April 1st, 2014
For once I was finally able to plan ahead in enough time
to time our vehicle choice with an important event in our lives. Going in to
work during Christmas break paid off with a successful reservation of a Cadillac
Escalade during our trip to Atlanta, Georgia for a family wedding. This was our
second time reserving an Escalade through the Ambassador Program, and both times
we have thoroughly enjoyed it. This time we were able to rack up some miles on
it, and both Tara & I were impressed with the vehicle overall. Obviously the
extra room is a huge lure for us in this size of vehicle (I'm sure our budget is
far more Chevrolet Suburban than it is Cadillac Escalade ESV). The seating for
seven came in extra handy as Tara's mom Gail joined us on our trip, meaning we
needed each and every seat. Like the last Escalade we borrowed, this one had a
powered rear hatch (which is pretty common on all SUV's at this point), along
with two rows of heated seats (the front seats were also cooled, which would be
extremely nice in warm weather), two TV screens for the DVD entertainment
system, a navigation system, and rear backup camera (which will be standard on
all vehicles soon). The 6.2L V8 not only sounded great, it returned exceptional
mileage for a vehicle of this size - we consistently averaged over 18mpg, and
this included climbing the mountains in Kentucky and Tennessee. Spending time in
a vehicle likes this makes me realize two things: 1) Our next vehicle needs to
be bigger, and 2) I certainly would appreciate being able to afford one of these
vehicles! (at over $76,000 that certainly won't be happening anytime soon!)
2013 Cadillac Escalade ESV AWD Luxury
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A look at the cargo area - much bigger than the Enclave!
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A look at the middle row of seats.
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Looking back at the third row seating area.
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Another view of the third row, with the middle row seat folded
out of the way.
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The second row of seats had their own heating and radio
controls. The middle seats were also heated.
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A look at the dual screens for the DVD entertainment system.
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This is the navigation system/radio with the controls for the
radio and heating below.
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A closer look at all of the buttons below the screen.
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The instrument panel, showing our impressive 18.2mpg!
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Looking at the front seats - which were both heated and cooled!
The steering wheel was also heated.
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The sticker price rang in at a grand total of $76,030!
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The rear hatch of the Escalade.
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The Cadillac crest.
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The front three-quarter view.
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The front of the Escalade.
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Another look at the front three-quarter view of the Cadillac
Escalade that we had for a week.
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