Cadillac Escalade to get new lease on life in 2014

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05-29-12, 08:36 PM

#31

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Escalade, never been overly impressed with the interior but for the right price of course, but that is with anything, would I refer to it as trash, not really, many of these GM fullsize vehicles go way over 200k, can't really hate a vehicle that can go the distance with a great deal of abuse and minimal maintenance

05-30-12, 09:52 AM

#32

mmarshall

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Quote:

Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX

Its amazing to think back in the late 90s Cadillac boldly stated they would NEVER do a SUV as Lincoln made the Navigator. The Navigator at the time was an amazing hit. Caddy initially did a literal rebadge of a Denali but sales were a hit. To Caddy's credit each generation has gotten better and been a hit compared to the Navigator which has become an afterthought.

I generally agree. The original Navigator was such a hit that Caddy had little choice but to introduce a competitor. The 1Gen Escalade, though, was not very impressive...the 2Gen was a major improvement, especially in the interior.

Quote:

Esclade is still Caddy's "Face" and when people think Cadillac, the first thing they think is Escalade.

To an extent, yes.....but I think that is even more the case with the DTS/DeVille. The DTS is the car that, more than any other, defines the traditional Cadillac buyer of the last several decades......Florida white-hairs. That's why I think that Cadillac made a big mistake dropping it.

Quote:

And for every "rapper" that has one I see 10 suburban moms and Alan Greenspan types driving the same Escalade in the same black/white/silver colors with the same 20-22" OEM chrome wheels. Obviously this "rapper" image didn't hurt sales or prevent non "rappers" from buying it.

Yeah, that is sometimes the case with well-heeled Suburban moms. But their real attraction, from what I've seen, is the Suburban. Those soccer-moms love being able to haul the whole team...and have 3 or more tone of metal around them for protection, without having to pay an Escalade or Denali's price (the Suburban, of course, is expensive enough as it is).

Quote:

For a historical perspective (this article is from Automobile) when African Americans were doing better for themselves in the 1920s/30s they still could barely buy a new house or a new car since no one would sell it to them. Eventually people would sell them used Cadillacs at ridiculous prices and they would buy them to show that they were successful and had made it. The article mentioned the irony that African Americans were the same people that helped make Caddy the success in the early 2000s.

Even aside from the issue of race (which I won't get into here because it was a complex situation back then and we all know there were inequities), Cadillacs, decades ago, were some of the best luxury-cars on the planet, no matter who was driving them. Elvis Presley, in particular, loved them...he used to give them away as gifts. He was also the one, more than any other, who made the pink '59 convertible famous.

Last edited by mmarshall; 05-30-12 at 09:56 AM.

05-30-12, 01:25 PM

#33

T0ked

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Most of the younger generation, ie all of my sister's friends and cousins who are in the 24-27 age range, when asked about Cadillac, automatically think Escalade and a very quick nod to the CTS. They all have favorable opinions about the CTS, too. Not one remembers the DTS or the STS. The only other Caddy they know is the Pres' Limo. Caddy's desire to appeal more to a younger age group is working. If they don't screw up the next few redesigns, when my sister's generation is financially able to afford an entry-level luxury car, sounds like Caddy will be a contender for their dollars.