At its foundation, the Escalade is a very elegant and pleasing SUV to drive. The standard engine is the 407 horsepower 6.3 liter V8 also found in the Corvette. All wheel drive is likewise standard as is a 6 speed automatic transmission. This combination moves the 3 ton truck down the road in a spirited manner. Because of the way it is setup and the luxury of the interior, it drives much smaller than it really is.
The Hybrid version is basically the same except that it is a rear wheel drive vehicle, gets much better fuel economy and lower emissions. The regular gas V8 Escalade is rated at 13 city and 20 highway miles per gallon. The Hybrid version is rated at 21 city and 22 highway. Please note that the city fuel economy is over 50% higher with the Hybrid! During the test period, I drove the vehicle without regard for fuel economy and still posted a 19.2 mpg overall rating after a week of driving. That’s about the same as a typical midsize sedan with a V6 so it’s a very good number.
The Escalade has GM’s 2-Mode hybrid system meaning that the electric motors and the vehicle transmission all share the same case. The Hybrid model has a 6.0 V8 has active fuel management technology allowing the vehicle to run on 4 cylinders when it isn’t pulling hard, thus increasing fuel economy. The genius of the Hybrid system is that the added power from the electric motors carries enough of the load that the V8 is often in V4 mode so the fuel economy is much better. The Hybrid system is very quiet. You hear some pleasing V8 exhaust note plus some electric whirring sound muted in the background.
The Platinum edition adds top-of-the line accoutrements to an already luxurious vehicle. In our test SUV, we enjoyed features like automatic retracting running boards, heated and cooled cup holders, heated and cooled seating, Olive Ash and Burled Walnut trim, special Tehama leather seats, a 2 screen rear entertainment system and lovely 22 inch chrome wheels.
With an $86,175 price tag, the Escalade Hybrid is not for everyone. It is however a very popular luxury SUV and the Hybrid drive adds a significant measure of efficiency to it.
