You might have seen such an SUV in the movie “From Paris with Love”. And watching the movie, I wondered how fast John Travolta drove this huge SUV through the cramped French streets. Then I was sure that this is the only Escalade in Paris, in a city where there are probably more mopeds than cars. And it also surprised me that there was a parking space for the American giant in the French capital.
Many know that the first, large, luxury SUV from the U.S. was the Lincoln Navigator.
Of course, even before Lincoln SUV was produced richly equipped and equipped with powerful engines Grand Cherokee. But again, we’re talking about a big, full-size SUV now, and in that sense, the Navigator was the first. Cadillac launched the first generation as a response to the car from Lincoln. GM couldn’t help but see how eager Americans were to buy Ford’s most expensive SUV. Therefore, the first generation Escalade was made very quickly, with not too significant changes compared to the original in the form of the Chevrolet Tahoe. Such haste in creating the first SUV from Cadillac was necessary to make a statement and have time to get their piece of the pie, from the market of luxury, full-size SUVs.
2005 Cadillac Escalade is the second generation which was produced from 2001 to 2006. However, some admirers of the car consider this Escalade the first. And there are reasons for this opinion. In addition to the fact that this car has already had serious technical differences from the original in the form of Tahoe, it is also a carrier of a new design style of Cadillac. Exactly with Escalade all cars from Cadillac began to receive straight body panels with sharp curves. Not everyone remembers it, but this Escalade was the most powerful, production SUV in the world.
The six-liter V8 Vortec LQ9 was a cousin of the LS-series engines many know from the Chevrolet Corvette. The Vortec was less torquey, but gave tremendous thrust from the lowest rpm. And mind you, this was the very beginning of the 2000s, a time when most drivers in the U.S. still did not recognize diesel engines. The American SUV was much more powerful than the Toyota Land Cruiser 100, or the Nissan Patrol Y61, produced at the same time. The Cadillac was more comfortable and faster, but it also cost considerably more. Despite the very significant price tag, this SUV sold so well that it pulled Cadillac out of the crisis and gave it the impetus for further development. One such SUV replaces an executive sedan, minivan, truck and tractor trailer. Many Escalade owners say they have never owned a more comfortable car before.
You probably know that the 2005 Cadillac Escalade was released on the GMT 820 platform. The Tahoe was produced on the same platform. Lengthened modification – ESV was produced on the basis of the Suburban. By the way, the ESV was much longer than Mercedes S-Class, or any executive sedan from Europe. The extended Escalade is even longer than the Lincoln Town Car. In addition to the standard and extended versions, the Escalade was also available in a pickup version, which was designated as EXT. The base and extended versions were produced in Texas, and the pickup was assembled in Mexico. Of course, the Cadillac SUV has a frame.
2005 Cadillac Escalade sale and price.
The base, rear-wheel drive Escalade cost $52,000 in the United States. And that’s already more than they were asking for the all-wheel-drive Navigator. A car with all-wheel drive cost $58,000. For comparison, it was possible to become an owner of all-wheel drive Navigator for $42,000. The car in Platinum version cost $70,000. Thus, Escalade was the most expensive, American SUV of its time. GM gave a warranty of 4 years, or 50,000 miles of mileage.
Today, it is possible to buy a 2005 Cadillac Escalade for $10,000. We are talking about a car that does not require significant investments. The cost of copies with a lot of faults is sometimes less than $1,000.
Exterior and photo.
So, Escalade was produced in standard, extended and cargo modifications. From the photo it is probably difficult to realize the size of this car, but imagine that the square headlight has dimensions of 16 by 12 inches. Stylistically the car is based on the Evoq concept.
By the way, the ESV, though based on the Suburban, is 2 inches longer than the Chevrolet. The base Escalade is also 2d longer than the Tahoe. The base SUV is 5,052mm long and has a wheelbase of 2,946mm. The extended ESV has a body length of 5624mm and wheelbase of 3302mm. Ground clearance is 220 mm.
The base 2005 Cadillac Escalade uses 265/70 R17 tires. In expensive Platinum modification the SUV uses 275/55 R20 tires. Tuning fans even mounted huge 28d wheels on their SUVs. Through the wheels you can see the brakes with a diameter of 305mm ( 12d ) – in front and 330mm ( 13d ) – in rear. Considering the fact that this SUV can be used as a tractor, the braking system may not be efficient enough.
Interestingly, but for the curb weight of the base machine is 2525kg, there is no metal fifth door. It is made of material reminiscent of plastic. The same material is used for the cargo cover of the pickup. This durable, but lightweight material is called Pro-Tec. Remarkable is that the rear window of the pickup can be folded down, which extends the cargo area.
Note the chrome wheel covers that cover the wheel bolts. These hubcaps are emblazoned with the Cadillac crest and are available for purchase on ebay today.
Just from the photo, you can see that the muffler pipe is out behind the rear, right wheel. This is one of the signs which gives Escalade resemblance to trucks. The muffler is decorated with a chrome plaque. The rear bumper has built-in parking sensors, which are very useful on such a long car.
