The Cadillac Escalade may no longer be the Crest-and-Wreath’s best-seller, but the large body-on-frame offering – available in short-wheelbase, long-wheelbase ESV, and Chevrolet Avalanche-based EXT “sport utility truck,” the first two available in Hybrid flavor – remains an important part of the brand’s lineup. To help keep things fresh, GM added a host of minor improvements plus the new Cadillac Premium Care Maintenance Program. It covers scheduled oil changes, replacement of engine and cabin air filters, and multi-point inspections for four years or 50,000 miles. Though not as comprehensive as BMW’s program, it’s still a nice selling point for prospective buyers.
The 2011 model year also sees the Escalade range get additional noise reduction via a laminated windshield and front side glass, modified front weather stripping, and slightly redesigned rear-view mirrors. GM also added more features to the navigation system and improved the standard OnStar technology’s voice-recognition software that now includes flexible speech recognition software that no longer needs to hear the exact command and is better capable of recognizing regional dialects.
The remaining changes to the Escalade lineup consist exclusively of new colors. Escalade Platinum models receive new Cocoa interior carpet and there is a pair of new exterior colors for most of the range: Mocha Steel Metallic and Carbon Flash Metallic, though the latter is not available on EXT models. There are also four promotional colors offered for a limited time: Evolution Green Metallic and Blue Frost Metallic for the two SUV flavors, Mocha Steel and Gold Mist Metallic for the EXT.
These minor changes won’t return the Escalade to best-seller status, but they do add a veneer of freshness while Cadillac works on an all-new model.
By Kirill Ougarov
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