Mat Watson tests the Cadillac Escalade: should you import this instead of buying a Range Rover?

I’ve always thought that us British were far superior to the Americans when it comes to building a luxury car, but the new Cadillac Escalade could be about to prove me completely wrong.

On paper, it’s so packed with features that it has the Range Rover beaten, but what’s it like in reality? To find out, I’ve spent a week in the States with the Escalade, and I put it through a series of tests. If it passes, I might consider importing one into the UK because you can actually get them with right-hand drive for the first time.

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Cadillac Escalade design: does it look the part?

The Cadillac Escalade is huge. I drove the standard-wheelbase model, and it’s still longer than a long-wheelbase Range Rover.

As part of a mid-life update, Cadillac has fitted this car with new, vertical headlights and a tweaked grille. It’s certainly imposing, and on UK roads it’s bound to attract attention. If you’re after something brash and showy, this is a great option.

This car is on enormous 24-inch alloy wheels, bigger than any rims you can get as standard on a car sold in the UK, and yet they somehow still look a bit too small for this car. I also think the chrome window surrounds make the Escalade look more premium than the blacked-out trim I have on this Sport model.

The Escalade certainly looks expensive and premium, just not in the same way a regal Range Rover does. It’s very in-your-face, whereas the British alternative is a bit more understated.

Cadillac Escalade interior: better than a Range Rover, but only in some ways

The Escalade’s interior has a Range Rover beaten in terms of technology. Just look at that massive 55.0-inch display.

It looks way more impressive than the central screen you get in the Range Rover with the way it spans the entire width of the car, and it’s quite easy to use as well. The digital driver’s display isn’t the clearest though.

There’s another screen lower down to control things like the climate and heated seats, and speaking of the seats they’re super comfortable. You get speakers in the headrests as well, and the sound system is excellent.

What’s not so excellent though is the build quality. All the materials look and feel nice, but I noticed a few creaky bits of trim, and the wood panel on the dash feels a bit flimsy. A Range Rover feels more solid.

Where the Cadillac claws back some points is rear seat space, because it is cavernous. You can have up to eight seats in this car, but I had the seven-seat model with two captain’s chairs in the middle row.

You can recline them to really stretch out, and there are screens on the back of the front seats to keep you entertained. It’s even spacious in the third row, with plenty of headroom, legroom and under-thigh support. It doesn’t feel like you’ve been relegated to the cheap seats.

Cadillac Escalade engine and driving: super-relaxing in an old-school way

There are three different versions of the Escalade, and the most powerful is the electric version. It has two electric motors with a combined 750hp, but it weighs a colossal 4,105kg. It’s so heavy that you can’t actually drive it in the UK without a heavy goods license.

Then there are two petrol versions, both using a 6.2-litre V8 engine. There’s a supercharged version with 691hp, or the car I have here is the naturally-aspirated model with 426hp. This is also an all-wheel drive version, and it “only” weighs 2,700kg.

Despite the weight, my specialist timing gear showed a 0-60mph time of 6.9 seconds. Launching this car was a laugh as well, because it points its nose up at the sky like a speed boat.

And the boat theme continues out on the road, because the Escalade is super-comfortable to drive. The air suspension wafts you down the road with minimal fuss, the steering is light and the cabin is super-quiet at speed. I also love the engine. It makes a nice noise and just effortlessly pulls you along.

The immense size might be a problem in the UK though, especially seeing as this car doesn’t have rear-wheel steering like a Range Rover does. I had no trouble manoeuvring it on the wide streets of California, but the narrow lanes of Oxfordshire could be a different story.

Cadillac Escalade prices and Mat’s verdict: should you import one?

The Escalade is actually less expensive than a Range Rover in the United States. It starts from 94,000 USD (£68,000), whereas a Range Rover costs around 20,000 USD (£15,000) more. This range-topping Platinum Sport version costs around 123,000 USD, which is about £93,000.

However, if you want a right-hand drive model in the UK they do get a bit more expensive. After import costs it’ll set you back around £160,000, which is around the same as a Range Rover SV but £50,000 more than a base-model Range Rover.

So where does this leave us? Well after a week with the Escalade it has proved me wrong. The Americans really can build a proper luxury car, and if I was living in the States then I would buy one of these over a Range Rover.

But in the UK, I think I would still stick with the British car. It feels more solid inside, it’s ever so slightly more comfortable and it’s much easier to manoeuvre in the tight streets of the UK. That said, if you really want to stand out from the crowd, a right-hand drive Escalade will certainly get you noticed.

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