzers to let you know when you’re approaching something solid or semi-solid, like a person.

The only thing I miss with all-wheel-drive setups is a low range, such as you find on a 4WD vehicle. Very useful for crawling down icy slopes without having to put one’s trust in antilock brakes.

The stopping power on this barge comes from four discs. Despite the mushy pedal feel, the ESV stopped within reasonable distances, considering how much kinetic energy it represents and the antilock brakes pulsed very rapidly with a sort of purr.

The insurance folks haven’t crash-tested an Escalade at all.

The feds subjected a standard Escalade to a frontal test last year. It didn’t fare all that well on their drill. It got three stars for driver protection (on a five-star scale) and four for co-pilot. But it also got an asterisk which noted that the driver had a high likelihood of thigh injury in this 30-mph scenario.

I think an extrapolation to the ESV can fairly be made where a frontal crash is concerned. Of course if you hit another vehicle, instead of a barrier, it’s likely you’ll win unless you pick the opposition poorly.

Overall build quality of this Silao, Mexico creation was excellent. The test ship was priced at $55,370 to start. They grafted on a Panasonic DVD player, complete with headsets, for the second-class compartment ($1,295), chrome wheels ($795), an XM satellite radio ($325) and trailer package ($190). Total with freight was $58,765. From what Edmunds.com has discovered in pricing surveys, you can probably get 4 grand off without undue haggling.