Cadillac bestows more power and style upon the Escalade  by Thom Blackett

The Bush administration has suggested that Ford and GM’s struggles can be easily corrected by building better vehicles. That’s a fair statement for a crew that is chauffeured around in a dated fleet of domestic SUVs, though it doesn't apply to this year’s batch of products. Perhaps it’s time the Secret Service went shopping for some 2007 Cadillac Escalades, in which the President would quickly realize that the quality of his home-grown trucks matches what’s being unloaded by all of those heads-of-state he travels to meet. And taxpayers would like knowing the $55,000 base price is the same as it was in 2006.

Like the Chevy Tahoe on which it’s based, the 2007 Escalade features clean body lines, subtle wheel flares, hidden rocker panels, and a front end that resembles the midsize SRX SUV with its large chrome grille and thin vertical headlights. That sparking mug is more than a design cue, it also allows for plenty of air to cool the engine when pulling heavy loads. Behind the scenes, the front end has been designed to impact passenger cars lower and safer, and the frame has been stiffened by nearly 50 percent.Big trucks need big power, a point capably addressed by the 2007 Cadillac Escalade’s 6.2-liter, 16-valve, aluminum V8 pushing 403 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 417 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 rpm, the same powerplant squeezed into the ESV and EXT versions. A six-speed automatic transmission is mated to the big Vortec engine, and features a tow/haul mode as well as a button for manual shifts – simply drop the column-mounted shifter into M and tap the switch to change gears.

The 2007 Cadillac Escalade feels plenty quick on the highway, yet is equally adept at strolling slowly along on congested city streets. It’s in urban environments where drivers may most appreciate the large side mirrors and clear rear view, though the wide C-pillars and second row headrests limit rear three-quarter visibility.

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