The All New 2021 Cadillac Escalade: The Tech in This Classic-Looking Caddy Will Wow You
Scotty Reiss
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This OG luxury SUV just got more must-havey. Here’s why.
Who doesn’t love the Cadillac Escalade? It’s a truck with a third row and every comfort and convenience you can think of. It’s the work horse of families who ski and tow, car services designed to make you feel like a star and drivers who want a refined experience and need room for lots of passengers.
It’s also been a workhorse for Cadillac these last few years; as the popularity of SUVs continues to skyrocket, Escalade has given the Cadillac a solid foothold in the market generating sales that allowed the brand to innovate (hello, XT6) and set standards for other luxury SUVs.
Related: 2019 Cadillac Escalade: Why you Want a Luxury SUV
The new front grille of the escalade has a clean, modern look. ? Scotty Reiss
But, every girl who holds the line for her team deserves a makeover, right? This time, it’s Escalade’s turn.
Cadillac revealed the newly redesigned Escalade to much fanfare just before the Oscars in Los Angeles. Its red carpet debut was introduced by Academy Award winner Spike Lee and Cadillac’s whole team was on hand to show off their work.
Related: Hello Cadillac XT6. I’ve Been Waiting For This Modern, Elegant 3 Row SUV
The newly redesigned 2021 Cadillac Escalade. ? Scotty Reiss
The Escalade Keeps Its OG Look but Inside it’s All Future Tech
On the outside, the Escalade keeps its traditional look. The lines are a bit refined and it sports a modern, minimized new grille, but it’s distinctly a Cadillac, long thin “fin” taillights and all.
Inside, the traditional Cadillac feel continues with beautiful leather finishes and quality details. The seats are sumptuous and feel great. But a redesigned dash and thoughtful details throughout will make you feel pampered. “We listened to our customer,” said Crystal Windham, Director of Interior Design for Cadillac. “People wanted an interior that felt more like a car.”
The OLED infotainment system comes to life: behind the curved glass panels the system produces rich, crisp lifelike images and colors. ? Scotty Reiss
A Screen Worthy of Its Own Red Carpet
The new look of the front cabin might make you swoon. Sweeping wood grain panels and leather details give the interior a light, airy feel. Smartly designed air vents tuck underneath the dash. And the crowning feature is the OLED—for organic light emitting diode— display. It features a layered, curved glass panel that extends across the dash and displays a variety of features, from the standards like entertainment choices and climate control, to the innovative, like the augmented reality navigation system that not only gives you life-like map graphics but overlays video images and when you’re using navigation, direction graphics.
Related: 2019 Cadillac XT4: Luxury Keeps Everyone Happy. And That Matters
You can really see the curve of the new OLED infotainment system from the side. ? Scotty Reiss
“Please, Sir, I want Some More.” You Got it!
Customers also asked for more interior space. The 2021 Escalade features more leg room–as in 10″+ more leg room in the third row, second row seats that slide forward and back and 68% more overall cargo space. The third row is also more accessible: with the lift of a lever on the center row seats they easily fold and slide forward.
Another featured that will wow owners is Super Cruise. The self driving technology that uses lidar, radar, cameras and sensors to semi-autonomously drive on limited access highways will be available in the Escalade.
I can’t wait to take this baby for a drive. But it’ll be a while; the new Escalade will start production in the fall and should be in dealerships in late 2021. Until then I’ll have to live vicariously through Spike Lee’s film work about the Cadillac.
Disclosure: I was Cadillac’s guest for the reveal of the 2021 Cadillac. Travel and accommodations were provided but all opinions are my own.
The Cadillac design team.? Scotty Reiss