Cadillac Escalade 2001-2006 has a unique style. The face of this SUV cannot be confused with any other car. In the front bumper you can easily see the towing eyes. Despite the presence of a four-wheel drive, unlike the Navigator, Cadillac is not equipped with a downshift. And this, together with significant weight and wheelbase, significantly limits its capabilities on off-road.
In the reflective elements of the side mirrors are built turn indicators, which will remind the driver about the turn signals.
Interior and equipment.
The front fascia of the second Escalade does not resemble the interior of other early 2000s SUVs. Stylistically it reminds of the 80’s, because the panel is made of straight lines and corners. This is indicated by the handle in front of the front passenger, which is usually the attribute of SUVs, designed specifically to overcome off-road, rather than for comfortable driving on the asphalt, or towing a trailer. It seems superfluous on Escalade, in fact, few people dare to go far from the asphalt on such heavy car, especially in ESV version.
Instruments were borrowed from Tahoe, but in Cadillac each dial has got aluminum edging, that gives the car not only expensive, but also some old-fashionedness. Among the gauges is a gearbox oil temperature gauge. The latter can be useful when towing a heavy trailer, or a trailer. On the center console you can notice the expensive Bvlgar watch, which is an expensive luxury item. A lot of wood is used in the trim on GM’s most expensive SUV, which is walnut. The climate control relay is located on the headliner, above the rearview mirror (this is a typical location for American cars). Many owners note a very powerful air conditioner.
The steering wheel in the Cadillac has a mechanical adjustment, but here provides electric adjustment of the pedals. The latter equipment is found only on the most expensive and luxurious SUVs. The driver’s seat is servo-adjustable in 14 directions. The first and second row seats are not only heated, but also ventilated, which at that time was also found only on very expensive cars. The headrests of the seats are decorated with the emblem of the brand. It can also be applied on the wool interior mats. The steering wheel is very light and not informative, but in many respects thanks to this, a rut on asphalt is not felt at all.
I want to pay your attention to the size of internal door opening lever. Its dimensions hint that one should pull it not with one or several fingers but with the whole hand. Besides this handle is metal and looks much more expensive than the black plastic handle on the Navigator of the first generation. The Escalade also has a massive gear stick.
In 2004, the car was equipped with tire pressure sensors. The latter allowed to know the pressure in the wheels directly from the cabin, without using a pressure gauge. The sunroof was offered in the list of additional equipment for $1550. Funny, but today some copies cost cheaper than this option, then. This same year, the car received a new, 6.5d touchscreen display. Before that the navigation display was 5.8d. Today these monitors look too small, but just think of the size of cell phones in those days. The optional Bose music system is equipped with an amplifier, a subwoofer and 10 speakers.
Interestingly, the box lid between the front seats opens sideways, not backwards. The seats of the second row can be folded down in the proportion of; – 1/3, or 2/3. This allows an aisle through which you can get to the third row of seats.
When the second and third rows of seats are folded down, the trunk of the Cadillac Escalade ESV is able to hold almost 4 cubic meters. When the third row of seats is unfolded, the passenger sitting in the middle can wear a lap belt.
Engine and Specifications 2005 Cadillac Escalade.
Initially, under the hood of second generation Escalade installed gasoline V8 Vortec volume of 5.3 liters, 288 horsepower and 440Nm of thrust at 4000 RPM. The 5.3 liter V8 Vortec was 100 cc smaller than the InTech 327 cubic inch engine used in the ’99 Navigator and had 305 horsepower and 481 Nm of torque.
The most well respected is the 6L Vortec. It has two valves per cylinder, but has considerably more power than the Navigator engine. With a compression ratio of 10.1:1, this hydro-compensated motor produced 349 horsepower and 515 N.M. of torque, but more importantly, all the power was available at the lowest rpm. That’s why the heavy SUV is able to accelerate to 100km in just 8.6s. And this is dynamics at the level of BMW cars of the late 90s and early 2000s.
Not only the size of the engine is impressive, but also the size of the engine compartment, which still has a lot of space on the sides of the V8.
Both engines were mated to four speed, automatic transmissions. The standard-wheelbase car was rear-wheel drive, but the ESV and EXT were all-wheel drive in base. All-wheel drive was allocated by default in the proportions of 62% and 38%, to the rear and front axle, respectively. If the rear wheels slip, more torque is transferred to the front wheels.
The Platinum trucks had a more powerful 160-amp alternator to power the extra equipment.
The front suspension was torsion bar, and a continuous axle was installed at the rear. The Cadillac SUV was equipped with adjustable Bilstein shock absorbers, and the rear axle was equipped with an air suspension. Thanks to which it was possible to keep a stable ground clearance even with a significant load.
The car was equipped with Stabili Trak system of directional stability, which braked slipping wheels. Which is not always a good thing, because it could cause the brakes to overheat.
This is an iconic car for Cadillac, and I think it can already be called a modern classic, because it gave a new breath to the American brand. Some people like the second generation Escalade today even more than the third, and it is not always connected with a more attractive price. Even by modern standards, it is a very comfortable and powerful car that solves problems which would require 2 or 3 other cars.
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