Eric's Autos: 2024 Cadillac Escalade

That -- to quote the '80s one-hit wonder band Duke Jupiter -- is a lot of automobile.

And that is a big part of the appeal -- of a Cadillac.

Size does matter when it comes to Cadillac. Also attitude. Rivals like the Lincoln Navigator are also large but not as imposing, another quality that successful Cadillacs have always had. The Escalade is not shy about its size, and that includes what's under its hood, which makes light of all that size in a purposely showy way. The Navigator's twin-turbo V6 is actually stronger -- and the Navigator is nearly as quick -- but the Cadillac feels and sounds quicker. The V8 does not require "augmentation" to sound like a V8.

Because it is a V8.

At The Curb

Though it's not quite as long as a '70s Caddy, this one's much more roomy both for people and stuff. You have no doubt heard the cliche about the "three-body" trunks of the land yachts of the '70s. More like two.

One, if rolled up in carpet.

In this one, you could probably fit a casket. With the second and third row out of the way, the Escalade has 121 cubic feet of space for whatever you need to carry. Here -- as under the hood -- the Escalade out-bigs its main rival, the Lincoln Navigator, which has a comparatively cramped 103.3 cubic feet of total cargo space available and only 19.3 behind its third row (vs. 25.5 cubic feet for the Caddy).

And this latter-day Sedan de Ville can carry up to eight people, three more than could go for a ride in the '70s Caddy.

The Rest

Oddly -- in view of the base price of this Cadillac -- features such as adaptive cruise control and leather seat covers are optional. To get these, you must step up a trim from the base Luxury trim (an odd way to put it) to the Premium Luxury trim, which stickers for $93,195 to start. That's a bump of $11,300 ... to get leather and heated seats. The good news is you also get ventilated (as well as heated) front seats, a panorama sunroof and a head-up display.

The Bottom Line

Big Caddys like the '70s Sedan de Ville may be long gone, but their SUV inheritors deliver a similar experience -- and even more attitude.

========

Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.