![]() In tow-and-haul mode, the six-speed automatic delays upshifts to make the most of the power band and downshifts early to maximize engine braking. The Escalade gets such poor fuel economy with a trailer behind it for the same reasons it performs so well at the same task. At $3.80 for a gallon of premium, that's frighteningly close to a buck a mile. During these stints, we've seen fuel-economy numbers as low as 5 mpg, with a few dips down to 4 mpg. At 20,000 miles, we are averaging 9 mpg, a number hindered by the amount of towing we've asked our Escalade to do. If we were paying for the gas in this gourmand, we'd be grinding our way through our fourth or fifth set of dentures right now. When that long haul involves a trailer, however, most complaints fade away most complaints, that is, except for fuel economy. If You Want to Tow a Trailer, Bring a Bank. Removing the third row leaves us a four-seater with plenty of cargo space-a popular long-hauler, but we really think we should be able to bring more friends.īring Gas Money. But intact they offer so little passenger room-the same as in the much smaller Hyundai Santa Fe-and folded they leave such pathetic cargo space (just 17 cubic feet) that they had to go. They weigh enough that their removal is a job for strong backs only. Whereas almost every competitor in this segment offers flat-folding third-row seats, those in the Escalade (and in all GMT900 SUVs) fold down into two huge lumps that have to be taken out of the truck to maximize cargo space. Meanwhile, those in the second row had to eat their knees, and we removed the third-row seats entirely-no small task in the Escalade. Even in the front seats, our tallest staffers complained that the sunroof cut into their headroom. Right away, logbook pages began to fill with complaints about space in the Brobdingnagian ute. Decked out in Tuxedo Black with a light-tan leather interior-Cashmere, in Cadillac-speak-our Escalade is a formal beast.īig on the Outside, but Less So on the Inside We went full glut on the options sheet and ended up with middle-row buckets to match the fronts, a rear-seat DVD player, navigation, XM radio, a backup camera-and a sticker over $60,000. We knew we had to spend some time with one of GM's new GMT900 full-size trucks and naturally selected the most powerful and flashy of them all, the cushy Cadillac Escalade. With a number of racers on staff always looking for a competent and comfortable tow rig and multitudes of road trips to be taken around the country, the SUVs in our long-term fleet tend to be as popular as Shania Twain in a bowling-alley karaoke lounge.
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