You said that about the Escalade, not these. And you were right; yes, I do like the Escalade more than I did. I still think it lacks the character the old ones had but yes it's very clean and nice looking.

 

Ah. My bad. I thought I said it amity all the trucks.

 

As far as "character" goes, the early Escalades were essentially converted Suburbans......hurriedly brought-out in a rush to compete with the original Lincoln Navigator (which, itself, wasn't that much different from the Ford Expedition). The latest Navigators and Escalades have become true luxury vehicles.

 

Oh I know, the first one was very rushed. But it did finally get serious with the second gen. (2002+) It got the 6.0 V8 with 60 more hp than a Tahoe or Yukon and nicer leather and wood, etc. It wasn't quite LX470 levels of luxury and build quality inside but it was a legit luxury SUV by then. Caddy sold LOTS of them.

 

DC is 7th on this recent ranking. https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/wor...es-america/45/

behind LA, NYC, San Fran, San Jose, Seattle, Miami.

 

Toyota at that time did not have V8 engines that were on par with Cadillac. They were much smalle Our LX470 was rated at 235 and I remember Cadillac at that time offering 300+ if I am right. Plus we stuck with the dumb timing belts which I have in both our SUVs.

That 2nd gen Escalade was superb

 

Yes, it varies by who does it and what criteria they use. Most rankings have us from first to fourth......often in second or third. Either way...it's BAD.

Atlanta and Austin are both getting very bad.....they may be underrated in some rankings. You used to live in Atlanta, didn't you?...after you came over from Britain.

 

Once you start seeing them in person you'll like them even more.

 

Yeah, it had the 6.0 with 345hp and 380 ft/lbs... Very responsive automatic. Typical GM strengths. It was more than fast for 2002.

We are half tempted to take the reliability hit and get a last gen 2017ish Escalade over the LX just because I want that 6.2. (and column shifter LOL) Probably won't do that because at the end of the day the LX is more special and more reliable, but it is very tempting. Not that the Toyotoa 5.7 is any penalty but these GM trucks with the 6.2 can pull mid 5 second 0-60 times, that is nuts.

 

Always remember. The difference between the resale price of the LX and Escalade, you can fix and repair the Cadillac quite a few times. You will be able to buy the same year/km Cadillac for less which just pockets you the repair cost vs buying the same year kms LX. The LX is gonna more difficult to repair and it will be more expensive when that happens.

 

Resist the temptation...I've seen too many Caddy catastrophes over the years to even consider one!

 

Those GM trucks are pretty solid...

 

I just don't see a stress free truck for 20 years in an Escalade the way I do an LX.

You can't really argue with this: (lol)

 

Yes. If you want stress free and a vehicle that always works....get the Lexus LX.

 

Yes, LX is ultimate truck. Stupid reliable and overbuilt.

That said, I looked at the GM BOF's reliability at a Consumer Reports in the grocery store (since online there's no data, even when you pay for it), Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade all had very surprisingly good reliability going back four or five years.

It wasn't all green down the line like the LX, but not bad at all. Above average. I was surprised, with all the fancy stuff they have now, and I've also heard stories of people frustrated with Denalis and Escalades. But CR had them rated well for used car reliability.