Thread: What's the quality of todays Escalade like?

The redesign we will see hopefully this summer.
I needed a suv asap, so i opted for a 2012 QX 56.... fully loaded came to be about as much as almost basic caddy. standard 360 degree camera view, standard headrest tvs, all three rows recline including the third row. rides next to none. power is great, does 20 mpg on the highway. i love it. btw 6 sec 0-60. everything is wrapped in leather. i have no bias against the caddy, i have a new sierra, avalanche, g8, hummer h3, and a silverado 2500 at home, so as you can tell i am a GM fan, but not in the luxury segment.

Some time has passed since I last posted in this thread.

I'm pretty close to finding a replacement for the Escalade due to the mileage and expiration of warranties. But certain things have transpired since my last post and I want to share it with anyone considering a GM truck.

Our Escalade have been broken into twice, with the second time being more severe as our Nav system was ripped out. I suppose they would have taken the third row seats if they were left in there. Apparently the police know all too well about these 3rd row seats in GM SUVs; they're a popular theft item for some "ring" in the automotive accessories business. It doesn't help either that the GM trucks are easy to get into. Pop the cover off the door handle and you're as good as in without even tipping the alarm. The breakin's got so bad that supposedly there was going to be a class action suit filed against GM for it. Ask your GM/Cadillac dealership how bad these breakin's were happening. Doesn't help that the Escalade (all GM SUV's) is also ranked in the top 3 most stolen cars at some point.

Aside from that, my additional gripes are still that the rear leg room is small for an SUV this size. Compare the Sequoia and you'll see what I mean. Lastly, though the car is presented as an luxury vehicle, it still feels cheap. Visually it looks decent, but once you're in the car and start feeling things, you notice how "hollow" and fake it all is. Go sit in an X5 (not a direct size comparison) and you will immediately feel the difference. It's just built more "solid".

Good points I would point out is the cargo space is plenty and truck does run strong. I'm at 63K and it still feels good. Had a Chevy Blazer back in the days and that gave up at 225K miles when the transmission blew. Power is adequate. Brakes do suck a bit.

Since size isn't as much a factor for me this time around I'll be checking out the Sequoia and QX56 for the bigger SUV's and the G55, X5M, and RR for the mid-sized ones.

If you're stuck on a GM SUV I would say get a Tahoe. As nice as the Cadillac may appear, the materials in my opinion aren't really worthy for the price you're paying.

I have an X5 currently, with the 3rd row. But with growing kids, we need a more realistic 3rd row option soon. I wish they would offer a long wheelbase X5, or an X7? With the new model coming out, maybe we will see more room on the F15 X5.

Of all the brands I've driven, I have been most impressed with BMW. I had considered the QX56, but I just don't love the new design of it. And also with the QX56, I thought the cargo area behind the 3rd row was smaller than the GM offerings?..

My friend has an ESV escalade and he hasn't had any problems. On the inside though it isn't as great as the RR or X5. Personally I'd go with the RR.

The cargo area behind the 3rd row is just as limited as a regular caddy or Tahoe/yukon but the esv/suburban/XL are quite larger due to the extended wheel base.

Just gunna throw my input here. As far as reliability we drove our 08 Suburban to 90k without any major problems. Only thing I can say is we had to replace a front wheel bearing, but it was under warranty so it was a nonissue. With regard to the interior I honestly couldn't complain, and in my opinion it was pretty sweet (had pretty much all the bells and whistles). As far as the escalade goes, I'd say go for it...especially if you are looking at the esv, once you have the room you'll never want to go back.