An SUV so big your entire family can sit on the corners of the front bumper; that must be the Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum, and indeed it is. I met this big American land boat at an unofficial Cadillac repair shop in Beijing in 2020.
The fourth generation Cadillac Escalade was made from 2015 until 2020. The LED light units look absolutely brilliant. ‘ESV’ stands for Escalade Stretch Vehicle, an extra-large and extra exclusive long-wheelbase version of the already very large standard car. Size: 5697/2045/1880, with a 3302 wheelbase (!). To put that in some perspective, the ESV is almost as long as a Maybach 57. ‘Platinum’ is the top trim level of the Escalade. The ESV version was always combined with the Paltinum trim.
Escalade ESV lettering on the front doors.
The interior looked very classy, for an American car. It has a large piece of wood on the dashboard, black leather, and lots of shiny bits.There is a screen for navigation and entertainment, two cup holders, and an ultra wide center tunnel.
In the middle were two captain seats and in the back was a bench with another 2.5 seats.
The rear lights were as impressive as the front lights, and even larger. The windows were totally blacked out and it had shiny exhaust pipes and yet shinier alloy wheels.
The Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum was powered by a 6.2 liter V8 engine with an output of 403 hp and 565 Nm. The motor was mated to a 6-speed automatic, sending horses to all four wheels. Fuel consumption was, well, let’s not talk about that. (Psst! It was 13 mpg city/18 mpg highway).
The Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum was not officially sold in China but quite a lot of these cars arrived via the gray market, where Chinese traders bought cars directly from US dealers. Big as it may be, the Escalade is certainly an impressive machine, a statement really, of bling and America.