I was looking in the paper today and they are offering Escalades and Escalade ESV's for $600/month with only 3k down.

I am paying almost $1300/month for my SL right now. I don't want that payment anymore.....plus I live in the city now and am driving less so am more apt to want to lease.

I saw new 7 series going for $900 per month with $5500 down. I know the new GS goes for probably $550-750/month. My SL is nice....but not $400-700 nicer than those cars by any means. Not even close.

I REALLY like the Escalades....what have you guys heard about them thus far?

 

Well, and this is just my opinion, but I think it's fugly, bling bling, monsterous, gas guzzling piece of crap.

 

I love the look of the new Escalades. I must say Caddy finally got it right with the design. Love the front end and the interior.. I would get it.

 

Outside the "image" of it, I think they did a really great job this time around. Interior is tons better, it looks blingy and nice and who can argue with 400hp?

I've heard the usual quality issues but no large failures.

 

I love how the current Escalades look! Most will see a subtle change from the previous gen, but I think it's a night & day difference; the grille & headlights are more prominent; love the little portholes on the front fenders; chrome on the rails; the rear is just hot! Love the design of the LED's.

 

This new interior is a FAR cry from the 2 craptastic, awful interiors before

This is laughable. I can't believe people bought this for over $50,000. A 2003 model

A 1999 model


The Escalade has made tremendous strides.

 

the cad has gone japanese-style on the interior with that wavelike center console.
the americans are finally catching up on interior design.

 

The cade looks real nice going down the road.

 

do they have telescopic wheel finally?

 

I like the new one better inside & out

 

Well, I agree with you kind of, I think it's a nice truck, with nice engine, nice interior (this time around), but I hate it's exterior design and the blinginess.

 

While not having driven a new 2007 Escalade per se, I have driven and reviewed two of its corporate brothers, the 2007 Tahoe and long-wheelbase 2007 Denali....the Denali is very close to the Escalade in most areas, and, for all intents and purposes, is the same vehicle.

The biggest improvements for 2007, far and away, are in the dash, steering wheel, and console, where MUCH better-looking and better-quality materials are used than in the 2006's. Other than that, and some slightly better-looking and better-feeling control *****, the rest of the interior is more or less the same old second-class GM plastic.....about even with Ford and slightly better than the stuff on most Chrysler products, but not up to their Japanese-badged competitors.

GM has claimed a reworking of the old, notoriously weak and spongy braking systems in these vehicles, and my experience, after driving them, is that the Tahoe showed little or no improvement over the brakes in previous models; while the Denali DID...its brakes were much better than those on the 2006. Why this was so, I don't know.........the two vehicles, under the skin, are built on the same platform with much of the same running gear.

 

Love it!

 

Agreed.

While these American trucks and SUVs are "nice", I could never ever spend my own money on one. It's no secret that GM (Ford too) uses products like the Escalade and their other pickups and SUVs to subsidize out-dated and ridiculous retirement benefit programs, in addition to crappy cars that dealers can barely give away for free. I'm not going to reward a company for that.

It's also no secret that GM makes about $10K on a $35K Tahoe. Wouldn't you feel a bit silly paying $35K for a car that's only worth $25K? On a model like the Escalade, there's $25K of profit in it for GM. It makes me sick just thinking about it.

If you absolutely MUST have something like this, I suggest you look at the Yukon Denali or even a fully-loaded Tahoe. For all intents and purposes, it's the same exact vehicle. You'll "save" yourself some money because you won't be handing so much over of it to GM (which they would likely use to pay some laid-off seatbelt installer $3000/mo. in pension).

Don't forget the new Land Cruiser is just around the corner, and it'll eat any full-size American SUV for breakfast. Might be cheaper too, and you won't have to feel guilty about rewarding a company like GM for their tradition of incompetence.

 

Different wheel/tire packages maybe?