Pros: Entertainment features, Power lift gate, Backup camera

Cons: Price, Size, Weight, Steering, Handling, Comfort, Braking, Complicated audio and navigation controls

Ben Franklin once said that one should never speak ill of any man. He, did not however, mention what to do when a disparaging word applied to a motor vehicle. Having no such wisdom from Ben on such matters, the advice of W.C. Fields comes to mind. He said, "You can't cheat an honest man; never give a sucker an even break, or smarten up a chump." Well, we’ll deviate from those choice words a little and try to smarten a chump by letting Cadillac know that they need to drop the Escalade Hybrid like it’s a hot coal, immediately. There’s not much good about this leviathan.

Flat seats can’t provide even rudimentary comfort. Buttons, a touch screen and rotary knobs proliferate and complicate what should be simple functions, and distract from what should be the main task, operating the vehicle. And with such poor driving manners, you’ll need all the attention you can muster.

This thing is big. At nearly three tons, it would take some serious engineering to make anything this size perform in a way that would be satisfying. That the Escalade falls short so often is not surprising. Maneuvering in city conditions is a constant challenge as you attempt tight turns, parking places and tight highway conditions, all the while trying to avoid potholes. The big Caddy rolls in the turns and has slow steering. Braking performance that could only be described as weird had us nearly running into other vehicles due to the regenerative braking system which captures energy from braking to help charge the hybrid batteries. Sometimes when you lightly press the brake pedal, no noticeable retarding of speed took place. Press a little harder and the brakes are full on. Later, the same light pedal press brought nearly full braking power. It’s disconcerting indeed to not know what you’re going to get when you go for the brakes, especially at speed or in an emergency. Also, the most common feature we’ve come to expect on this class of vehicle, all-wheel-drive, was noticeably lacking, making for a gray-hair inducing snow driving experience. 

The vehicle will seat seven fairly comfortably, though it will be a tough climb for those using the rear-most of the three rows. They will be well entertained with a satellite radio, CD and DVD player. They shouldn’t get lost thanks to GPS navigation. And their driver won’t back into things courtesy of the backup camera. A power rear window and gate proved very handy.

With all that was going on, it was tough to remember that this is a hybrid, until the smooth running engine shut off at a stop sign. Release the brakes and hit the gas and the engine kicks in very rapidly. The mileage is pretty good, for a boat.  A monitor using the DVD/navigation screen let’s you keep track of what mode the hybrid system is functioning in.

Other Cadillacs show some of the best styling, engineering and features that the American luxury maker can come up with. But, in the Escalade hybrid, they have one of the most ill-conceived and executed vehicles on earth and with the sky-high price of more than seventy-two thou. We can only hope they’ll replace this vehicle with something a lot better, real soon. 

EPA Mileage city 20 mpg, highway 21 mpg
Fuel tank capacity 26 gallons
Engine 6L V8 with GM two mode hybrid system
Horsepower 332 @5,100 rpm
Acceleration 0-60 mph 8.8 seconds
Braking 60-0 mph 137 feet
Curb weight 5,932 pounds