Cadillac Escalade. Full Size

The luxury SUV of model year 2007 will go to American dealers this spring, and to Europe and Russia at the end of summer. Like previous versions of Eskeleida, the current one is unified in technology with the more “folk” Chevrolet Tahoe and Saberben, but it occupies a privileged place in the General Motors model range. Style, decoration and equipment correspond to price and image. Of the many overseas brands, Cadillac most confidently “plays on its own field” - sales on the American continent have been growing, albeit not at record speeds, but steadily over the past four years. Renaissance?

THIS IS AMERICA

There is such a thing - political correctness. The accuracy of the definitions usually suffers from it, but there is nothing to be done. Not a black man, but an African American, not fat, but obese, not huge, but full-sized - the last one is just about our hero.

So, the full-size SUV of the luxury segment, the Esquelide in the United States will compete with the Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-GL, Lexus-LX 470, Infinity-Q56. To feel confident in such a company, “faceted” design is not enough. Need volume, comfort and outstanding dynamics. With a two-meter-wide and more than five-meter-long “short” (!) Version, the “Eskeleid” also has an almost three-meter base and a very spacious interior. The width at shoulder level - 1658 mm - is about 200 mm more than that of fairly spacious class D cars. Even the third row seats (in the trunk) - like a large executive sedan, and with two rows of seats the Cadillac will argue with the most capacious station wagons in a double version. If you leave only a couple of chairs, a little more than 3 cubic meters of luggage will fit in the "Eskelide"! The extended version of the ESV is still 0.8 megabytes more capacious.

He is really new. The body, chassis, frame, engine and transmission - not a single element was used in the previous “Escelide”. The frame of closed profiles is 35% stiffer in bending and 49% in torsion than the previous model. This has significantly improved the road manners of the car without sacrificing comfort. Suspension - with adjustable shock absorbers that automatically adjust to the nature of the road. A body with a tilt of the windshield increased to 57 degrees has a very low drag coefficient Cx = 0.363 for an all-terrain vehicle. In combination with the new engine and transmission, this promises not only improved dynamics, but also efficiency. True, data on it has not yet been made public: in the United States, this is not the prerogative of the manufacturer, but the Environmental Protection Agency. The six-speed hydromechanical “automatic” “Hydra-Matic 6L80” is a very modern gearbox. It can not only block the torque converter, but also switch without resorting to it. The range of gear ratios is 6.04, the upper two steps are up.

A special article is the engine. Of course, this is a V-shaped "eight." What Cadillac without her? The working volume is 6.2 liters, the power is more than 400 hp. Exact data will appear later. General Motors Concern is among the pioneers in the development of the new SAE J2723 power measurement methodology, which is recommended to all car manufacturers in the USA. You should not look for four camshafts in the motor - it is still one, and all 16 valves are successfully driven by pushers with rods. However, this design does not exclude a modern approach: the engine with an aluminum cylinder block is equipped with a phase change mechanism.

WHO IS IN DRESS?

Remember, about 30 years ago, the Range Rover was called a farmer in a tailcoat? “Cadillac” is unlikely to be called like that - he decisively broke with the popular traditions. Judge for yourself: a navigation system with a huge touch screen, audio and video playback, 5.1 sound, America’s popular satellite radio with hundreds of music, news and information channels, a heated steering wheel, especially soft leather trim … And also the famous sixth generation OnStar system, which is capable of quickly call for help in an accident or other disaster, or track a stolen car using GPS technology. The latter is not a whim: the former Eskelade was one of the most stolen models in the USA. In the car - a full set of airbags and automatically retracted by impact not only in front, but also on any other side of the seat belt. Active safety is ensured by the Stabilizer system with an additional function to prevent rollovers.

Cadillac-Esquelide will be produced in three versions: with a standard, extended base (ESV) and pickup (EXT). The last two versions are on a base increased by 14 inches (356 mm) …

Translate the name of the car is not easy. The word "escalade" in the Russian language did not take root, or rather, became outdated, not having time to take root. In terms of meaning - this is an assault on the fortress wall using ladders. Will Cadillac succeed in capturing a solid piece of the European market?